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Guest Editorial
Mauri’ Saalakhan
Guest Editorial Archives
Friday, February 25, 2005; Page 20
In Memory of Malcolm: A Day of Dialogue on the Sudan
The number 40 carries a special spiritual significance for peoples and cultures around the world; esp. for peoples of the Abrahamic religions (i.e., Judaism, Christianity, and Islam). The Old Testament records that the Children of Israel were made to wander in the wilderness for 40 years. Prophet Mohammed, through whom the Qur’an was revealed, was 40 years of age when the divine revelations began to come to him from The Almighty, through the angel of revelation, Gabriel (Jibril in Arabic). That final revelation to all humanity also speaks of 40 as being “the age of full strength” for a man.
February 21, 2005, marked the 40th anniversary of the martyrdom of a man known around the world as Malcolm X – throughout much of the Muslim world as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz. It was February 21, 1965, when Malcolm [Shabazz] was felled by assassins’ bullets in the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem, New York, at the age of 39.
The Qur’an says: “And do not say of those who are killed in the way of Allah (God), that they are dead. No. They are alive, receiving sustenance from their Lord, though you perceive it not.”
Last Monday commemorations were held around the country in honor of Malcolm. The historic Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem held a “national commemoration of Malcolm X.” It has been announced that the Audubon Ballroom will be reopened later this year as the Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz Memorial and Education Center.
The official opening is slated for May 19, 2005, on what would have been Malcolm’s 80th birthday. The new center is expected to house a multi-media environment containing documents about Malcolm’s life and work, such as memoirs, notes, speeches and other personal items gathered by the family.
It has also been announced that sometime next year, Percy Sutton, Malcolm’s personal lawyer and friend (who later served as Manhattan borough president), is launching his own project – the Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Living History Foundation. Its purpose, Sutton said, will be “for people to learn about Minister Malcolm and Dr. Betty Shabazz and what their contributions were.”
When the late Ossie Davis (at the time, a talented up and coming young artist) courageously eulogized Malcolm 40 years ago, he called him, “our Black shining prince.” The luster of this “prince” has not diminished over time. Today Malcolm continues to live on in all areas of popular culture – from books and film to rap and other forms of hip hop. There are said to be over a thousand works with the title Malcolm X in them; for example, over 350 films and over 320 web-based educational resources with the name “Malcolm X in them.”
Professor Manning Marable, who is reportedly working on a new biography tentatively titled, Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention, has said about this undertaking: “Malcolm X was potentially a new type of world leader, personally drawn up from the wretched of the earth into a political stratosphere of international power; and telling that remarkable true story is the purpose of my biography.”
Malcolm and Africa. Long before it became vogue for Afro-Americans to travel back to the Mother Continent to rediscover their roots, Malcolm X had a love affair with Africa. One of the countries that Malcolm visited and loved was the Sudan (a country he first visited in 1959).
In connecting with Africa, Malcolm had an instinctive awareness that the destiny of the people of Africa [proper], and the destinies of peoples of African descent in the Diaspora were inextricably linked; and out of this awareness came observations like the one made in Detroit (MI) on February 18, 1965: “Having complete control over Africa, the colonial powers of Europe had projected the image of Africa negatively…jungle savages, cannibals, nothing civilized… We didn’t want anybody telling us anything about Africa, much less calling us Africans. In hating Africa and in hating the Africans, we ended up hating ourselves.”
When Malcolm attended an assembly of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) on July 17, 1964, he reminded his hosts of the connection between persons of African blood on both continents with the following words: “Since the 22 million of us were originally Africans, who are now in America, not by choice, but only by a cruel accident in our history, we strongly believe that African problems are our problems, and our problems are African problems.”
What Inspired Malcolm. Malcolm noted in an interview with Les Crane on December 27, 1964: “I believe that it is possible for brotherhood to be brought about among all people, but I don’t delude myself into dreaming or falling for a dream that this exists before it exists… Some of the leaders of our people in this country say they believe in this dream. But while they’re dreaming, our people are having a nightmare.”
This observation reveals part of what motivated Malcolm; a genuine and very profound love for his people, coupled with a heartfelt empathy for all those who were daily being assaulted by the slings and arrows of racial discrimination. This empathy was instilled in Malcolm at a young age by his mother and father, once deeply committed followers of the West Indian visionary, Marcus Garvey. The seeds that were planted early on were germinated further within the Nation of Islam, and then later achieved fruition after Malcolm made the pilgrimage to Mecca in 1964.
It is an undeniable fact that in a life full of dramatic and never ending change, the one thing that remained constant for Malcolm was his profound love for, and attachment to Islam; and his willingness to die for what he believed. Malcolm reportedly noted just days before his death, “I’m no stranger to danger. I have lived with danger all my life. I never expect to die of old age. I know that I have done the very best that I could for our people… I live as if I am already dead.” In this regard, Malcolm walked the same spiritual path of his beloved prophet – Mohammed ibn Abdullah (may God’s peace and blessings be upon him).
The last divinely sent Messenger of God, and seal of the prophethood, exemplified the spirit of martyrdom when he said to his beloved uncle, Abu Talib, in the earliest days of the establishment of Islam, “My uncle, even if they place the sun in my right hand, and the moon in my left hand, I shall never give up this matter until it prevails or I die.” This came in response to attempts by Meccan authorities to bribe him away from his divine mission. It is written that tears came into the prophet’s eyes when he said this; he then turned and began to walk away. Abu Talib was so moved by this display of selfless and heartfelt determination that he called out to him, “Go and say what you will…I will never let you down.” Thereafter, the persecution became far more intense for the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh), his [then] small band of followers on the Arabian peninsula, and even for the tribe which had afforded him some measure of protection.
One of the noble martyrs of Islam, Sayyid Qtub, once said: “The highest form of triumph is the victory of soul over matter, the victory of belief over pain, and the victory of faith over persecution… All men die, and of various causes; but not all gain such victory, nor reach such heights, nor taste such freedom, nor soar to such limits on the horizon.” Another wise man said, “The martyrs’ blood is not an ordinary blood; it transfuses itself into the life of a people and energizes them.” Malcolm, one of the great sons of Islam, was instinctively aware of these truths.
A Day of Dialogue in honor of Malcolm. We have decided that the best way to commemorate the life, legacy, and sacrifice of Malcolm – on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of his martyrdom - is by tackling one of the most controversial, yet critically important issues of the day; the ongoing crisis in the Sudan. There is no doubt that if Malcolm were alive today he would be addressing this issue. And in addressing the issue, there is no doubt in this writer’s mind that Malcolm would be calling for an African-Islamic solution to an African problem!
With that said, we hope that you will join us on Sunday, February 27, 2005, at the University of the District of Columbia (Bldg. 46, Main Auditorium), for “A Day of Constructive Dialogue on the Sudan.”
Mauri’ Saalakhan is the Director of Operations for The Peace and Justice Foundation. |
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