During the 1980s and early 1990s, the story of Malcolm X ‘s life, experienced a revival among African Americans.

He is still called Malcolm X by many people; despite his name being changed to El Hajj Malik El Shabazz during his lifetime.

I believe the reason for the revival was because many of the popular Hip-Hop artists at that time, were rapping about Malcolm X.

All across America, many people could be seen wearing T-Shirts with pictures of Malcolm.

However, many of the people wearing these shirts knew absolutely nothing about Malcolm X.

They saw Malcolm as a revolutionary symbol like Che Guevara .

Because of this rising popularity for Malcolm, a movie was made by Spike Lee called Malcolm X.

Unfortunately, in my opinion it was not a very good movie.

Denzil Washington’s performance was outstanding; but the movie script was horrible .

It had so many fabrications and made up characters in it; that to those of us who truly loved Malcolm, the movie was a disappointment.

After the excitement over the movie had died down; so did the revival and interest in Malcolm X.

Many of our people lost interest in Malcolm X and the story of his life.

It was like the movie was such a great achievement in being made; that the passion to really get to know Malcolm was gone.

The movie did not emphasize the miraculous transformation of Malcolm Little into Malcolm X.

His transformation should be an example for all of our people.

Especially an example for our young men and women.

Malcolm X during his teenage years when he was known as Malcolm Little or Detroit Red ; was a totally out of control young man.

He was a school dropout; living by his wits in New York City.

He drank alcohol, and took drugs.

He was also a drug dealer, a pimp , a con man , a burglar , a stick up man , gambler , he hustled homosexual men for money; had sex with married women etc.

In effect, Malcolm did everything imaginable to survive.

Malcolm was a vicious predator, who preyed on the weaknesses of his fellow African Americans.

He was the kind of low life that no decent person wanted to be associated with.

He was the type of wild looking young man, that if a respectable person saw him coming towards them on the sidewalk; they would cross the street to avoid passing him.

He was finally caught during one of his burglaries and was sent to prison for ten years.

During his incarceration, because of his wild looking facial expression and his strange behaviour the other prisoners stayed clear of him.

They gave him the nickname of ‘ satan .’

One of Malcolm’s brothers wrote him a letter, telling him that he knew of a way to get him out of prison.

He told him the first thing he should do, was to stop eating pork .

Malcolm thought that his brother had some scheme in mind to get him an early release from prison.

He decided to do as his brother had asked.

He stopped eating pork.

In the prison where he was, on the the days when pork was on the menu; it was a special treat for the prisoners.

All the inmates looked forward to those days when pork was served.

So when the word spread around the prison, that satan had stopped eating pork; it gave Malcolm a sense of pride.

They were talking about him; because of something other than his wild and crazy behaviour.

He had rejected something that was highly prized by all the other prisoners.

His willpower had been strengthened by going against the grain.

This was the beginning of Malcolm’s rejection of what others believed was the norm.

He was going against the status quo.

Later, when his brothers visited him in prison, he found out that they had joined a religious organization called the Nation Of Islam (NOI).

This organization believed that Caucasians (white) people were devils; and that African Americans were member of the Lost Tribe of Shabazz ; who were god’s chosen people.

They said the NOI taught that, our people had been kidnapped from their homeland; and had lost the knowledge of their true ancestry.

The members of the NOI, did not eat pork; drink alcohol nor take take drugs to get high.

They believe that eating pork, drinking alcohol and taking illicit drugs; clouded a person’s ability to think clearly.

They believed these were some of the tools used by the devils to keep black people under the devil’s control.

His brothers wanted Malcolm to stop eating pork so that when they spoke to him about the NOI he would be more receptive to the message of the NOI.

The filth of the pig’s flesh would not cloud his thinking.

The leader of this organization was Elijah Muhammad who was called the Messenger of Allah .

Allah they explained to him, was the Name of The One True God.

And this God had raised up Messenger Elijah Muhammad from among them to save African Americans from the ‘white’ devils (Caucasian people).

Malcolm accepted the religion of his brothers.

A spark had been ignited within Malcolm’s soul.

