The text in analysis is the seventeenth chapter of Malcolm X's autobiography entitled "Mecca", which refers to the holy city in Saudi Arabia in which Muslims of all nationalities pilgrim to, in order to fulfill the religious obligation set by the Quran. Through this chapter, Malcolm describes his feelings of amazement and spiritual cleansing at Mecca, as he discovers the Islamic world and highlights his admiration towards the religion's unity and consideration to all races. Towards the end of the chapter, Malcolm's perspective and stand regarding racial issues in the US starts to take another direction. After his visit, Malcolm sees Islam as the solution to America’s racial problem. “I could see from this, that perhaps if white Americans could accept the Oneness of God, then perhaps, too, they could accept in reality the Oneness of Man”. In addition to personal upbringing, religion has been one of the major inspirations for those who devoted their lives to the fight against racial discrimination such as Malcolm X and Martin Luther King.
Of all the historical events to have taken place in the United States, the Civil Rights movement of the 1950's and 60's is arguably one of the most impacting. Not only did it provide an insight to the whole nation -as well as the rest of the world- of the reality of black discrimination and racial segregation (implemented through laws such as the "Jim Crow" laws) but it also gave rise to civil rights activists other than Malcolm X such as Rosa Parks, Andrew Goodman, and Martin Luther King Junior. These social and political advocates all believed it imperative to abolish the mistreatment of blacks all over the U.S; while their view on eradicating discrimination may have been the same, other aspects such as religion and personal upbringing set the line among them, particularly for Malcolm X and Martin Luther King.
Various links between these two have been made by scholars of civil rights around the world -as a quick Google search will confirm- with books such as "Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and the Civil Rights Struggle of the 1950s and 1960s" by David Howard-Pitney and "Martin & Malcolm & America" by James H. Cone examining the differences and similarities between the two men.
One of the first contrasts that can be brought up among the two traces back to X's and King's childhood which helps mark the differences from the first to the latter from a young age.
X is known to have had a turbulent upbringing characterized by frequent harassments by the Ku Klux Klan due to his father’s involvement in political activism as well as serving in jail for almost seven years as a teen on account of theft. Martin Luther King, on the other hand, was brought up in a more privileged household and was granted access to education, although the reality of racial segregation would impact him profoundly from a young age.
Many psychologists believe "that childhood experiences play an important role in the development of personality traits" (Mentalhelpnet, 2016), which is why the upbringing of both Civil Rights activists Malcolm X and Martin Luther King are the first stepping-stone towards the comparison between the two.
Furthermore, the religious beliefs of the two may be a further link to set the two apart. This statement is applicable considering their different faiths, Christian for King and Muslim for X, known for dictating laws of conduct such as the ten commandments which prohibit the adoration of another God, to respect the Sabbath day and, for Muslims, not making graven images.
Both men made their religion (as well as the fight for civil rights) the epicenter of their lives, inevitably leading to contrasts among their ideologies.
However, the most relevant contrast among the two may be their differing opinion on integration. Indeed, Malcolm X was of the stern idea that "Any Negro trying to integrate is actually admitting his inferiority, because he is admitting that he wants to become a part of a 'superior' society." In an interview with a member of the National Staff of U.S. News & World Report on March 30, 1964, Malcolm stated: "The Negro is better off by himself, so he can develop his character and his culture in accord with his own nature".
When asked if he believed if there could ever be a real integration of the black and white races in America, Malcolm X sternly pointed out that he did not, a statement which went -and goes- in direct contrast to Martin Luther King's views on the matter. King specifically addresses integration in different parts of the speech "I have a dream" such as: " I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.", and "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.", thus re-affirming the difference between the two Civil Rights activists.
It is important to focus on the differences between Malcolm X and Martin Luther King as their upbringings helped shape their adulthood (and therefore their views of the world), their religious beliefs set the line among both ideologies, and their contrasting views on integration in the US.
This chapter is an important step in understanding Malcolm's state of mind and its inspirations; It shows the importance of religion for this social and political advocate that is Malcolm X, and in shaping his perspectives regarding racial issues in The United States. Malcolm X and Martin Luther King are one of today's major references when discussing the segregation issue in the United States. Their childhood and their life experiences shaped their point of view toward how to solve this social issue. One saw Islam as a solution to America’s problems while the other believed integration to be the key solution. But to what extent does the first preclude the second?
References:
. (2016). Masjidtucsonorg. Retrieved 15 May, 2016, from http://www.masjidtucson.org/submission/practices/hajj/hajjverses.html
Elke moritz. (2016). Uni-klde. Retrieved 15 April, 2016, from https://www.unix-ag.uni-kl.de/~moritz/6.html
Mentalhelpnet. (2016). Mentalhelpnet. Retrieved 15 April, 2016, from https://www.mentalhelp.net/articles/early-life-experiences-and-the-development-of-personality-disorders-nurture/
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