malcom x

Malcolm X was an African- American Muslim minister, public speaker, and human

rights activist. To his admirers, he was a courageous advocate for the rights of

African Americans, a man who indicted white America in the harshest terms for its

crimes against black Americans. His detractors accused him of preaching racism,

black

supremacy,

antisemitism,

and

violence.

He

has

been

called

one

of

the

greatest

and most influential African Americans in history, and in 1998, TIME named The

Autobiography

of

Malcolm

X

one

of

the

ten

most

influential

nonfiction

books

of

the

20th century.

Malcolm X was born in Omaha, Nebraska. The events of his childhood, including his

father's

lessons

concerning

black

pride

and

self-reliance,

and

his

own

experiences

concerning race played a significant role in Malcolm X's adult life. By the time

he

was

thirteen, his

father had died and his mother had

been

committed

to

a mental

hospital. After living in a series of foster homes, Malcolm X became involved in

a number of criminal activities in Boston and New York City. In 1946, Malcolm X

was sentenced to eight to ten years in prison.

While in prison, Malcolm X became a member of the Nation of Islam, and after his

parole

in

1952

he

became

one

of

the

Nation's

leaders

and

chief

spokesmen.

For

nearly

a dozen years he was the public face of the controversial group. Tension between

Malcolm X and Elijah Muhammad, head of the Nation of Islam, led to Malcolm X's

quitting the organization in March 1964. He subsequently traveled extensively

throughout

Africa

and

the

Middle

East

and

founded

Muslim

Mosque,

Inc.,

a

religious

organization,

and

the

secular

Organization

of

Afro-American

Unity,

which

advocated

Pan-Africanism. Less than a year after he left the Nation of Islam, Malcolm X was

assassinated by three members of the group while giving a speech in New York.

The

beliefs

expressed

by

Malcolm

X

changed

during

his

lifetime.

As

a

spokesman

for

the Nation of Islam he taught black supremacy and deified the leaders of the

organization.

He

also

advocated

the

separation

of

black

and

white

Americans,

which

put

him

at

odds

with

the

civil

rights

movement,

which

was

working

towards

integration.

After he left the Nation of Islam in 1964, Malcolm X became a Sunni Muslim, made

the pilgrimage to Mecca and disavowed racism, while remaining a champion of black

self-determination, self defense,

and

human

rights.

He expressed

a

willingness to

work

with

civil

rights

leaders

and

described

his

previous

position

with

the

Nation

of Islam as that of a

Early years

The Little family in the 1930 U.S. CensusMalcolm Little was born on May 19, 1925,

in

Omaha,

Nebraska,

the

fourth

of

seven

children

to

Earl

Little

and

Louise

Norton.[2]

His

father

was

an

outspoken

Baptist

lay

speaker.

He

supported

Pan-African

activist

Marcus

Garvey

and

was

a

local

leader

of

the

Universal

Negro

Improvement

Association

(UNIA).[3] Malcolm never forgot the values of black pride and self-reliance that

his father and other UNIA leaders preached.[4] Malcolm X later said that three of

Earl Little's brothers, one of whom was lynched, died violently at the hands of

white men.[5] Because of Ku Klux Klan threats, the family relocated in 1926 to

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and shortly thereafter to Lansing, Michigan.[6]

Earl Little, who was dark-skinned, was born in Reynolds, Georgia.[7] He had three

children

from

his

first

marriage:

Ella,

Mary,

and

Earl

Jr.

—

and

seven

with

his

second

wife,

Louise:

Wilfred,

Hilda,

Philbert,

Malcolm,

Reginald,

Yvonne,

and

Wesley.[8]

Louise

Norton

Little

was

born

in

Grenada.

Because

her

father

was

Scottish,

she

was

so

light-skinned

that

she

could

have

passed

for

white.

Malcolm

inherited

his

light

complexion

from

his

mother

and

maternal

grandfather.[9]

Initially

he

felt

his

light

skin was a status symbol, but he later said he

rapist's

blood

that

is

in

me.

