Malcolm X (17 page)
Authors: Clayborne Carson
Q. | When was your organization founded in the United States? |
A. | The first Temple of Islam was founded by Almighty God Allah himself, July 4, 1930, in Detroit, Michigan. |
Q. | How many members of your faith are there in the United States today? |
A. | Only Allah himself knows the exact number of Moslems in America who are following Messenger Elijah Muhammad, but everyone does know that this number is fast-growing, and that Messenger Muhammad has declared that he will never cease teaching this Great Message until all of his people here have heard it (whether they accept it or reject it is not up to him). His job is to deliver the message. |
Q. | Are there any white people among the followers of Muhammad? |
A. | There has never been, is not now, and never will be even one white person allowed among Messenger Muhammad's followers. Space here is not sufficient to tell why, but in the future we do hope to make the reason clear. |
Q. | What is the specific religious philosophy of the Islam faith? |
A. | Messenger Muhammad teaches us to love for our brother what we love for ourselves, but that we must first know who our brother is, and who is not our brother. |
Q. | Does your faith approve of marriage? If so, does it permit more than one wife? |
A. | Family life is the backbone of Islam. A righteous wife and children is one of Allah's greatest blessing to man. Followers of Messenger Elijah Muhammad are allowed only one wife. |
Q. | What is the objection of your faith to eating pork? |
A. | Pork is filthy, diseased and germ-laden meat, with worms that are forever reproducing. This meat is even condemned by the Scriptures of both the Christians and the Jews, but again space is insufficient to explain the scientific reasons why we who are Moslems, following Messenger Muhammad, do not eat it. |
Q. | Does your faith have churches located throughout the United States? |
A. | Messenger Muhammad's followers, known as the Nation |
Q. | Are members of the faith baptized or is some other ritual conducted when a person is accepted into the faith? |
A. | Members are not baptized with water as Christians are, but are baptized with wisdom, knowledge and understanding, and are thereby saved from the sinful grave of mental bondage and ignorance. |
Q. | Please give some information of Mr. Muhammad, your leader. |
A. | Messenger Muhammed has suffered persecution ever since he was missioned to teach this message to the enslaved so-called Negroes of America. He has suffered not only from attack by the slavemaster, but also from many of our own kind who do not want to face the facts and be told the truth concerning our condition here in the slavemaster's net. |
Q. | Was he born in the United States? |
A. | Messenger Muhammad was born in the cotton fields of Georgia. |
Q. | Where did he attend school? |
A. | His schooling was so limited that there is no record of it, but his present work is sufficient proof that he has now been schooled by almighty Allah himself. |
Q. | Is he married? |
A. | His wife, one of his most ardent followers, is Sister Clara Muhammad. |
Q. | Does he have children? |
A. | He has six sons and two daughters, all of whom are devout Moslems and obedient followers of their father. |
Q. | Does he make his home in Chicago? |
A. | His home is now in Chicago, 4827 Woodlawn Avenue, where whoever wishes to write him is free to do so. He generally teaches every Sunday at the temple there which is at 5335 South Greenwood. |
Q. | Are there any churches or temples of the faith in New York? |
A. | His followers in New York worship at Muhammad's Tern pie |
The
Los Angeles Herald Dispatch
, November 28, 1957 edition, carried an article captioned “Malcolm X Speaks at Elks Hall Weds. Night,” which read as follows:
In this connection, he declared, Negroes must come to a realization of the importance and power of the Negro Press, must take to heart the old adage that “the pen is mightier than the sword.” He pointed out that when the white press recently sought to destroy one of New York's highest Negro officials, it was only the Negro press who came to his defense and beat back the attack. “It was the Negro press in Harlem,” he declared, “that shot back âfactual bullets,' enabling Harlemites to see what the white press was trying to do. By digging up the facts and exposing the hidden motives of the biased white press, the Negro press was able to shatter the conspiracy, and prevent the people of Harlem from being misled by the lies of the white press.”
He warned that without a powerful and militant Negro press, the white press could deceive the Negro people with “its powerful, well-loaded, propaganda guns,” and its slanders of Negro officials. “The Negro people would be wise,” he added, “to keep this weapon (the Negro press) in good condition, strong, well-loaded, independent, alert and ready.”
The
Pittsburgh Courier
, November 9, 1957 edition, carried an article captioned “Moslems Announce Million Dollar New York Suit,” which reads as follows:
NEW YORK. Echoes of a near-riot involving members of the Moslem sect of Prophet Elijah Muhammad and New York City police were revived here when Malcolm X announced that a million-dollar suit was being filed against local patrolmen.
Mr. Malcolm X announced that the suit was being filed by one Johnson X who was said to have been beaten into insensibility by arresting officers.
The suit, according to Malcolm X, was filed after a General Sessions Court decision ruled for the dismissal of all charges against Johnson X, who had been accused of felonious assault.
Johnson X was defended by Atty. Edward M. Jacko, along with three other individuals, two of whom were given suspended sentences and the third an acquittal.
One of the men who received a suspended sentence, Lloyd Young, is suing for $50,000 in damages from the beating allegedly inflicted on him by officers, said Malcolm X. The acquitted man, Frank Lee X, a Temple of Islam member, is seeking $75,000 in damages, Malcolm X announced.
According to Malcolm X, Johnson X is accusing officers with false arrest, false imprisonment, malicious and criminal prosecution among sundry other charges.
Malcolm X said, “Johnson X, who suffered severe and permanent brain injuries, had to undergo four major brain operations performed by Dr. Thomas W. Matthews, director of neurosurgery at the Coney Island Hospital.
A sizeable silver plate had to be inserted in Johnson's head to replace a major portion of the bone which the police had destroyed in their savage battering of his skull. He will be permanently disabled, scarred and crippled for life, and he should be amply and adequately compensated.”
