Elijah Muhammad - Malcolm X

Malcolm X

One of Elijah Muhammad's top ministers from 1952 to 1963 was the former Malcolm Little. Malcolm had become a small-time criminal in Detroit, Boston, and Harlem, known as "Detroit Red" (an allusion to the reddish tinge of his hair). Also the son of a preacher, Little had converted to Islam while imprisoned in Massachusetts at the urging of two of his brothers, Philbert and Reginald, who were both NOI members.

Upon his release in 1952, Little joined the Nation of Islam and, in keeping with its naming convention, he changed his surname to the letter "X", symbolizing the rejection of slave names. The charismatic Malcolm X quickly became one of the NOI's most famed and productive ministers; he traveled across the country speaking and founding new temples, and the organization's membership grew greatly during his tenure. The notable boxer Cassius Clay, who quietly began attending Nation of Islam events c. 1961, was one such member. Although Clay had converted to Islam long before his memorable first match with Sonny Liston in 1964, it wasn't until the day after he'd defeated Liston for his first heavyweight championship that he publicly identified himself as a Muslim and demanded to be called "Muhammad Ali".

Following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963, Elijah Muhammad forbade his ministers from commenting on the incident. In a press interview, Malcolm X violated the directive and said President Kennedy's murder was "chickens coming home to roost". As punishment, Elijah Muhammad barred him from speaking to the press or at any Nation of Islam temple for ninety days. Malcolm complied. Another source of tension was Malcolm X's discovery that a Chicago Tribune article claiming that Elijah Muhammad had fathered eight children by six teenaged girls was true. In a meeting with Malcolm X, Muhammad justified his several children and young "wives" as his need to plant his seed in fertile soil.

Malcolm X was assassinated on February 21, 1965 while preparing to deliver a speech at the Audubon Ballroom in Manhattan, New York City. The assassins were members of the Nation of Islam. The assassination was said to be in response to Malcolm X's controversial popularity and insubordination to Elijah Muhammad. Alex Haley completed and published The Autobiography of Malcolm X later in 1965.