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Malcolm X, arguably one of Americas strongest black activists was born on the nineteenth of May 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska. He was a son to Earl and Louise Little, and lived in Lansing, Michigan. In 1920 the Littles house was fire-bombed while the family slept inside. This was believed to be the work of the white racists group, Ku-Klux-Klan. Malcolm X along with other blacks were being segregated in most every parts of daily life.
They werent allowed to vote, go to the same washrooms as the whites and were in separate classes in school. Malcom Little saw this discrimination, but could not do anything to help his people. In 1931 Malcolm Little moved to Harlem, New York. Malcolm became a criminal, he sold drugs, stole and was also a pimp. In 1946 Malcolm was convicted for burglary and sentenced to eight to ten years hard labour. In prison, Malcom Little had his first confrontation with the Nation of Islam through meeting a believing Muslim.
Elijah Poole also known as Elijah Muhammad made Malcolm become interested in educational things again. So Malcolm started education in history, philosophy, religion and literature. After leaving prison Malcolm joined the Black Muslims (Nation of Islam) within a few weeks and began to work for them. He was sent to the streets to speak to the people, to point out the injustice to blacks and of course to make them join the Muslim movement. As the years went on Malcolm Little changed his name to Malcom X, because this is a representation of his involvement in the Nation of Islam. Eventually, The Nation of Islam started to grow jealous of Malcolm X because of his enormous popularity and success among the blacks, and shunned him because of his views on black and whites living together as one in brotherhood.
Elijah Muhammad the first leader of the Nation of Islam and a good friend of Malcom X started to become afraid that his best Minister would become more famous then himself. Elijah was quite media shy. He didnt want Malcolm being TV shows all the time either. Nevertheless Malcolm was.
Most Black Muslims felt like he was doing a good job representing the Muslim movement on TV. Apart from that Malcolm became more and more political interested in the civil rights movement. This let tensions between him and Elijah Muhammad grew. When ever there use to be a uproar or a riot the people would ask for Malcolm to speak instead of Elijah. Malcom wanted to preach during a riot in Los Angeles were seven Muslims were shot dead, but Elijah Muhammad pulled him back, treating him like a little school boy.
Mr. Muhammad didnt like being in public. Finally, on the assassination of John F Kennedy, Malcom X made a remark that would lead to his suspension form the Nation of Islam for ninety day. The chickens have come home to roost. Being an old farm boy myself, chickens coming home to roost never did make me sad, theyve always made me glad Malcolm X. Elijah Muhammad did order all Muslims not to comment on Kennedys assassination in public some days before.
He knew about the good relationship between the President and the American people and he didnt want to get in trouble because of any remarks made on the issue. Malcom X broke this rule and displeased Muhammad. Through being band from television, his suspension for ninety days and being treated like a boy Malcolm X and Elijah's friendship was fading and Malcolm X was slowly moving away from the Nation of Islam. The Nation of Islam grew more jealous of Malcolm X when he left the Nation in 1964 to create his own foundation which was called the Muslim Mosque Inc.
Many blacks followed him out of the Nation and were a part of the Muslim Mosque Inc. One of the main reasons why the Nation grew jealous was that Malcolm X had opened many mosques across the United States. Almost every state had its own mosque. Now that Malcolm had broken all ties with the Nation of Islam he stared to expand on his preaching towards civil rights.
He made it clear that it was possible for whites and blacks to work together. In the following years Malcolm X went yo the federal government and placed a appeal for blacks to control there own communities. This was rejected but it aggravated relationships with Elijah Muhammad. Muhammad never asked help of anyone, especially whites.
Malcolm went against his teachings once again. Since Malcolm X was not part of the Nation anymore, Elijah had to keep his feelings inside. It is clear the relationships did not improve amongst the Nation and Malcom X. At the end of 1964, Malcolm X undertook visits to Africa and the Middle East where he found a new spirit of unity. This action made the Nation of Islam upset and aroused several questions.
One of the main changes that Malcolm underwent was he had changed his views about white people. In Mecca, the holy city for Muslims he saw that all were equal under the sight of God. He saw that blue-eyed blondes and black Africans stood together and prayed together as brothers and sisters. One of his famous quotes after he had gone to Mecca was I have learned that all whites are not racist. A black man saying this made the Nation of Islam very angry. At the end of his pilgrimage he wanted the world to know that whites could help the blacks but could not join them.
This statement made Elijah Muhammad very upset and he warned Malcolm that if he was not to stop these attempts to bring the whites closer to the blacks, there would be serious trouble. Malcolm X did not care for this warning. Finally, Changing his name from Malcolm X to El- Hajj Mail- El- Shabazz aggravated the members of the Nation of Islam. The code of the Nation is that each member of the Nation will forever keep the X in there name.
Malcolm X went against this and yet again broke a rule of the Nation. Another reason why the Nation did not like Malcolm changing his name was that it showed that the Nation was not strict. This was a sing that the Nation thought would show them as being weak. The final reason why the Nation of Islam did not like Malcom X changing his name was that it proved that Malcolm X did not care for the Nation of Islam and did not want anything to do with them. This really agitated and moved the Nation of Islam to react. At the height of his power, Malcom X was Americas most powerful black voice, this made the Nation of Islam angry.
The Nation of Islam saw that Malcolm X was slowly taking over the black Muslims around the US and were displeased with him. One night as Malcolm and his family slept there house was once again fire-bombed, but this time it was his own people. Members of the Nation took it on them self's to teach Malcolm a lesson and to quit his preaching. This move backfired on the Nation.
As the years went on the preaching of Malcolm X got stronger and was unbearable by the Nation of Islam. He started to preach non violence and peaceful confrontation. The young black Muslims started to finally understand the message of Malcolm X and stopped the violence. The nation could not take it anymore.
On the twenty-first of February 1965 in Harlem, Malcolm X was shot and killed. One of the members of the Nation that disapproved Malcolm's message was the culprit. Even though Malcolm Xs life came to tragic end, it made his message stronger in the minds of the Black Americans. His death proved his message by him once saying there can be know white, black unity until there is black unity.
We can not be executable to others until we are executable to ourselves. It is true that the Nation of Islam grew jealous of his message and his popularity, but in killing the Nation made his message stronger and more memorable in our minds. After his death much of the white superiority was over in many parts of the US, but never the less in other areas it grew.
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Research essay sample on Nation Of Islam One Of The Main
