A Review on Malcolm X as Told to Alex Haley
Malcolm X is one of the respectable people in the United States. Along with Martin Luther King, Malcolm X is one of the people who pursue the civil rights of the Black people. Yet, his chronicle of life, in my opinion, is far more interesting. From his biography, I acknowledge that there are Black people who are racist. In the top of that, this kind of racism is spread through an organization, called the Nation of Islam. The Nation of Islam, led by Elijah Muhammad who is known as the Messenger of Allah among his follower, teach that the all of the White people are devil and the Black people are actually far more superior than the White because the origin of human beings belong to the Black civilization. It is different and it makes the idea of the racism upside down. Basically, the idea of racism in United States is about the superiority of the White and the inferiority of the Black but, then the idea is denied by the follower of the Nation of Islam. I wonder how the follower of the Nation of Islam saw the White people and put themselves in the top of the White people. In my imagination, it is clearly not an easy manner, even complicated one, because in that time, many of the officials belonged to White people and there was segregation that tends to create inferiority among the Black people. Then, how follower of the Nation of Islam can survive in the White environment and kept the idea of Black’s superiority. Were they simply avoiding contacts with the White people or were there something else that helps them to maintain the ‘superiority’?
Furthermore, in Malcolm X’s biography, again, I can see how a religion used as a device to fight against the racial issue that is faced by the Black people in United States, at that period. Martin Luther King used some verses in his Bible to raise the idea of equality among people and the Nation of Islam, through the Malcolm X and other minister’s preaching, spread the idea of superiority of Black people. I find one interesting point in this issue. Martin Luther King brings the idea of equality to against the racial issue and the Nation of Islam fight the Black’s racial issue by being a racist. It is quite puzzling to know that in the same time, there were White racists and Black racists who live in the same place, namely United States. I wonder if the Black racists also conducted some extreme manners like the White racists, such as the Ku Klux Khan, in that time. Because, I think the Black racists must had similar amount or even more hatred than the White racists because of the poor treatment of White people towards the Black people.
On the other hand, related to the Nation of Islam, I want to know about the development of the Nation of Islam. After the assassination of Malcolm X, it is mentioned in the epilogue that the Nation of Islam is conducted convention (apparently, I think it is more like an attempt to dodge the accusation that the Nation of Islam responsible of the assassination of the Malcolm X). In this convention, Elijah Muhammad said that the Malcolm X died of his own fault (he called it as foolish teaching) and surprisingly, there were still a lot of people who supported him in this convention. I thought there must be some people who turned against him, but in fact, he still had his follower and even, the blood brother of Malcolm X still follow Elijah Muhammad. I wonder why it can be happened. Furthermore, I want to know how the people of Nation of Islam think about Malcolm X these days.
DELLA PUTRI FEBRINA – 14/373874/PSA/7829