For the next few years while he was still in prison; Malcolm who had been a man with the soul and mentality of a lowly worm, was being transformed into a beautiful butterfly.

He taught himself how to read properly.

He studied every word in the dictionary to improve his comprehension and pronunciation of words.

I am not going to try and explain the process of his transformation here.

Anyone who is really interested should read the book, “ The Autobiography of Malcolm X .”

The point of this article is to point out the hypocrisy of the majority of the people of African descent who claim to love Malcolm X.

When Malcolm’s stepped out of prison he was a completely changed individual.

His heart and mind was consumed with the thought of how he could be of service to Elijah Muhammad.

The first thing that Malcolm did when he was released from prison was to visit Elijah Muhammad.

He wanted to know how he could help Elijah Muhammad to save African Americans from the influences of the devils.

When Malcolm returned to New York City as a minister of the NOI; he sent shock waves throughout the African American community there.

Primarily among the people who knew him before he went to prison.

They couldn’t believe that the low life predator, that they had known as Detroit Red, was the same person called Malcolm X.

He was now intelligent; he was articulate; he was cool and calm and he looked so good 🙂

In record time he established Nation of Islam Temples all over the major cities on the East Coast of America.

In the past he had been a travelling drug seller.

He had met many musicians in New York city.

He had used his job as a Pullman train porter; to travel to cities where these musicians were performing; to sell them drugs.

Many of these musicians embraced the teaching of the NOI; after seeing the wonderful change in their former ‘reefer’ man.

PRAISING MALCOLM BUT STILL MENTALLY ENSLAVED

The majority of the people today praising Malcolm have not made any changes to their own lifestyle.

Many African Americans who are now praising Malcolm X, are more like Malcolm Little , (Also Known As) Detroit Red; rather than Malcolm X.

Many of them still eat pork.

Many of them still take illicit drugs and drink alcohol.

Many of them are still committing fornication or adultery.

Many of them are robbing their own people.

Many are selling illicit drugs.

Many of them are killing other African Americans.

Many African American men, are abusing and mistreating African American women and their children.

Many African American women are abusing their children and disrespecting African American men.

Many African American women are still straightening their hair or wearing straight hair weaves or wigs.

Many of them still have the slave family names passed down to them from their slave ancestors.

These European names of African Americans, are like cattle brands to show which Caucasian masters our slave ancestors belonged to.

Many of them are still Christians who believe in a Caucasian son of god.

Many of them refuse to support good leaders; like Malcolm X, supported Elijah Muhammad.

(Remember this: to be a good leader , you must have been; sometime in your life a good follower )

Some of the people praising Malcolm now are even Atheists ; although Malcolm had a strong belief in The Creator.

To really love and follow Malcolm X; we must be strong enough to overcome the weaknesses of this hypocritical religious, and corrupt society.

If we want to be like Malcolm El Shabazz we MUST make changes to our own lifestyle.

If we want to accomplish the things that he accomplished during his lifetime we must follow his physical, mental and spiritual example.

I repeat, “ to be good leaders we have to be good followers “.

As Malcolm X, had been to Elijah Muhammad.

Find someone whom you believe in; someone with a plan to help our people.

Then do everything you can to help them achieve their plan.

Unfortunately, many of our people are too arrogant to follow a leader, unselfishly as Malcolm followed Elijah Muhammad.

We all want to be the kings and queens ; and not the lowly, devoted servants .

In 1972 when I was 17 years old I read the Autobiography of Malcolm X .

My life was never the same after.

I had never heard of Malcolm X before I read the book.

I had recently started reading books by African American authors like Richard Wright and Maya Angelou and was fascinated by what I was reading.

I really had not known anything about what African Americans’ life experience was like

A friend told me that those books were not comparable to the Autobiography of Malcolm X.

He lent me his father’s copy. He was right.

Malcolm’s life had a big impact on my thinking. I tried to share with all my friends what I had read in that book.

I started buying every book that I could find about Malcolm X.

In time I considered myself a follower of Malcolm X .

Malcolm X was the first person in my life that I considered as my leader.

But I had no one who thought the same as me.

My friends were getting tired of me talking, all the time; about issues concerning the condition of African Americans.

