August 7, 1952, marked the day Malcolm X was released from prison at the age of 27. The day marked a major turning point in his life, when he turned away from crime to eventually become one of the most revered personalities of Black Nationalism and civil rights in America.

From a Life of Crime to Righteousness

“I’d put prison second to college as the best place for a man to go if he needs to do some thinking,” Malcolm stated, referring to his time in prison. “If he’s motivated, in prison he can change his life.”

Dire conditions and striking poverty are what likely drove the young Malcolm into a life of crime. At the age of nine, he was compelled to rob foods from stores, and later became involved in drug dealing and gambling. He was arrested a number of times for robbery and mugging an acquaintance at gunpoint.

In 1946, Malcolm was arrested at a jewelry shop while picking up a stolen watch. He was convicted of 14 counts of crime and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

His time in prison was spent reading books, writing, and practicing his speaking skills. He was known to read every nonfiction book he could get, and quickly became recognized for his strong oratory skills. 

“In every free moment I had, if I was not reading in the library, I was reading on my bunk,” Malcolm wrote in his autobiography. “You couldn’t have gotten me out of books with a wedge.” 

Two years later, after his siblings introduced him to the teachings of Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm joined the Nation of Islam and began exchanging letters with Muhammad.

The Nation of Islam preached Black self-reliance and empowerment, arguing that Christianity had brainwashed Blacks to think white people were superior to them.

In a far cry from traditional Islam, it also taught that whites were a race of “blue-eyed devils,” created millennia ago by an evil scientist.

Malcolm X After Prison

After being paroled in 1952, Malcolm, who had begun signing his name as ‘Malcolm X,’ went to Chicago to work with Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam. He quickly rose through the ranks, and soon became the leader of Temple Number Seven in Harlem. 

Malcolm X inspired others through his profound faith in God, which paved the way for his journey towards Islam. He revealed that he “had sunk to the very bottom of the American white man’s society when– soon now, in prison– I found Allah and the religion of Islam and it completely transformed my life.”

Alongside his spiritual life, however, Malcolm X also showcased a fiery stance against the racial injustice that plagued the U.S.

He was dubbed as the “angriest Black man in America” for his bold sermons and impeccable oratory skills, and yet he inspired scores of young African Americans by calling for Black empowerment. 

“Malcolm X is important to recognize and think about in relationship to the civil rights movement because he offered one of the sharpest social critiques of the United States available during that period,” said Prof. Anthony Pinn, director of the Center for African and African American Studies at Rice University.

Hajj: a Pivotal Point in Malcolm X’s Life

Notably, Malcolm’s reformation towards the truth led to his journey to Hajj, an annual pilgrimage to Mecca that Muslims partake in. In April 1964, he embarked on this journey, which changed his worldview to embrace a hope for true brotherhood among all races — a view that was in stark contrast to the Nation of Islam’s anti-white ideology.

“Never have I witnessed such sincere hospitality and overwhelming spirit of true brotherhood as is practiced by people of all colors and races here in this ancient Holy Land, the home of Abraham, Muhammad and all the other Prophets of the Holy Scriptures. For the past week, I have been utterly speechless and spellbound by the graciousness I see displayed all around me by people of all colors,” Malcolm said. 

The transformation he experienced after Hajj was so significant that he said, “In my thirty-nine years on this earth, the holy city of Mecca had been the first time I had ever stood before the Creator of All and felt like a complete human being.”

It was at this time that Malcolm renounced the separatist beliefs of the Nation of Islam, and claimed that the solution to the racial injustice in America could be found with authentic Islam, which stood for universal respect and brotherhood.

After his pilgrimage to Mecca, Malcolm formally adopted the name El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz to reflect his conversion to Islam and his newfound philosophy on human rights.

Malcolm X on Palestine 

Malcolm was also revered for his unwavering support for Palestine, firmly believing in the importance of resistance against oppressors. This view set him apart from other civil rights activists at the time, who called for “peaceful coexistence,” a concept that draws parallels with the Palestinian cause today.

“I don’t go for non-violence if it also means a delayed solution. To me a delayed solution is a non-solution,” Malcolm X famously stated. 

Malcolm would repeatedly denounce Israel for the “illogical” occupation of Arab Palestine. In September 1964, he visited the Khan Younis refugee camp in Gaza, which is currently being relentlessly bombed by the Israeli regime as part of its genocidal war in Palestine.

Writing in the Egyptian Gazette in 1964, El-Shabazz stated:

“Did the Zionists have the legal or moral right to invade Arab Palestine, uproot its Arab citizens from their homes and seize all Arab property for themselves just based on the ‘religious’ claim that their forefathers lived their thousands of years ago? Only a thousand years ago the Moors lived in Spain. Would this give the Moors of today the legal and moral right to invade the Iberian Peninsula, drive out its Spanish citizens, and then set up a new Moroccan nation… where Spain used to be, as the European Zionists have done to our Arab brothers and sisters in Palestine?”

A Global Stance Against Injustice

Malcolm’s bold stance in the face of injustice in America left the world astounded. He unapologetically called out the U.S. government for being an entity that upholds racism and thrives off the oppression and censorship of its own people.

 “It isn’t the American white man who is a racist, but it’s the American political, economic, and social atmosphere that automatically nourishes a racist psychology in the white man,” he famously said.

Malcolm X was also known for speaking out against both the Democratic and Republican parties using the fox and wolf analogy. He described the Democratic party as the sly and deceitful fox, and the Republican party as the wolf. Both were capable enough, he believed, to “equally eat up the country.”

Despite being known as an American civil rights leader, Malcolm’s support for Palestine also highlighted how his stance for justice was not limited to the U.S. Rather, his message was a global call against injustice everywhere, and inspired millions to fearlessly become a voice for the voiceless – no matter where they were.

The legendary leader was assassinated on February 21, 1965, while addressing a crowd at the Audubon Ballroom in Washington Heights in New York City.

Malcolm X knew well that he would be killed at some point, as his global message and activism shook the thrones of American elites — and the world — with a fearless stance in the face of the oppressors.