Malcolm

X

later

remembered

feeling

that

his

father

favored him because he was the lightest-skinned child in the family; however, he

thought his mother treated him harshly for the same reason.[11] One of Malcolm's

nicknames,

derived

from

the

tinge

of

his

hair.

According

to

one

biographer,

at birth he had

hair

His

hair

darkened

as

he

aged,

yet

he

also

resembled

his

paternal grandmother, whose hair

of skin and hair color took on very significant implications later in Malcolm's

life.[7]

In December 1924, Louise Little was threatened by klansmen while she was pregnant

with Malcolm. She recalled that the klansmen warned the family to leave Omaha,

because

Earl

Little's

activities

with

UNIA

were

trouble

After

they

moved

to

Lansing,

their

house

was

burned

in

1929;

however,

the

family

escaped

without

physical

injury.

On

September

8,

1931,

Earl

Little

was

fatally

struck

by

a

streetcar

in

Lansing.

Authorities

ruled

his

death

an

accident.

The

police

reported

that

Earl

Little

was

conscious

when

they

arrived

on

the

scene,

and

he

told

them

he

had

slipped

and

fallen

under

the

streetcar's

wheels.[14]

The

black

community

in

Lansing

disputed

the cause of death, believing there was circumstantial evidence of assault. His

family

had

frequently

been

harassed

by

the

Black

Legion,

a

white

supremacist

group

that his father accused of burning down their home in 1929. Some blacks believed

the

Black

Legion was responsible for Earl Little's death. One

of

the

adults

at

the

funeral

told

eight-year-old

Philbert

Little

that

his

father

had

been

hit

from

behind

and shoved under the streetcar.[15]

Though Earl Little had two life insurance policies, his family received death

benefits

solely

from

the

smaller

policy.

The

insurance

company

of

the

larger

policy

claimed

that

his

father

had

committed

suicide

and

refused

to

issue

the

payout from the insurance policy was $$1,000 (comparable to about $$15,000 in 2010

dollars),

and

the

probate

court

awarded

Louise

Little

a

monthly

allowance

of

$$18.

She

rented

space

in

the

garden

to

raise

more

money,

and

her

sons

would

hunt

game for supper.

In 1935 or 1936, Louise Little began dating an African-American man. A marriage

proposal

seemed

a

possibility,

but

the

man

disappeared

from

their

lives

when

Louise

became pregnant with his child in late 1937.[18] In December 1938, Louise Little

had a nervous breakdown and was declared legally insane. The Little siblings were

split up and sent to different foster homes. The state formally committed Louise

Little

to

the

state

mental

hospital

at

Kalamazoo,

Michigan,

where

she

remained

until

Malcolm and his siblings secured her release 24 years later.[19][20]

Malcolm

Little

was

one

of

the

best

students

in

his

junior

high

school,

but

he

dropped

out after a white eighth-grade teacher told him that his aspirations of being a

lawyer

were

realistic

goal

for

a

nigger.

Years

later,

Malcolm

X

would

laugh

about

the

incident,

but

at

the

time

it

was

humiliating.

It

made

him

feel

that

there

was

no

place

in

the

white

world

for

a

career- oriented

black

man,

no

matter

how

smart

he was.[21] After living with a series of white foster parents, Malcolm moved to

Boston in February 1941 to live with his older half-sister, Ella Little

Collins.[22][23]

Young adult yearsCollins lived in Roxbury, a predominantly African-American

middle-class

neighborhood

of

Boston.

It

was

the

first

time

Little

had

seen

so

many

black

people.

He

was

drawn

to

the

cultural

and

social

life

of

the

neighborhood.[24]

In Boston, Little held a variety of jobs and found intermittent employment with

the New Haven Railroad. Between 1943 and 1946, he drifted from city to city and

job to job. He left Boston to live for a short time in Flint, Michigan. He moved

to New York City in 1943. Living in Harlem, he became involved in drug dealing,

gambling, racketeering, robbery, and pimping.

