Kurai Tsuki
17th March 2004, 01:18
Famous black nationalist Malcom X had quite a productive time after leaving the Nation of Islam and seemed to be assassinated exactly when he was becoming the most progressive and aggressive. Malcom started a new organization, the OAAU, Organization of African American Unity, and intended to send armed members of this organization to areas of America which were notorious for giving trouble to their Afro-American citizens, such as the southern U.S. The organization would take a less condemning attitude toward whites while at the same time addressing issues of conformity which would come with giving influence on the organization to white people, as seen in his quote, “Whites can help us but they cannot join us. There can be no black white unity until there is first some black unity. We do not think of being acceptable to others, until we have first proven acceptable to ourselves.”
It was in this period that he began receiving threatening phone calls from unknown persons (possibly the government) and began to notice that the NOI seemed to be following him. For example, he would travel by plane to another city and reach the hotel, only to find the place surrounded by NOI members. The persistence and prestige with which NOI members were able to catch up with him had given him reason to believe that they were also receiving aid from the government to stalk him. Malcom told Alex Haley that he knew the tactics of Fruit of Islam (a group that enforces NOI policy on members and guards important officials, also being skilled in Judo), because he had trained them to do it. But at the same time he knew the limitations of their abilities, and so believed they were receiving aid from and outside source. At one point, during a visit to Africa, Malcom noticed that he was even being followed by someone who was obviously a government agent. Not that it was any surprise; a white man in Africa who keeps appearing is a bit conspicuous.
There was one government who made their position clear on Malcom’s views. He had been invited to speak in France, and so went there. But was later actually banned from returning to the country.
The stalking, phone tapping, and threats seemed to culminate as Malcom was shot just before giving a speech. Although held in a church, the funeral of Malcom X was indeed a Moslem one (It was difficult to find a venue for it, as the churches kept receiving threats of bomb attacks, probably from the NOI). A Sheikh from Saudi Arabia actually traveled to America to be sure that there were on signs of a Christian funeral and to make preparations for an Islamic one. It must have been a surprise for the people viewing the body as a white robbed man walked down the isle attended by bodyguards.
Malcom was able to be buried by members of his own OAAU. They began picking up dirt with their hands and placing it atop the coffin, not wanting him to be buried by the white graveyard workers, until finally they were given shovels to complete the job.
It was in this period that he began receiving threatening phone calls from unknown persons (possibly the government) and began to notice that the NOI seemed to be following him. For example, he would travel by plane to another city and reach the hotel, only to find the place surrounded by NOI members. The persistence and prestige with which NOI members were able to catch up with him had given him reason to believe that they were also receiving aid from the government to stalk him. Malcom told Alex Haley that he knew the tactics of Fruit of Islam (a group that enforces NOI policy on members and guards important officials, also being skilled in Judo), because he had trained them to do it. But at the same time he knew the limitations of their abilities, and so believed they were receiving aid from and outside source. At one point, during a visit to Africa, Malcom noticed that he was even being followed by someone who was obviously a government agent. Not that it was any surprise; a white man in Africa who keeps appearing is a bit conspicuous.
There was one government who made their position clear on Malcom’s views. He had been invited to speak in France, and so went there. But was later actually banned from returning to the country.
The stalking, phone tapping, and threats seemed to culminate as Malcom was shot just before giving a speech. Although held in a church, the funeral of Malcom X was indeed a Moslem one (It was difficult to find a venue for it, as the churches kept receiving threats of bomb attacks, probably from the NOI). A Sheikh from Saudi Arabia actually traveled to America to be sure that there were on signs of a Christian funeral and to make preparations for an Islamic one. It must have been a surprise for the people viewing the body as a white robbed man walked down the isle attended by bodyguards.
Malcom was able to be buried by members of his own OAAU. They began picking up dirt with their hands and placing it atop the coffin, not wanting him to be buried by the white graveyard workers, until finally they were given shovels to complete the job.