The ruckus involving Johnson X occurred last May when police moved in on a disturbance between a man named Reece V. Poe and an unknown woman. When police began beating Poe, Johnson X intervened and a near riot resulted.
February 6, 1958
The GREAT CURSE of history is when we fail to learn or profit from the mistakes of those who have passed on before us.
Now that the Honorable Marcus Garvey is dead, many of us are making the very same mistake as the people of history . . . recognizing his glorious works among us TOO LATE. It seems that we too, like the people in the days of Moses and Jesus, are too busy paying tribute to the dead to recognize, receive and follow THE LIVING.
According to history, the Jews had been looking for an EMANCIPATOR, but when one of their own kind (Moses) came to them they immediately rejected and rebelled against him. Moses spoke of one “even greater than I” who was yet to come after him, but these same Jews who waited for Moses to die before accepting him as their EMANCIPATOR were so busy worshipping and paying tribute to this dead Moses that when Jesus came who looked like the fulfillment of Moses' prediction, they rejected the LIVING ONE and lynched him on the cross (according to their own history of it).
This Jesus who preached in Palestine, which is on the Arabian Peninsula, also predicted the coming of one in the last days who would be yet “even greater than I,” but when a man named Muhammad came to these very same Semitic people preaching the NAKED TRUTH, according to history, they too rejected him and constantly plotted to murder him. Just like the other peoples of history, they were too busy following and paying tribute to some “dead leader” of the past to see, receive and follow the LIVING LEADER of the present.
Muhammad himself spoke of one who was yet to come who would be yet greater than he.
February 13, 1958
But history teaches us that it is difficult for a downtrodden people to accept LIVING LEADERS. The downtrodden have usually been so thoroughly robbed, deceived and BRAINWASHED (well indoctrinated) by their masters that their ignorant and superstitious minds seem incapable of seeing that a GREAT MAN has come to help them until after that man is dead and gone. Thus, the downtrodden always end up idolizing and paying tribute after he is dead, to the very same one whom they reject, condemn and persecute while he is living.
Will we never learn from the foolish mistakes of others? HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF: thus its historic WARNINGS should keep us on guard today.
The late Mr. Garvey came into this country awakening the downtrodden so-called Negroes to the importance of SELF, and trying to instill a Black Nationalistic spirit into us, but most of us were busy worshipping the “dead leaders” of the past, and some of us were IGNORANTLY waiting for these “dead leaders” to return from the grave, therefore we rejected the late Mr. Garvey and helped our white Christian slavemasters plot his downfall.
Now that Mr. Garvey is dead, again HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF. Many who were Mr. Garvey's greatest enemies are today his strongest advocates and defenders.
Tribute is still being paid to a DEAD Moses. Worship is being wasted on a DEAD Jesus. Millions honor a DEAD Muhammad. And, many respect and revere a DEAD Mr. Garvey.
All of these “followers” are seemingly sincere and are supposed to be intelligent. Yet, all are so busy whooping and hollering over THE DEAD, like others in history they are failing to see the greatest LIVING EMANCIPATOR and TRUTH BEARER that the world has ever known, who is right here in America today in the person of the Honorable ELIJAH MUHAMMAD.
This is the one whom Moses, Jesus and Muhammad all spoke of who would be here in America in the “last days” of the
“white world” with a Divine Message of NAKED TRUTH which would give “life” (ISLAM) back to the long lost so-called Negroes, set us FREE from the clutches of our enemies and restore us back among Our Own Kind.
Did not Mr. Garvey declare that a “greater than he” was coming to carry Mr. Garvey's uncompleted work into completion? Must we who were faithful followers of the late Mr. Garvey make the same mistake of the others in history, and wait until after this great man, Messenger ELIJAH MUHAMMAD, is gone before we too recognize him fearlessly and uncompromisingly by his works that HE IS FOR US?
Why must we always worship DEAD men? Why must we always follow DEAD leaders? It is because our ignorance has slowed our thinking ability so much that our minds can't keep up with events, and by the time we realize what is happening the EMANCIPATOR is here and gone before we are mentally capable of recognizing him.
We should show forth greater wisdom TODAY. Let us forget the DEAD past and start concentrating all efforts on the LIVING PRESENT. “Let the DEAD bury the DEAD.”
SECTION 4
July 15, 1958âJuly 21, 1959
REPORTS: | 1. July 15, 1958. New York 2. November 19, 1958. New York 3. May 19, 1959. New York 4. July 13, 1959. SAC, New York to Director. Airtel 5. July 16 and 21, 1959. Memo. Special Agent in Charge (SAC), New York to Director |
This section begins with a July 2, 1958, FBI approval of a recommendation from the New York office that Malcolm be designated as “a key figure.” This designation meant that the FBI would keep “up-to-date Security Index cards on him separately,” an indication that the Bureau considered the Nation of Islam to be at least a potential threat to the nation's internal security.
The new designation reflected Malcolm's increasing visibility as a Muslim spokesperson and the FBI's awareness of Malcolm's growing involvement in international politics. A July 13 memorandum informed FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover that Malcolm met with Premier Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt to set up talks between Nasser and Elijah Muhammad. Two other memos, dated July 16 and 21, contain the “substantially verbatim account” of parts one and three of Mike Wallace's “The Hate That Hate Produced,” which aired during the week of July 13â17, 1959. The text was sent to the Detroit Bureau “in view of the fact that NOI parochial schools in Chicago and Detroit were mentioned.” Part one contains Louis Lomax's interview with Malcolm and part three contains an interview with NAACP leader Roy Wilkins, who claimed not to know who Elijah Muhammad
was, even though Wallace showed pictures of Wilkins conversing with Malcolm X.