Elijah Muhammad, original name Elijah Poole, (born Oct. 7, 1897, Sandersville, Ga., U.S.died Feb. 25, 1975, Chicago), leader of the black separatist religious movement known as the Nation of Islam (sometimes called Black Muslims) in the United States. Cleared of the sedition charges, he was convicted or exhorting his followers to avoid the draft and he was sent to Federal prison in Milan, Mich., for about four years. Never had he imagined that this nonviolent Baptist minister, who preached Black kindness and charity for ones enemies, could evoke such toxic venom, such genuine hatred from the very grassroots whites whom King continually encouraged his followers to love. Tell ya what, Fellows continued, well bring some purple robes over here and youll just have to make do with em.. Known as The Charmer, he performed professionally on the Boston nightclub circuit as a singer of calypso and country songs. Malcolm X is credited with playing a critical role in the evolution of Ali's religious views by steering him towards the Nation of Islam. Its all the same thing to us, Fellows said finally. Dispassionate as usual when asserting NOI doctrine, Muhammad . Fellows went outside to call in several lean, middle-aged Klan colleagues. He assumed the name Elijah in honor of his [] Farrakhan disagreed with Wallace Muhammads attempts to move the Nation to orthodox Sunni Islam and to rid it of Elijah Muhammads radical Black nationalism and separatist teachings, which stressed the inherent wickedness of whites. 2. Muhammad had warned his negotiators about Klan skulduggery, but not even the Messenger had anticipated such a cold-blooded request for a joint venture against King. Elijah Muhammad was a mystic. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Elijahs mother was called Mariah Hall. Elizabeth, observing from the sidelines, was not amused. Rev. Even before Malcolm X was born, night-riding Klan horsemen terrorized his pregnant mother and her three older children in Omaha, Nebraska. Earlier in his career, he served as the minister of mosques in Boston and Harlem and was appointed National Representative of the Nation of Islam by then NOI leader Elijah Muhammad. Although these changes were welcomed by many, a dissident minority led by Louis Farrakhan split from Mohammed in 1978 and reestablished the Nation of Islam according to the precepts of Elijah Muhammad. Elijah later left his home place to go and work in factories. Accuracy and availability may vary. No, we cant let no n-----s wear white robes, Fellows insisted, as he gazed back at the puzzled countenances of his colleagues at the table. Again rejoining in 1974, he assumed leadership of the movement when his father died in 1975. Everywhere you see him, look at him. Moreover, Muhammad allowed for no hierarchy among Caucasians on the issue of white supremacy; from the sitting U.S. president to the imperial wizard, all were slammed as white devils. Accordingly, the Messenger told his two ministers in Chicago that day that the Muslims and the Klan indeed had similar goals but with different shading. The Founder of the Nation of Islam gave him the name "Karriem" and made him a minister. He changed his name, became leader of the movement and moved its headquarters to Chicago in 1934. The cautious Witch Hat seemed not altogether reassured. Muhammad instructed Malcolm and Jeremiah to pitch to the Klan that white America owed Black people an allotment of land as partial payment for more than 300 years of slavery and Jim Crow exploitation and that the inability of the two races to coexist would be eased by Elijah Muhammads setting up of a Black separate state. Although a fixed amount of acreage was not specified, Malcolm was instructed to seek an opening to request Klan assistance in acquiring such designated land, or, at least, to negotiate a pact of noninterference with acquisition of land by other means. He struck a note nowhere near as assertive toward the Klan as Malcolm had hoped. His parents were sharecroppersand former slaves. Membership was increasing when, in 1955, Brief history on origin of the Nation of Islam, https://noi.org/esp-honorable-elijah-muhammad/, 68 Years of Service: A Gift of Gratitude to The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, FBI COINTELPRO: The U.S. Governments War Against Dissent. We hear him every week, and I say continue to hear our Min. Elijah Muhammad was born on October 7th, in 1897. He successfully guided his group to move to Chicago. Later, he was released on bail. Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. But this was not an ambush. He is a notable black religious figure. A hometown boy, King had been born in his grandparents home, at 501 Auburn Avenue, a block away from his fathers Ebenezer Baptist Church, at 407, where the son was an associate minister. Ultimately, the charges were later dropped, and the officials were freed and Mr. Muhammad received six months' probation to take the Muslim children out of the Islamic school and put them under white Christian teachers. Les Payne (1941-2018) was a reporter and editor at Newsday. He grew up outside of Macon, Georgia, but in 1923 he brought his family to Detroit, Michigan. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. It is from this location that he became a massive influence to NOI that he was leading. During his unemployment, Poole met Wallace Fard, the founder of the Nation of Islam who preached a gospel of black Islam and racial supremacy. The exact date of his birth remains unknown because record keeping in rural Georgia for the descendants of slaves was not kept current, according to historians and family members. God Himself didnt intend for them to get along together as brothers and sisters because we are two distinct people, and therefore, the Muslims want complete, total separation, Malcolm stated. See the article in its original context from. Louis X first proved himself at Temple No. He changed his own name to Warith Deen Mohammed and adopted the title of imam instead of Supreme Minister. In 1965, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad promoted Minister Louis Farrakhan to the post of National Representative. Actually, the concepts preached and practiced by Mr. Muhammad were handed to him by the founder of the Nation of Islam, W. D. Fard, or Master Farad Muhammad. Fard, bestowed him with the name Muhammad. (He chuckled)-c'mon around here where they can see you. The Klansmen in the kitchen feigned to grasp the point Malcolm struggled so painstakingly to register. Farrakhan. However, both Jeremiah X and his wife, independently, as well as confidants of Malcolm and other ranking NOI officials, confirmed that W.S. "We have with us today," the Messenger continued, "our great national preacher. In order to strengthen the international influence of the Nation, Farrakhan established relations with Muslim countries, and in the late 1980s he cultivated a relationship with the Libyan dictator Muammar al-Qaddafi. Well, what do you mean, we cant join the Klan? Jeremiah remembered Malcolm saying, wary of where the proposal was heading. Elijah Muhammad, the legacy of the Nation of Islam continues to make unlimited progress as witnessed in the miracle of the Two Million Man March among other truly amazing accomplishments. Such an oversight by the informant seems not just curious, but dangerous. Elijah Muhammad. You dont have to kill him, Fellows said flat-out, according to an account Jeremiah subsequently gave during an interview with the author. By 1935, Mr. Muhammad faced many new challenges. Staring through the window at the dusty scene, a somewhat paler Malcolm seemed transfixed with mixed emotions. Farrakhan withdrew his support after Jewish voters protested his praise of Adolf Hitler, and he has been embroiled in a continuing conflict with the American Jewish community because of his making allegedly anti-Semitic statements; Farrakhan has denied being anti-Semitic. Economic development combined with moral and spiritual renewal began to show signs of progress with the establishment of farms, livestock and vegetable cultivation, rental housing, private home construction and acquisitions, other real estate purchases, food processing centers, restaurants, clothing factories, banking, business league formations, import and export businesses, aviation, health care, administrative offices, shipping on both land, sea and air, and men's and women's development and leadership training units. Malcolm X was assassinated one year later by, as many believe, a direct order of Muhammad. Malcolm faced a major conflict of conscience. Following the custom of the Nation, he replaced his surname with an X, a custom among Nation of Islam followers who considered their family names to have originated with white slaveholders. I thank you.". Initially, the Klansman did not state the intended purpose of the surreptitious surveillancebut he left little doubt. It also worked with gang members in Los Angeles. Well take care of the violence.. During the 1950s, Mr. Muhammad promoted Min. The death of the 77yearold "Messenger of Allah," as his. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Alternate titles: Louis Abdul Farrakhan, Louis Eugene Walcott, Lawrence A. Mamiya Paschall-Davis Professor of Religion and Africana Studies Vassar College. He was a major promoter of independent, black-operated businesses, institutions, and religion. By January 1961, King had come to personify Black peoples relentless push for desegregation throughout the South. Elijah Muhammad, original name Elijah Poole, (born Oct. 7, 1897, Sandersville, Ga., U.S.died Feb. 25, 1975, Chicago), leader of the black separatist religious movement known as the Nation of Islam (sometimes called Black Muslims) in the United States. For the next three and one-half years, Mr. Muhammad was personally taught by his Teacher non-stop. Moreover, America's racial situation continued its downward spiral. But by 1963 Malcolm X was disenchanted, while denying that he was a rival of Mr. Muhammad, for top leadership. I tell you what, Malcolm, Fellows finally said, we can get yall some purple robes., Oh, no, no, no. said Malcolm, unwilling to let the opposing leader slip the leash. All Rights Reserved. Malcolm X to the post of National Spokesman, and began to syndicate his weekly newspaper column, "Mr. Muhammad Speaks," in Black newspapers across the country. The Klan invitation led to a meeting in Chicago between Jeremiah, Malcolm and NOI leader Elijah Muhammad, also called the Messenger by adherents, where they mulled over what such a meeting might look like. He gave you freedom. Muhammad slowly built up the membership of the Black Muslims through assiduous recruitment in the postwar decades. The meeting was the beginning of an uneasy alliance between the NOI and the Ku Klux Klan on shared goals of racial separation. Where Mr. Fard came from and where he went when he dropped out of sight are unknown. Forego a bottle of soda and donate its cost to us for the information you just learned, and feel good about helping to make it available to everyone. His teacher had instructed him to go to Washington, D.C. to visit the Library of Congress in order to research 104 books on the religion of Islam, among other subjects. It was a man who joined the Nation of Islam in prison, however, who gave the movement its greatest exposure. Instead of sending his ministers striding into the Klan meeting with their bow bent, the Messenger was dispatching them with a begging bowl. At least one of the Klansmen was an FBI informer (a fact likely unknown to the other vigilantes, including Fellows). A small donation would help us keep this available to all. Mr. Fard has since been deified as Allah and his, birthday, Feb. 26, is observed throughout the Nation of Islam as Saviour's Day. New York . Elijah Muhammad's ascent is another instance of a black man from a small Southern town who achieved national eminence as a religious leader. In 1919 he married Clara Evans and in 1923, with two children, they moved to Detroit. Elijah Muhammad was born on October 7, 1897 in Sandersville, Georgia, USA. Elijah Muhammad Dead; Black Muslim Leader, 77, https://www.nytimes.com/1975/02/26/archives/elijah-muhammad-dead-black-muslim-leader-77-elijah-muhammad-dead.html. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. Muhammad was born on October 7, 1897 in Sandersville, Georgia. Youd lahk ta come in, sir? asked Jeremiah, mouthing as much of a drawl as the native Philadelphian could muster. "The name 'Poole' was never my name," he would later write, "nor was it my father's name. "I want you to pay good attention to his preaching. Mr. Fard selected Minister of Islam and a staff of assistant ministers. Everywhere you hear him, listen to him. But Elijah Muhammad contended that to call whites blueeyed devils was neither to hate them nor to teach hate. James Baldwin, a famous Black author, released the book, "The Fire Next Time," based largely upon his interview with Mr. Muhammad. In a faceoff with the most murderous white devils in America, the Nations separate state program sounded like a plea rather than the assertion that Malcolm envisioned. Detroit was a bustling upwardly mobile city with its burgeoning auto industry. We want ours more or less free and clear. Early Life Elijah Muhammad was born Elijah Robert Poole on October 7th, in 1897. Elijah Muhammad Wiki, Biography, Age as Wikipedia. Corrections? In 1972, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad opened a $2 million mosque and school in Chicago. Inside the bizarre, secret meeting between Malcolm X and the Ku Klux Klan. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. The Muslims viewed King as a chief rival. Keying on their mutual disdain for race mixing, the Klansman attacked as wrongheaded the current student sit-in demonstrations by Black and white freedom riders from the North. Mr. Fard established Temple No. Still, the two races were said to be incapable of living together in peace. Hence, in 1931, after hearing his first lecture at the Temple of Islam, Elijah Poole was overwhelmed by the message and immediately accepted it. Muhammad died from congestive heart failure at the age of 77 on February 25, 1975, the day before Saviours' Day, at Mercy Hospital in Chicago, Illinois.[1]. He was from a low-income family and therefore he was obliged to join his family in sharecropping. Poole joined the organization in 1931, changed his name to Elijah Muhammad and soon became such a devoted disciple that Fard made him Chief Minister of Islam. When Elijah Muhammad died in February 1975, the Nation of Islam fragmented. As a boy, Mohammed received religious training in the tradition of the Nation, and in 1958 he was appointed minister of Temple No. His published autobiography, originally conceived largely as a tribute to Elijah Muhammad, did not mention a single word about the secret 1961 meeting. The time was ripe for revamping segregation so that it no longer fixed Blacks at an unacceptably low end of the totem pole. Louis Farrakhan, in full Louis Abdul Farrakhan, original name Louis Eugene Walcott, (born May 11, 1933, Bronx, New York, New York, U.S.), leader (from 1978) of the Nation of Islam, an African American movement that combined elements of Islam with Black nationalism. After his prophecies of the Fall of America in the late 1960s proved to be wrong, Elijah Muhammads authority slowly began to disintegrate, paralleled by his declining physical condition. Elijah Muhammad (1 - 40 of 61 results) Price ($) Shipping The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad Charcoal Pencil Drawing Print ColoredArtistry (1) $35.00 Elijah Muhammad Framed Poster with Biography BlackHistoryPhotos (20) $85.00 FREE shipping Elijah Muhammad - Wall Art Print - Modern Black Art Poster panafricangifts (275) $23.99 $29.99 (20% off) Mr. Muhammad was considered by Black Muslims as the Last Messenger of Allah. Strict adherence to that belief might cause some problems of succession, but it is expected generally that one of his sons will assume the leadership. While this pact promised Klan-approved safe passage for Jeremiah and other Muslims in the South, it also committed the NOI to secret cooperation with the death-dealing white knightswho, among their contemporary atrocities, had even openly proposed killing MLK. The founder of the Nation, Wallace D. Fard, foretold Mohammeds birth and his rise to leadership of the movement. Elijah Muhammad, the most prominent leader of the Nation of Islam (NOI), was born Elijah Poole in Sandersville, Georgia, on October 7, 1897. Well, no, we cant let no n----- wear a white robe, the Klansman said, pondering alternatives as Malcolm leaned in over the tripod of his fingers. He moved to the city of Chicago in September of that same year. Mohammed reformulated the Nations teachings, rejecting the beliefs that white people were blue-eyed devils and that Elijah Muhammad was a prophet. Elijah Muhammad was a black American leader of the religious and social movement known as the 'Nation of Islam' (NOI). Dispassionate as usual when asserting NOI doctrine, Muhammad stated that his battle was not against whites but for the lost hearts and minds of Black people. Chicago, IL 60649 NOI was a select group of black Muslims who believe in black pride and . This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. He was a mentor to Malcolm X, Louis Farrakhan, Muhammad Ali; and his son Warith Deen Mohammed. . 1022 words Read More Muslim Terrorism in the United States analytical essay Riding Freedom: 10 Milestones in U.S. Civil Rights History, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Louis-Farrakhan, BlackPast - Biography of Louis Abdul Farrakhan, Spartacus Educational - Biography of Louis Farrakhan, Black History in America - Louis Farrakhan, Southern Poverty Law Center - Louis Farrakhan, The HistoryMakers - Biography of Louis Farrakhan, Louis Farrakhan - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Estimates of the number of marchers, most of whom were men, ranged from 400,000 to nearly 1.1 million, making it, at the time, the largest gathering of its kind in American history. After a brief and seemingly polite chat, the officer slowly drove his squad car away from the parked motorcade, and an eerie calm settled in on the usually bustling neighborhood. Elijah Muhammad, its spiritual and supreme leader, established the group's headquarters in Chicago (Mosque No. Ali would subsequently go on to attend the rallies and lectures of Malcolm X and Elijah Muhammad. But his mysticism was applied; it always had a quite earthly purpose. Elijah Muhammad was a religious leader, author, and self proclaimed Messenger of Allah (God) who led the Nation of Islam (NOI) from 1934 until his death in 1975. In 1934 Master W. Fard Muhammad departed the scene and left the Honorable Elijah Muhammad with the mission of resurrecting the Black man and woman. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, a black liberal and a civil rights lawyer in 1959, said then that Mr. Muhammad's organization was run by a bunch of thugs organized from prisons and jails and financed, I am sure, by Nasser [Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt] or some Arab group. Justice Marshall added that followers of Mr. Muhammad were vicious and a threat to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and state law enforcement agencies. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. But their conversion from criminal to believer was viewed in black communities as a near miracle. Yes, sir, answered the minister at the screen door. His formal education ended at the fourth grade, and at 16 he left home. It was not so much the sit-down itself that unhinged Malcolm, according to Jeremiah; after all, Marcus Garvey himself had met with the KKKs Imperial Kleagle Edward Young Clarke nearly four decades earlier in Atlanta. By 1955, the group had about fifteen temples and by 1959 NOI had about 50 temples across 22 states. And he had grown up convinced beyond all arguments that this same Ku Klux Klan had killed his father. He struck a note nowhere near as assertive toward the Klan as Malcolm had hoped. He was born in Sandersville, Ga., on Oct. 7, 1897. 0312181531. at the best online prices at eBay! On October 7, 1897, in Sandersville, Georgia, Elijah Muhammad was born into a low-income African-American family that included former slaves. But it was not until 1946, when Muhammad had served his four-year prison sentence for preaching sedition and avoiding the draft during World War II, that he could build the Nation of Islam according to his beliefs. You just tell them devils that.. It also kept secret whatever covert follow-up action the bureau may have taken against the Klan and the Black Muslims, as well as against civil rights leaders. His doctrine included the legend of the tribe of Shabazz, the first black people on Earth who had been tricked out of their power by the evil scientist Yacub, the creator of the white devils. To throw off the yoke of white oppression, Muhammad told blacks, they had to follow Islam. After an appeal, Budzinski ruled again in favor of the children in July 1986. Was this a veiled threat? To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. After World War II ended, Mr. Muhammad won his release from prison and returned to Chicago. He adopted the name Louis X, before being named Louis Farrakhan. A setup? However, in 1982, Cook County Judge Henry Budzinski ruled that the money was given to Elijah Muhammad for his personal use and should be turned over to his children with the interest accrued. Our problem is the bad n-----s. You dont like bad n-----s, yourselves. Fellows said flat-out that he had beat a few of these bad n-----s. One was a lazy worker bent on tardiness. After a near-death experience in 2000 resulting from complications from prostate cancer (he was diagnosed with cancer in 1991), Farrakhan toned down his racial rhetoric and attempted to strengthen relations with other minority communities, including Native Americans, Hispanics, and Asians. Elijah Muhammad (born Elijah Robert Poole; October 7, 1897 February 25, 1975) was an African-American religious leader, who led the Nation of Islam from 1934 until his death in 1975. His preaching is a bearing of witness to me and what God has given to me," he declared. Muhammads branch of the Nation of Islam took on the name American Muslim Mission after Louis Farrakhan split with the group in 1977. Anyone can read what you share. Omissions? He is a notable black religious figure. Although he had registered as a conscientious objector with the Selective Service, he refused, at his fathers insistence, to accept alternative service, and in 1961 he was sentenced to prison for draft evasion. Explains that elijah muhammad was one of the most ethnologically involved and influential critical thinkers of our time. Under Farrakhans leadership, the Nation of Islam established a clinic for AIDS patients in Washington, D.C., and helped to force drug dealers out of public housing projects and private apartment buildings in the city. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Elijah served as the inspiration and mentor to several personalities, such as Malcolm X, Louis Farrakhan, and Muhammad Ali, who led the movement further. ", Consequently, Mr. Muhammad, while in Washington, D.C. Was arrested on May 8, 1942, for allegedly evading the draft. Also, it did not escape Malcolms notice that, in contrast to the Christian Reverend King, the Black Muslims drew not a jot of ire from the one white group in America that was universally despised as devils by all Black people, including Malcolm himself. The Life and Times of Elijah Muhammad,The first full biography of Elijah Muhammad, the,controversial founding father of the Nation of,Islam and the forbearer to Louis Farrakhan. Many other male members of the Nation of Islam at that time were imprisoned for being conscientious objectors to World War II. The slavemaster has given you all he could give you. In April 1923, Elijah Poole moved his young family from Macon, Georgia, where he worked for the Southern Railroad Company and the Cherokee Brick Company to Detroit, Mich. Black families, like the Pooles, were leaving the south, at that time, in search of better economic and social circumstances. At the time of the meeting, race relations in America had been rocked by