In

1943,

the

U.S.

draft

board

ordered

Little

to

register

for

military

service.[28]

He

later

recalled

that

he

put

on

a

display

to

avoid

the

draft

by

telling

the

examining

officer that he could not wait to

crackers.

military service

obligations.[28]

In

late

1945,

Little

returned

to

Boston.

With

a

group

of

associates,

he

began

a

series

of

elaborate

burglaries

targeting

the

residences

of

wealthy

white

families. On January 12, 1946, Little was arrested for burglary while trying to

pick

up

a

stolen

watch

he

had

left

for

repairs

at

a

jewelry

shop.[31]

The

shop

owner

called

the

police

because

the

watch

was

very

expensive,

and

the

police

had

alerted

all Boston jewelers that it had been stolen. Little told the police that he had

a

gun

on

his

person

and

surrendered

so

the

police

would

treat

him

more

leniently.[32]

Three

days

later,

Little

was

indicted

for

carrying

firearms.

On

January

16,

he

was

charged with larceny and breaking and entering, and eventually sentenced to eight

to ten years in prison.[33]

On February 27, Little began serving his sentence at the Charlestown State Prison

in

Charlestown,

Boston.

While

in

prison,

Little

earned

the

nickname

of

for

his hostility toward religion.[34] Little met a self-educated man in prison named

John Elton Bembry (referred to as

Bembry was a well- regarded prisoner at Charlestown, and Malcolm X would later

describe him as

words.

educate himself.[37] Little developed a voracious appetite for reading, and he

frequently

read

after

the

prison

lights

had

been

turned

off.[38]

In

1948,

Little's

brother Philbert wrote, telling him about the Nation of Islam. Like the UNIA, the

Nation preached black self-reliance and, ultimately, the unification of members

of the African diaspora, free from white American and European domination.[39]

Little was not interested in joining until his brother Reginald wrote, saying,

you

how

to

get

out of prison.

Little quit

smoking, and

the

next

time pork

was

served in the prison dining hall, he refused to eat it.[41]

When Reginald came to visit Little, he described the group's teachings, including

the belief that white people are devils.

Afterward, Little thought about all the

white

people

he

had

known,

and

he

realized

that

he'd

never

had

a

relationship

with

a white person or social institution that wasn't based on dishonesty, injustice,

greed, and hatred. Little began to reconsider his dismissal of all religion and

he became receptive to the message of the Nation of Islam

. Other family members

who had joined the Nation wrote or visited and encouraged Little to join.[42] In

February 1948, mostly through his sister's efforts, Little was transferred to the

Norfolk

Prison

Colony,

an experimental prison

in Norfolk,

Massachusetts,

that

had

a

much

larger

library.[43] In

late 1948, he wrote

a letter

to

Elijah

Muhammad,

the

leader of the Nation of Islam. Muhammad advised him to atone for his crimes by

renouncing his past and by humbly bowing in prayer to Allah and promising never

to engage in destructive behavior again. Little, who always had been rebellious

and

deeply

skeptical, found it very difficult

to

bow

in prayer. It

took him

a

week

to bend his knees. Finally he prayed, and he became a member of the Nation of

Islam.[44] For the remainder of his incarceration, Little maintained regular

correspondence with Muhammad.[45] On August 7, 1952, Little was paroled and was

released from prison.[46] He later reflected on the time he spent in prison after

his conversion:

In fact, up to then, I had never been so truly free in my life.

Nation of IslamPart of a series on the

Nation of Islam

Leaders

Wallace Fard Muhammad

Elijah Muhammad

·

Malcolm X

Warith Deen Mohammed

Louis Farrakhan

Tynetta Muhammad

Mustapha Farrakhan

Ishmael Muhammad

Ava Muhammad

History and beliefs

Saviours' Day

Nation of Islam and antisemitism

Tribe of Shabazz

·

Yakub

Million Man March

Publications

The Final Call

How to Eat to Live

Message to the Blackman

in America

Muhammad Speaks

Subsidiaries

and offshoots

American Society of Muslims

Fruit of Islam

The Nation of Gods and Earths

New Black Panther Party

United Nation of Islam

Your Black Muslim Bakery

v

·

d

·

e

Further information: Nation of Islam

When Little was released from prison in 1952, he had more than a new religion. He

also

had

a

new

name.

In

a

December

1950

letter

to

his

brother

Philbert,

Little

signed

his name as Malcolm X for the first time.[48] In his autobiography, he explained

why:

Muslim's

'X'

symbolized

the

true

African

family

name

that

he

never

could

know. For me, my 'X' replaced the white slavemaster name of 'Little' which some

blue-eyed devil named Little had imposed upon my paternal forebears.

Shortly

after

his

release

from

prison,

Malcolm

X

visited

Elijah

Muhammad

in

Chicago,

Illinois.[50] In June 1953, Malcolm X was named assistant minister of the Nation

of Islam's Temple Number One in Detroit.[51][52] Soon, he became a full- time

minister.[53] By late 1953, Malcolm X established Boston's Temple Number 11.[54]

In

March

1954,

he

expanded

Temple

Number

12

in

Philadelphia,

Pennsylvania.[55]

Two

months

later

Malcolm

X

was

selected

to

lead

Temple

Number

Seven

in

Harlem,[56]

and

he rapidly expanded its membership.[57]

The

FBI

had

opened

a

file

on

Malcolm

X

in

1950

after

he

wrote

a

letter

to

President

Truman stating his opposition to the Korean War and declaring himself to be a

communist.[58] It began surveillance of him in 1953, and soon the FBI turned its

attention

from

concerns about possible Communist Party

association

to

Malcolm X's

rapid ascent in the Nation of Islam.[59]

During 1955, Malcolm X continued his successful recruitment efforts on behalf of

the

organization.

He

established

temples

in

Springfield,

Massachusetts

(Number

13);

Hartford, Connecticut (Number 14); and Atlanta, Georgia (Number 15). Hundreds of

African

Americans

were

joining

the

Nation

of

Islam

every

month.[60]

Beside

his

skill

as

a

speaker,

Malcolm

X

had

an

impressive

physical

presence.

He

stood

6

feet

3

inches

(1.91 m) tall and weighed about 180 pounds (82 kg).[61] One writer described him

as

spotlessly well- groomed

Johnson

Hinton

incidentMalcolm

X

first

came

to

the

attention

of

the

general

public

after

the

police

beating

of

a

Nation

of

Islam

member

named

Johnson

Hinton.[63][64]

On April 26, 1957, two police officers were beating an African- American man with

their nightsticks when three passersby who belonged to the Nation of Islam tried

to intervene.[63] They shouted:

York!

One

of

the

officers

began

to

beat

one

of

the

passersby,

Johnson

Hinton.

The blows were so severe, a surgeon later determined, that they caused brain

contusions, subdural hemorrhaging, and scalp lacerations. All four men were

arrested and taken to the police station.[63]

A

woman

who

had

seen

the

assault

ran

to

the

Nation

of

Islam's

restaurant.[63]

Within

a few hours, Malcolm X

and a small group of Muslims went to the police station

and

demanded to see Hinton. The police captain initially said no Muslims were being

held there, but as the

crowd grew to about 500, he allowed Malcolm X

to speak with

Hinton.[65] After a short talk, Malcolm X demanded that Hinton be taken to the

hospital, so an ambulance was called and Hinton was taken to Harlem Hospital.[66]

Hinton was treated and released into the custody of the police, who returned him

to

the

police

station.[65]

By

this

point,

about

4,000

people

had

gathered;

the

police

realized there was the potential for a riot and called for backup. Malcolm X went

back into the police station with an attorney and made bail arrangements for the

other two Muslims. The police said Hinton could not go back to the hospital until

he

was

arraigned

the

following

day.[66]

Malcolm

X

realized

things

were

at

a

stalemate.

He

stepped

outside

the

station

house

and

gave

a

hand

signal.[66]

The

Nation

of

Islam

members

in

the

crowd

silently

walked

away.

