The Autobiography of Malcolm X
Being encouraged by Ella to make the pilgrimage to Mecca, free from the doctrines of Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm x decided to follow the true path of Islam on his own.
In his trip to Mecca, Malcolm describes his admiration of the Islamic world and the lack of racial divisions in it. He then highlights his changed point of view on racial problems he had to face in the United States. While in Mecca, Malcolm X came in contact with many white Muslims who were friendly and helpful toward him and who treated him as equal. He then began questioning himself and his knowledge about Islam after noticing that racial problems were more a matter of attitude than of color. Which led him to think that being white did not make a person evil, but being white in America generally meant a person who had been brainwashed and frightened, with its mind full with racial prejudices imposed by the American society. According to him (in his press conference), after his trip to Mecca, the people living in Saudi Arabia were "white" but only in skin color, they did not treat him the same way that white people in the United States did. In fact, he says that he was astonished by the variety of races making their pilgrimage in total peace and harmony as they seemed to be able to get along in the holy city. He writes: I said, "The brotherhood! The people of all races, colors, from all over the world coming together as one! It has proved to me the power of the One God." (17.103). Which proves his point of view of the religion of Islam which is capable of making people forget racism and accept other people as human beings. All Muslims are restricted by Al-hajj rules. Their main aim is the search for redemption and to cleanse their sins. Any form of discrimination is forbidden in the holy Mecca. Which can be slightly compared to world war two, When America entered the war in December 1941, and black people participated in the war and fought alongside white soldiers sacrificing themselves for their homeland. Which proves that, when the aim of peace is shared in society, prejudices, discrimination and racial problems disappears leaving only the pure and honest will of fighting together for a common purpose. Another point is Experience as it is vital, as Malcolm X says "what I have seen and experienced, has forced me to re-arrange much of my thought patterns previously held". Those words showed the importance of experience, which allows us to rethink our thoughts and readjust our position towards a problem or a given information. An example that is relevant to this situation , (Muatasem Bellah Saker) “As a Libyan, I personally thought that it will be hard to live with Tunisians, to become friends with them, as I assumed that they will always see me as a foreigner. However, having been in Tunis experiencing the life of a student in Tunis among my fellow students, I noticed that my prejudices vanished and it also made me readjust my opinion, as I realized how wrong I was, and now I’ve became friend with a lot of Tunisians.After his trip to Mecca, Malcolm X radically changed his point of view. Not only in his religious beliefs, but also his thoughts about the “white man” as he noticed the harmony and the lack of racial divisions in Mecca.
MALCOLM X RETURNS FROM MECCA (Complete Press Conference)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0wnV0EsmqA
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