Then one day I was reading one of the books I had about Malcolm X.

It was: When the Word is Given by Louis E. Lomax

The book is divided in two parts. The first part had articles or speeches by Elijah Muhammad and the second part was speeches or articles by Malcolm X .

Right away I had skipped pass the Elijah Muhammad part and went to the part about Malcolm.

Malcolm said something that made me pause and think.

He said if I recall: “ Negroes are always following dead leaders” .

I thought to myself: “ Isn’t that what I am doing, by following Malcolm X” .

Following a man who had been dead for 8 years.

After finishing the part about Malcolm X; I went to the part about Elijah Muhammad.

Before the year ended I had joined the Nation of Islam and became a follower of the Honourable Elijah Muhammad.

WE NEED TO WAKE UP!

The following is from Imam Wallace D. Mohammed (was the leader of the largest group of Muslim Americans before he passed away in 2008) and son of Elijah Muhammad said:

“Therefore, to escape this identity crisis and mental and psychological slavery, we must love the truth.

We must love each other , trust each other, and support each other again as an ethnic group in order to be trusted, honored, and respected by other ethnic groups.

The African slaves and Native Americans were forced to oppose, distrust, and to despise one another due to the divide-and-conquer tactics by their colonizers and slave owners.

They were given special favors, gifts, allowed to fraternize, drink, socialize and celebrate with their captors based on their loyalty.

The PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) effects of the Jim Crow North and South are still lurking deeply in our hearts, souls and spirits.

Too many are still seeking the favor, financial support, approval of their former slave master’s children and children’s children decades later, ( like begging for reparations for slavery)

Malcolm Shabazz and Wallace D, Mohammed

We must Love Ourselves first to escape psychological slavery.

Let us be reminded that the descendants of African slaves were brainwashed, white washed, as well as, psychologically conditioned for over 400 years, by brutal force, torture, bull whip and leather strap whippings, while tied to trees, or poles, by murder, lynchings, by being burned at the stake at bar-b-que parties while the master, slave breakers, plantation owners partied and drank gin, rum, and whiskey into the early hours of the morning, etc.

Also by the psychological manipulation of the subliminal use of European images in religion, in their churches, their Bibles, on the walls in their homes, in public buildings etc., to love, trust, honor, and respect only Caucasian people (such as their slave masters, their oppressors, their master’s wives, their children and their children’s children), and especially African children, to admire and desire their physical features ( hair, noses, light skin color etc.).

Self hatred has been etched into their DNA and RNA.

Too many people (of African descent world-wide) still today, hate themselves, their physical features , and their history.

This deeply seated, deeply rooted, psychological effects of slavery is still affecting too many African Americans and people-of-color in modern times.

One must be aware in order to escape this spiritual, mental, and psychological conditioning.

Too many are suffering from self denial.

Let us wake up to The Truth and be True Humans again.

NOW is The TIME!! Think about it.”

Read also:

WHAT ARE THE TWO BIGGEST PROBLEMS OF AFRICAN AMERICANS?

AND:

Elijah Muhammad made men out of boys; and women out of girls

Black Nationalist leader and Nation of Islam spokesman Malcolm X in Oxford with Eric Abrahams, right, the Student Union president, before addressing university students on the subject of extremism and liberty, 3rd December 1964. (Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) Undated picture of Malcolm X (C), the leader of the Organization for the Afro-American unity. (Photo credit should read STF/AFP/Getty Images)

READ THE AUTO–BIOGRAPHY OF MY FIRST 13 YEARS LIVING IN AMERICA , AFTER LEAVING MY HOMELAND, JAMAICA

This is the story of one man’s journey to self-discovery.

Like so many others, Mujahid Abdullah learned behaviors and acquired beliefs of denigration about his culture, ethnicity, and physical appearance.

These beliefs came from his local surroundings as well as the wider society and would have a major effect on his entire life.

Within the pages of this book, not only do we see these effects, but we see how he was able to move beyond the messages that were so deeply ingrained from childhood.

This is an eye-opening story of cultural practices and family beliefs that others may keep hidden.

Paperback:

Kindle: