Malcolm X Challenges

In all the challenges he has faced, Malcolm X was in the end able to define himself as a devout Muslim, relying on the Islamic teachings of Allah and Muhammad to guide his decisions and beliefs.

While subsiding in the state prison, Malcolm experiences a spiritual and intellectual revelation. His family are the ones who introduce him to the Nation of Islam and spark his interest in Islamic studies and Elijah Muhammad. While accepting Islamic beliefs, Malcolm travels with the Nation of Islam leader, Elijah Muhammad, to black communities to preach their beliefs on their racial oppression.

After experiencing several publicity attacks and betrayal from Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm believes that “Allah blessed [him] to remain true, firm and strong in [his] faith in Islam, despite many
The strong beliefs of Islam and the hatred of the whites caused upheaval in society, and it even threatened Malcolm’s credibility as a devout Muslim leader. However, through all of the chaos and threats, Malcolm was able to disregard all of the attacks because of strong to his Islamic beliefs and piety towards Allah.

Malcolm decides to escape the abuse on Islam in America by embarking on the hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, to truly understand the core beliefs of Islam. While he is there, he encounters Muslims of all appearances and ethnicities, countering his belief that Islam is to benefit black people. Malcolm learns of the differences between Islam in America versus Islamic practices in the Middle East, and that the universal Islam deals with theological and personal questions rather than racial differences.

As he is introduced with Muslims of all different ethnicities and appearances, Malcolm emphasizes that “America needs to understand Islam, because this is the one religion that erases from its society the race problem” (Haley and Malcolm X