The month of February marks the martyrdom of Malcolm X (proper Islamic name, El Haj Malik el-Shabazz). Without doubt, he was a great revolutionary.
El Haj Malik Shabazz (aka Malcolm X) was a remarkable Muslim leader who emerged from the ghettoes and rose to meteoric heights. He was gunned down in the prime of his life because of his incredible influence on African Americans amid fears that he might cause a revolution in America.
Muhammad Ali was not only a world-class boxer, he was also a human rights activist and stood against the immoral Vietnam War and refused to fight there for which the US establishment punished him. In death, however, they eulogized him because he had become an international icon.
One of the most remarkable transformations in the life of Malcolm X occurred during Hajj. Some of these experiences are narrated here that were published posthumously.
This long-time reader thanks us for not forgetting the life and struggle of Malcolm X (El Haj Malik el Shabazz), the most outstanding leader of the African-American community in the last century.
February 21 marks the 51st anniversary of the martyrdom of El Haj Malik el-Shabazz, better known as Macolm X. Born Malcolm Little, he adopted the letter 'X' after his name to signify rejection of the name imposed on him by the white supremacist establishment. His was a life of struggle, sacrifice and ultimately triumph through martyrdom. We reproduce this article first published in Crescent International on March 1, 2015 to honor him.
Malcolm X—real name El Haj Malik Shabazz—arguably the most outstanding Islamic leader in America will not be remembered as Martin Luther King Jr was. The difference is that Malcolm was totally uncompromising with the oppressors. Some memorable quotes of Malcolm X A self-taught man, Malcolm X’s character and qualities can be discerned from his statements.
Dr. Tarek Mehanna, an American-born Muslim citizen, was handed a 17-year-prison sentence by a Boston court on April 12 for no greater “crime” than exercising his First Amendment right to free speech.
Considered already by many to be a definitive work, Professor Manning Marable’s Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention (Penguin Group (USA) Inc., New York, 2011; 594 pages; hbk. $30.00) is reviewed for CI by staff writer Zainab Cheema.
In the month marking the 46th anniversary of Malcolm X’s shahadah (real name El-Hajj Malik Shabazz), the task of tabulating his political legacy is a rather delicate enterprise. In US cinematic culture, he is perhaps known best from Spike Lee’s 1992 film.
Malcolm X, who was assassinated in New York on February 21, 1965, was a unique figure in the history of Islam in America, and a leader who has inspired generations of Muslim everywhere, particularly those living in non-Muslim countries. FAHAD ANSARI considers his legacy.
Steven Barboza’s book, American Jihad, is an inversion of the message of Emerson’s ‘Jihad in America’. Barboza uses the idea of jihad and the life of Malcolm X - a combination guaranteed to get most Americans’ attention - as starting-points for a discussion of the different ways American Muslims practise jihad.
When Alex Haley asserted in his 1976 novel, Roots: The Saga of an American Family, that its main character Kunte Kinte was a Muslim, he was dismissed by many American historians.
A key document for understanding Malcolm X is his Autobiography, published posthumously by Alex Haley. The Autobiography highlights the changes Malcolm went through during his life while also maintaining several consistent concerns. However, despite its usefulness, this document needs to be viewed in the context in which it was produced.
When we say “our” we do not mean Muslim nor Christian, Catholic nor Protestant, Baptist nor Methodist, Democrat nor Republican, Mason nor Elk. By “our” Harlem Freedom, we mean the black people of Harlem, the black people of America, and the black people all over this earth.
One who practices this Divine Obedience is called a Muslim, commonly known, spelled, and referred to here in the West as Moslem. There are over 600 million Muslims on this earth, predominantly in Africa and Asia, and we here in America under the Divine Guidance of Mr. Elijah Muhammad are an integral part of the vast World of Islam that stretches from the China Seas to the sunny shores of West Africa.