The

rest

of

the

crowd

dispersed

minutes

later. One police officer told the editor of the New York Amsterdam News:

man should have that much power.

The following month, the Bureau of Special Services and Investigation of the New

York

Police

Department

(NYPD)

began

its

surveillance

of

Malcolm

X.

The

NYPD's

Chief

Inspector asked for information from the police department in every city where

Malcolm X had lived, and from the prisons where he had served his sentence.[68]

In

October,

when

a

grand

jury

declined

to

indict

the

officers

who

had

beaten

Hinton,

Malcolm X wrote an angry telegram to the police commissioner. In response,

undercover NYPD officers were placed inside the Nation of Islam.[69]

Marriage and familyMalcolm X met Betty Sanders in 1955. She had been invited to

listen

to

his

lecture,

and

she

was

very

impressed

by

him.

They

met

again

at

a

dinner

party.

Soon

Sanders

was

attending

all

of

Malcolm

X's

lectures

at

Temple

Number

Seven.

In mid 1956, she joined the Nation of Islam.[70]

Malcolm

X

and

Betty

X

did

not

have

a

conventional

courtship.

One-on-one

dates

were

contrary

to

the

teachings

of

the

Nation

of

Islam.

Instead,

the

couple

shared

their

groups

to

visit

New

York's

museums

and

libraries,

and

he

always

invited

Betty

X.[71]

Although they had never discussed the subject, Betty X suspected that Malcolm X

was interested in marriage. On January 12, 1958, he called from Detroit and asked

her

to

marry

him,

and

they

were

married

two

days

later

in

Lansing,

Michigan.[72][73]

The couple had six daughters. Their names were Attallah, born in 1958 and named

after Attila the Hun;[74] Qubilah, born in 1960 and named after Kublai Khan;[75]

Ilyasah, born in 1962 and named after Elijah Muhammad;[76] Gamilah Lumumba, born

in 1964 and named after Patrice Lumumba;[77] and twins, Malikah and Malaak, born

in 1965 after their father's assassination and named for him.[78]

The

Hate

That

Hate

ProducedAfter

a

1959

television

broadcast

in

New

York

City

about

the Nation of Islam, The Hate That Hate Produced, Malcolm X became known to white

Americans. Representatives of the print media, radio, and television frequently

asked him for comments on issues.[79] By the late 1950s, Malcolm X had acquired

a new name, Malcolm Shabazz or Malik el-Shabazz, although he was still widely

referred to as Malcolm X.[80]

In September 1960, Fidel Castro arrived in New York to attend the meeting of the

United Nations General Assembly. He and his entourage stayed at the Hotel Theresa

in Harlem. Malcolm X was a prominent member of a Harlem-based welcoming committee

made up of community leaders who met with Castro.[81] Castro was so impressed by

Malcolm

X

that

he

requested

a

private

meeting

with

him.

At

the

end

of

their

two-hour

meeting, Castro invited Malcolm X to visit him in Cuba.[82] During the General

Assembly meeting, Malcolm X was also invited to many official embassy functions

sponsored by African nations, where he met heads of state and other leaders,

including Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt, Ahmed S

é

kou Tour

é

of Guinea, and Kenneth

Kaunda of the Zambian African National Congress.[83]

From his adoption of the Nation of Islam in 1952 until he left the organization

in 1964, Malcolm X promoted the Nation's teachings. He taught that black people

were the original people of the world,[84] and that white people were a race of

devils.[85]

In

his

speeches,

Malcolm

X

said

that

black

people

were

superior

to

white

people, and that the demise of the white race was imminent.[86] While the civil

rights

movement

fought

against

racial

segregation,

Malcolm

X

advocated

the

complete

separation of African Americans from white people. He proposed the establishment

of a separate country for black people[87] as an interim measure until African

Americans could return to Africa.[88] Malcolm X also rejected the civil rights

movement's strategy of nonviolence, and instead advocated that black people use

any

necessary

means

of

self- defense

to

protect

themselves.[89]

Malcolm

X's

speeches

had a powerful effect on his audiences, generally African Americans who lived in

the

Northern

and Western cities, who were

tired

of

being

told to

wait for

freedom,

justice, equality and respect.[90] Many blacks felt that he articulated their

complaints better than the civil rights movement did.[91][92]

Many white people, and some blacks, were alarmed by Malcolm X and the things he

said.

