Malcolm X, #BLM And When It Does Not Matter

Mohamed Ousman

Sha'ban 22, 1446 2025-02-21

Daily News Analysis

by Mohamed Ousman

On this day, exactly 60 years ago on the Gregorian calendar, E Haj Malik Al Shabazz (aka Malcolm X) was martyred.

Much has been written, including in the Crescent International about his struggle for justice and untimely violent death, some of his memorable quotes, and his life changing experience at the Hajj which transformed his outlook of life from being a race based ultra-nationalist to a global icon for social justice.

No one can deny that Malcolm X was born with certain features and within the context of an ethno-racial context.

No one can deny that Malcolm X struggled for the empowerment of people of African origin because he was born into that social context and located within it.

Being a man of principle and a realist, it is reasonable to assume that had he been born in any other place, he would have struggled to resolve the systemic issues affecting those within that particular geography and context.

It is for that reason that he also showed solidarity with the oppressed people of Palestine.

It was the evil ideas originating from Euro-American supremacism that anchored in the mind of billions of people the infatuation with identity, particularly racist identity.

Within this context reactionary movements such as the Nation of Islam ((NOI), which had very little in common with Islam at the time but which has made significant steps to align itself with Islam), found relevance.

Its teachings resonated more with the politics of racism/racialism than with the sublime teachings of Islam such as equality, dignity and justice for all.

Such a movement with its merits and demerits (such as the empowerment of its people as it defined them strictly based on certain physiological features) reacted to white supremacism through an equal but opposite version of it, generally known as Black Nationalism.

Malcolm X was a product of such an ideology until he experienced the brotherhood of Islam which transformed his activism and quest for social justice.

There is no place for any kind of nationalism in Islam, be it Arabian, Persian, Indian, African, or any other variety.

Prior to this life changing experience, although Malcolm X had built the NOI into a popular race based movement, it posed no significant long-term threat to the US establishment.

The US establishment could always play the divide and rule card to perpetuate its oppressive and exploitative policies.

His shift from the narrow race based ideology to the Ummah concept drew the attention of the United States state security apparatus.

Thereafter they played the divide and rule and Malcolm X was murdered by members of the NOI on February 21, 1965.

The hidden hand behind the trigger was that of the US state security apparatus, the FBI and NYPD chief.

The unfortunate writings and speeches of minister Louis Farrakhan dehumanizing Malcolm X and inciting violence against him rendered him complicit in the eventual martyrdom of Malcolm X by his own admission.

This illustrates the US use of the divide and rule card to perpetuate its oppressive and exploitative policies when Islam becomes the driving force that opposes oppression and exploitation.

It is, therefore, remarkable but not surprising to note that despite the zionist inspired shift in global politics towards the far right in recent decade—which has boosted ultra-nationalistic jingoism among the Indians in the form of Hindutva and Black African Nationalism-the life of Malcolm still does not matter.

Even as Africa is fast becoming the playground of the major powers, the life of Malcolm X still does not matter.

The US has military bases scattered across Africa. China is developing the infrastructure in Africa to pave the way for its products to have access to consumers in Africa.

Russia is trying to counter NATO by using African leaders to destabilize former colonial powers in Africa.

Zionist Israel has not given up knocking on the door of the African Union.

Even the Arabians have not spared Africa.

None of these powers has the interest of the people in Africa at heart.

One could venture to say that even within circles that identify racially with Malcolm X, and within the Black Lives Matter (#BLM) movement, this is one black life that does not matter.

Hence the question is: why is it that despite the rise of Black African Nationalism—the life of Malcolm X still does not matter?

Is it because the Islamic component which is central to Malcolm X’s revolutionary activism outgrows nationalism and has the potential to bring together billions of people beyond the racial definition?

Is it because the Islamic component within Malcolm X’s revolutionary activism poses a threat to the nation state system based on artificial lines drawn randomly in the sand?

Ultimately, is it because the Islamic component within Malcolm X’s revolutionary activism has the potential of drawing into Islam all the peoples of Africa and this poses a threat to the neo-colonial puppets, Russia and China included?

All of these questions, and there are many others, related to the Islamic dimension of Malcolm X’s revolutionary activism and his quest to embed social justice and uproot oppression, racial discrimination and exploitation begs for revival; rather it demands revival.