February initiates the commencement of Black History Month, an annual festivity in the US that is also acknowledged at varying intervals in other English-speaking countries as a homage to the contributions, accomplishments, and adversities of the African diaspora. Each year, a prominent individual captures the spotlight, forever associated with this occasion. This figure is not only commemorated for his lasting revolutionary influence on the African-American community and the Global South but also because it was in this very month that Malcolm X met his tragic demise.
On the 21st of February, 1965, at the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem, New York, Malcolm X (later known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz) was assassinated while delivering a speech to the Organisation of Afro-American Unity (OAAU). The perpetrators included members of the Nation of Islam (NOI), the group within which Malcolm had previously ascended: the Nation of Islam (NOI). At the time of his untimely death, he was a mere 39 years old.
Leading up to his assassination, El-Shabazz was well aware that he was a marked individual, under constant surveillance by the FBI and local authorities, in addition to facing threats from the NOI following his fallout with their leader, Elijah Muhammad, and his subsequent adoption of Sunni Islam.
In The Autobiography of Malcolm X, co-authored with Alex Hayley, El-Shabazz expressed his belief, “It has always been my conviction that I, too, will meet a violent end.” The book commenced with one of his earliest childhood memories: fleeing with his family after the Ku Klux Klan burned down their house, resulting in the death of his father, a vocal Baptist preacher influenced by the teachings of pan-Africanist Marcus Garvey.
Despite growing up in Lansing, Michigan, El-Shabazz was born Malcolm Little on the 19th of May, 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska. Interestingly, this was the year preceding the inception of Black History Month’s precursor; Negro History Week was established by African-American scholar and educator Carter G Woodson.
Following his father’s tragic demise, his mother’s mental health deteriorated, leading young Malcolm and his siblings into foster care. He later became immersed in Boston’s criminal underworld before delving deeper into that lifestyle in Harlem, New York City’s “Black mecca.” Subsequently, he was arrested and incarcerated.
Once dubbed “Satan” for his irreligious views, Malcolm underwent a transformative experience during his prison term. Despite being illiterate, he utilized his time for self-education, broadening his horizons and finding a sense of belonging within the NOI after his elder brother Wilfred recruited him into the organization.
“I’d rank prison second only to college as the best place for a man to engage in introspection,” he reflected on his time behind bars. “If he’s motivated, in prison, he can transform his life.”
Ascending within the organization as a minister and the national spokesman, Malcolm X, as he came to be known, witnessed a surge in NOI membership throughout the 1950s and 1960s, arguably overshadowing Elijah Muhammad in popularity and prominence. Renowned for his impassioned sermons and oratory skills, he was described as “the most incensed black man in America” and maintained an unwavering revolutionary stance. This inspired numerous young African-Americans to adopt a more assertive, courageous approach in asserting their rights.
His message resonated with concepts of black masculinity, appealing to those who viewed Islam as more conducive to their aspirations, solidifying their sense of identity in contrast to a Christianity they perceived as ineffective and pacifying.
Malcolm’s ideology sharply contrasted with the non-violent civil rights movement led by Dr Martin Luther King, whom he once characterized as spearheading “the sole revolution where the aim is to love your enemy.” For Malcolm X, all genuine revolutions necessitated “bloodshed.” It is evident that, between the two civil rights leaders, the mainstream establishment favored King over Malcolm. The former was deemed more acceptable, while the latter was regarded as a formidable threat; someone to be feared. Nonetheless, irrespective of their methodologies, both met tragic ends, with credible suspicions pointing towards state involvement.
In 1964, Malcolm announced his separation from the NOI following internal conflicts and scandals involving Elijah Muhammad, embarking on a journey across the Middle East, Africa, and Europe, visiting numerous Muslim nations in the process. He undertook the Islamic pilgrimage, the Hajj, to the sacred city of Makkah, thereafter assuming the name El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz.
The transformative experience of the Hajj led to a shift in his beliefs upon integration into the mainstream Islamic faith. Witnessing “pilgrims of all colors from all corners of the earth exhibiting a spirit of unity and brotherhood like I’ve never witnessed before,” his departure from the NOI also splintered the organization, with many following El-Shabazz into mainstream Islam, including Elijah Muhammad’s son, Warith Deen Mohammed. The renowned African-American Muslim, legendary boxer Muhammad Ali, severed ties with El-Shabazz while still an NOI member, a decision Ali later regretted upon transitioning to mainstream Islam without the chance for reconciliation.
During his travels, it became apparent that Malcolm moderated some of his views and beliefs, including the segregation of blacks and whites in the US and Black Nationalism, embracing internationalism instead. Around this time, El-Shabazz became increasingly vocal in his opposition to Zionism and the “illogical” occupation of Arab Palestine. Noteworthy is his visit to Gaza in Palestine, specifically the Khan Yunis refugee camp, currently under attack by Israeli occupation forces as part of the genocidal campaign against Palestinians in the coastal region.
Penning in the Egyptian Gazette in 1964, El-Shabazz questioned, “Did the Zionists possess the legal or moral right to invade Arab Palestine, displace its Arab inhabitants from their homes, and appropriate all Arab property for themselves solely based on the ‘religious’ assertion that their ancestors resided there millennia ago? A mere thousand years ago, the Moors inhabited Spain. Would this entitle today’s Moors to lawfully and morally invade the Iberian Peninsula, expel its Spanish inhabitants, and establish a new Moroccan nation… in the former Spanish territory, akin to what the European Zionists executed against our Arab brethren and sisters in Palestine?”
In summary, the Zionist rationale justifying Israel’s current occupation of Arab Palestine lacks logical or legal foundation in history… not even within their own religion.
Shortly after his return to the US, El-Shabazz’s mission to unify oppressed individuals globally and propagate the message of Islam was abruptly terminated by his assassination. Many, including El-Shabazz himself, believed that such an eventuality likely involved the FBI, given his understanding of the capabilities and constraints of the Nation of Islam, an organization in which he played a pivotal role in shaping.
Even today, the precise circumstances surrounding his demise remain shrouded in mystery, particularly following the exoneration last year of two of the three men convicted of his assassination. A 2020 Netflix documentary Who Killed Malcolm X? suggested that one of the assailants was William Bradley, also known as Al-Mustafa Shabazz, residing in Newark, New Jersey, who managed to evade capture despite his involvement being a longstanding “open secret” within the local community. The alleged perpetrator passed away two years before the filmmaker could interview him. Allegations linking the US government to the assassination persist to this day.
On the 58th anniversary of Malik El-Shabazz’s martyrdom last year, one of his daughters, Ilyasah Shabazz, announced her intention to sue the FBI, CIA, New York City Police Department (NYPD), and other agencies in a wrongful death lawsuit. These government entities are accused of fraudulently concealing evidence indicating they “conspired to and executed their plan to assassinate Malcolm X.”
Malik El-Shabazz’s legacy continues to wield a profound influence on shaping youthful minds around themes such as education, liberation, and social justice. Amid the current global spotlight on the injustices and oppression inflicted upon the Palestinian populace, such concepts remain as relevant as ever, serving as a reminder that the Palestinian revolution and liberation can be achieved “by any means necessary,” including armed resistance. In this context, one quote from Malcolm X undeniably withstands the test of time: “You can’t separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom.”