Question

How did Malcolm X's trip to Mecca affect him?

Answer 1

He had contact with another form of Islam, one that did not preach hatred between blacks and whites as Elijah put it, but cooperation and integration between them. He understood that the doctrine he had defended so hard was a farce. His family wrote, “For the past 11 days here in the Muslim world, I have been eating on the same plate, drinking from the same glass and sleeping in the same bed - while praying to the same God - than Muslim followers whose eyes are the bluest of blues. , whose hair is the fairest of blondes and whose skins are the whitest of whites. We are all the same ”. His trip to Mecca extended to some other African countries, where he had contact with African nationalist leaders and with socialist strands that, despite being infected by Stalinism, allowed him to broaden his horizons regarding the struggle of blacks. In his words: "It is not the case with our people ... wanting any separation or integration. The use of these words actually clouds the real image. The 22 million African Americans do not seek any separation or integration. They seek the recognition and respect as human beings. "

Upon returning to the USA, Malcolm founds the Organization for African American Unity in Harlem. This organization preached the union of Afro-Americans and other “people of good will”, in the fight against racism and oppression of blacks.