Blog #4

One person that is part of a current and past organization that I admire is Malcom X. The organization that he used to be a part of was the Nation of Islam. The Nation of Islam is an organization for African American Muslims that believe African Americans are superior to White people. They also seem to hold prejudice and racist views of other religions and ethnic groups. From the outside, this group can be viewed as just an African American support group and not so much as a religion. The reason why I chose Malcolm X as someone who I admire from this group is because even though he was a member of the group, he realized that the values and ideologies of the organization do not align with those of Islam. He initially joined when he was in prison, and was convinced by his brother to join. He followed under Elijah Muhammad, who was the leader of the group. However, after completing a pilgrimage to Hajj, Malcolm saw muslims of different races performing side by side. Interested by what he saw, he began to research Sunni Islam, which is the branch that I follow. According to Sunni Islam, nobody is ranked by their physical appearance, wealth, or status. The only ranking is the one of piety and righteousness. After deciding that the Nation of Islam had the wrong perception of Islam, Malcolm publicly renounced the Nation of Islam and embraced Sunni Islam. After doing so, he began receiving death threats from the organization. He was assassinated in New York City on February 21, 1965. Three members from the organization were arrested, charged for murder, and sent to life in prison. The reason why I admire Malcolm X so much is because despite the ideology of his group, and the threats that were sent his way, he decided to make judgements based on only his thinking and observations, and no one else’s. He maintained his sincere composure and openly rejected the teachings that he did not find true. I also admire him because he chose to support the same ideology that I believe in as well. The reason why Malcolm X’s work is important is because his life illustrates the fact that Islam is a way of life that can be beneficial for any race, not just arabs and that it can help anyone that is experiencing a low point in life. His work is also important because it teaches the importance of being sincere. His analogy of the fox and wolf in politics helped shape many peoples viewpoints about the democratic and republican sides. I agree with his belief in rather voting for the openly corrupt politician and not the corrupt leader that tells people what they want to hear. The actions of Malcolm X that i would like to emulate in my own life is being able to stand up for my beliefs and ideas. I believe that this will help me build courage and help those who want to build it as well and those that agree with my ideas.