He

and

the

Nation

of

Islam

were

described

as

hatemongers,

black

supremacists,

violence- seekers, and a threat to improved race relations. Civil rights

organizations

denounced

Malcolm

X

and

the

Nation

as

irresponsible

extremists

whose

views

were

not

representative

of

African Americans.[93][94]

Malcolm

X was

accused

of being antisemitic.[95]

Malcolm X was equally critical of the civil rights movement.[96] He described its

leaders

as

for

the

white

establishment,

and

said

that

Martin

Luther

King,

Jr. was a

called

farce

on

Washington

He

said

he

did

not

know

why

black

people

were

excited over a demonstration

who

has

been

dead

for

a

hundred

years

and

who

didn't

like

us

when

he

was

alive

Malcolm

X

has

been

widely

considered

the

second

most

influential

leader

of

the

Nation

of Islam after Elijah Muhammad.[101] He was largely credited with increasing

membership of the group; from 500 in 1952 to 25,000 in 1963 by one author's

estimate,[102] or from 1,200 in 1953 to 50,000 or 75,000 in 1961 by

another's.[103][104] He inspired the boxer Cassius Clay (later known as Muhammad

Ali)

to

join

the

Nation of

Islam.[105] Ali

later

left the

group and became a

Sunni

Muslim, as did Malcolm X.[106]

In

early

1963,

Malcolm

X

started

collaborating

with

Alex

Haley

on

The

Autobiography

of

Malcolm

X.[107] In 1964, he told

Haley,

I'm alive

when this

book comes

out,

it

will

be

a

miracle.

The

book

was

not

finished

when

Malcolm

X

was

assassinated

in 1965. Haley completed it and published it later that year.[109] In 1998, TIME

named The Autobiography of Malcolm X one of the ten most influential nonfiction

books of the 20th century.[110]

Leaving the NationOn December 1, 1963, when he was asked for a comment about the

assassination

of

President

Kennedy,

Malcolm

X

said

that

it

was

a

case

of

coming

home

to

roost

He added that

me sad; they've always made me glad.

criticism of Mr. Kennedy, the Muslim leader cited the murders of Patrice Lumumba,

Congo leader, of Medgar Evers, civil rights leader, and of the Negro girls bombed

earlier this year in a Birmingham church. These, he said, were instances of other

'chickens coming home to roost'.

outcry.

The

Nation

of

Islam,

which

had

issued

a

message

of

condolence

to

the

Kennedy

family and ordered its ministers not to comment on the assassination, publicly

censured their former shining star.[112] Although Malcolm X retained his post and

rank as minister, he was prohibited from public speaking for 90 days.[113]

Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X, March 26, 1964On March 8, 1964, Malcolm X

publicly announced his break from the Nation of Islam. He said that he was still

a Muslim, but he felt the Nation of Islam had

its

rigid

religious

teachings.[114]

Malcolm

X

said

he

was

going

to

organize

a

black

nationalist

organization

that

would

try

to

the

political

consciousness

of African Americans.[114] He also expressed his desire to work with other civil

rights leaders and said that Elijah Muhammad had prevented him from doing so in

the past.[114]

One reason for the separation was growing tension between Malcolm X and Elijah

Muhammad because of Malcolm X's dismay about rumors of Muhammad's extramarital

affairs with young secretaries. Such actions were against the teachings of the

Nation. Although at first Malcolm X ignored the rumors, he spoke with Muhammad's

son

Wallace

and

the

women

making

the

accusations.

He

came

to

believe

that

they

were

true, and Muhammad confirmed the rumors in 1963. Muhammad tried to justify his

actions by referring to precedents by Biblical prophets.[115] Another reason was

resentment by people within the Nation. As Malcolm X had become a favorite of the

media, many in the Nation's Chicago headquarters felt that he was over-shadowing

Muhammad.

