The Contribution Of Malcolm X's Journey To The Nation Of Islam

In 1965, a civil rights activist by the name of Malcolm X was killed a rally he was hosting in New York City. Shortly after his speech began, two men seated in the front of the room began to argue creating a distraction; then, a third man by the name of Thomas Hagan, shot and killed Malcolm X. The other two men then began to flee and opened fire on the audience as they ran. The three men involved in the shooting were all members of the Nation of Islam. The Nation of Islam is a new religious movement, that is an African-American focused group. It is disputed whether or not the Nation of Islam is actually in accordance with the teachings of Islam. Until his pilgrimage to Mecca, Malcolm X had been a member of the Nation of Islam. Following his pilgrimage Malcolm X began to change his ideologies and beliefs. He converted and became an Orthodox Muslim and broke his ties with his mentor Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam, taking with him many former followers of Islam.

Elijah Muhammad had been a trusting mentor to Malcolm X and supported him in his rise to power in the nation of Islam. While Elijah Muhammad’s affairs were not in accordance with his own sermons against sex outside of marriage, he was merely a human, and all humans make mistakes. Elijah’s reputation would never fully recover due to Malcolm’s betrayal of his personal life, which led to his harsh statements about Malcolm. Although even at the time of his death, Elijah Muhammad had 250,000 followers. Prior to his assassination Elijah Muhammad had declared Malcolm X worthy of death. The assassins thought they were doing what their leader asked them to