the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education ruling, which had outlawed school segregation. In watching Minister Louis Farrakhan and the followers of the Hon. Guests: Claude Andrew Clegg III Author An Original Man: The Life and Times of Elijah Muhammad Professor of History, North Carolina A&T State University. However, in 1982, Cook County Judge Henry Budzinski ruled that the money was given to Elijah Muhammad for his personal use and should be turned over to his children . This would be the first of many publications he would produce. When Fard disappeared in 1934 Muhammad succeeded him as head of the movement, with the title Minister of Islam. Because of dissension within the Detroit temple, he moved to Chicago where he established Temple No. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Warith-Deen-Mohammed, BlackPast - Biography of Warith Deen Mohammed, Independent - Warith Deen Mohammed: Imam who preached a moderate form of Islam to black Americans, PBS - This Far by Faith - Warith Deen Mohammed. Once and for all, a squaring-off with the Klan leader could clarify the Muslim stances on integration, Christianity, mixed marriage, the Jews, miscegenation and even violence. The Klansmen at the kitchen table were all working-class whites with no easy access to the amassed wealth of the South. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Persecution of the Muslims continued. His parents were Baptist sharecroppers. In 1953 he married Khadijah, with whom he would have nine children. Similarly, he was a religious mentor to the likes of Muhammad Ali, Louis Farrakhan and Malcolm X. Blacks were awed by the discipline, and admired the orderliness the followers displayed. Walcott, as he was then known, was raised in Boston by his mother, Sarah Mae Manning, an immigrant from St. Kitts and Nevis. He was known under many names, "Mr. Evans," his wife's maiden name, "Ghulam Bogans," "Muhammad Rassoull," "Elijah Karriem" and "Muhammad of 'U' Street. A host of Islamic and African governments received the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and donated generously to his mission. It was the name the white slave-master of my grandfather after the so-called freedom of my fathers.". Estimates of membership range from 25,000 to a high of 250,000 claimed by the movement. Elijah Muhammad Nevertheless, the atmosphere of rancor on both sides made ripe the environment for the secret police to meddle in the affairs of the Nation of Islam, according the late attorney, William Kuntsler. Omissions? While in prison he studied the Qurn and the Bible and considered the words of the sentencing judge: The boy is dominated by his father.. ISBN-13. Who exactly was this W.S. Mr. Muhammad establishes a newspaper, "The Final Call to Islam," in 1934. If we are going to be partners in this thing, then give us a white robe like what you have.. Malcolm X Reloaded: Who Really Assassinated Malcolm X? [4] This stark distinction seemed to puzzle Fellows and the other Klansmen, who nodded quizzically to one another as Malcolm honed more finely the Messengers point. In abandoning their pursuit of integration, Malcolm stated, Black folks would need a nest egg so they could strike out on their own with a separate but appropriate share of the wealth they had helped accumulate in America. The willingness of Elijah Muhammad to overlook the long, bloody history, as well as the mounting terror of the Klan struck his national spokesperson on a deeply personal level. Publicity in the white owned and operated media began to circulate anti-Nation of Islam propaganda on a large scale. Mr. Muhammad is survived, by six sons and two daughters. In 1976 Mohammed renamed the organization the World Community of al-Islam in the West; the name was changed again to the American Muslim Mission in 1978 and to the Muslim American Society in 1985. Jesse Jackson, whom Farrakhan supported. The Harlem firebrand, then the national spokesman for the NOI, and his Atlanta host kept unusually close to each other at the window. ELIJAH MUHAMMAD (October 7, 1897 - February 25, 1975), leader of the Black Muslim group, the Nation of Islam, for more than forty years. So the men slid along to lesser sticking points. Al Freeman, Jr. played him in the 1992 movie Malcolm X. In reply, Malcolm stated emphatically that the Muslims would not participate in any violence against King or any other action hurting our own kind. Even though the Honorable Elijah Muhammad considered Dr. King to be leading Black people astray, his national spokesperson stated in as sharp and unmistakable words as Malcolm could muster that the NOI would in no way do physical harm to the SCLC leader. The original telegram was thrown out, according to Jeremiah X (later known as Jeremiah Shabazz). His controversial beliefs met the criticism from other Islamic groups and many black civil rights leaders.