Louis

Lomax's

1963

book

about

the

Nation

of

Islam,

When

the

Word

Is

Given,

featured a picture of Malcolm X on its cover and included five of his speeches,

but

only

one

of

Muhammad's,

which

greatly

upset

Muhammad.

Muhammad

was

also

envious

that a publisher was interested in Malcolm X's autobiography.[107] After leaving

the Nation of Islam, Malcolm X founded Muslim Mosque, Inc., a religious

organization,[116][117] and the Organization of Afro-American Unity, a secular

group that advocated Pan- Africanism.[118][119] On March 26, 1964, he met Martin

Luther King, Jr. in Washington, D.C., after a press conference held when both men

attended

the

Senate to

hear the debate on the

Civil Rights

bill. This

was

the only

time

the

two

men

ever

met

and

their

meeting

lasted

only

one

minute

—

just

long

enough

for photographers to take a picture.[120][121] In April, Malcolm X made a speech

titled

Ballot

or

the

Bullet

in

which

he

advised

African

Americans

to

exercise

their right to vote wisely.[122][123] Several Sunni Muslims encouraged Malcolm X

to learn about Islam. Soon he converted to Sunni Islam, and decided to make his

pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj).[124]

International travelPilgrimage to MeccaOn April 13, 1964, Malcolm X departed JFK

Airport in New York for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. His status as an authentic Muslim

was questioned by Saudi authorities because of his United States passport and his

inability to speak Arabic. Since only confessing Muslims are allowed into Mecca,

he was separated from his group for about 20 hours.[125][126]

According to his autobiography, Malcolm X saw a telephone and remembered the book

The Eternal Message of Muhammad by Abdul Rahman Hassan Azzam, which had been

presented to him with his visa approval. He called Azzam's son, who arranged for

his

release.

At

the younger Azzam's home, he met

Azzam Pasha,

who gave

Malcolm his

suite at the Jeddah Palace Hotel. The next morning, Muhammad Faisal, the son of

Prince Faisal, visited

and informed Malcolm

X

that

he was

to be

a state guest.

The

deputy chief of protocol accompanied Malcolm X to the Hajj Court, where he was

allowed to make his pilgrimage.[127]

On April 19, Malcolm X completed the Hajj, making the seven circuits around the

Kaaba, drinking from the Zamzam Well, and running between the hills of Safah and

Marwah

seven

times.[128]

After

completing

the

Hajj,

he

was

granted

an

audience

with

Prince

Faisal.[129]

Malcolm

X

said

the

trip

allowed

him

to

see

Muslims

of

different

races interacting as equals. He came to believe that Islam could be the means by

which racial problems could be overcome.[130]

AfricaMalcolm

X

visited

Africa

on

three

separate

occasions,

once

in

1959

and

twice

in 1964. During his visits, he met officials, gave interviews to newspapers, and

spoke

on

television

and

radio

in

Egypt,

Ethiopia,

Tanganyika

(now

Tanzania),

Nigeria,

Ghana, Guinea, Sudan, Senegal, Liberia, Algeria, and Morocco.[131] Kwame Nkrumah

of

Ghana,

Gamal

Abdel

Nasser

of

Egypt,

and

Ahmed

Ben

Bella

of

Algeria

invited

Malcolm

X to serve in their governments.[132]

In

1959,

Malcolm

X

traveled

to

Egypt

(then

known

as

the

United

Arab

Republic),

Sudan,

Nigeria, and Ghana to arrange a tour for Elijah Muhammad.[133] The first of the

two

trips

Malcolm

X

made

to

Africa

in

1964

lasted

from

April

13

until

May

21,

before

and

after

his

Hajj.[134]

On

May

8,

following

his

speech

at

the

University

of

Ibadan,

Malcolm

X

was

made

an

honorary

member

of

the

Nigerian

Muslim

Students'

Association.

During

this

reception

the

students

bestowed

upon

him

the

name

which

means

autobiography that he