In Chapters 17, 18, and 19 of The Autobiography of Malcolm X, the theme that marked a significant point for me is that Malcolm explains that every Muslim is expected to make a pilgrimage, to Hajj, to the holy city of Mecca, in Saudi Arabia. When Malcolm applies for a Hajj visa, he studied that his status as a Muslim must be approved by Mahmoud Youssef Shawarbi, which is a Muslim professor. Shawarbi readily composes Malcolm a letter of authorization and passes on a book about Islam sent to Malcolm by an author in Saudi Arabia. Shawarbi as well gives Malcolm the telephone number of his son, who studies in Cairo, and the telephone number of Omar Azzam, the son of the book’s author, who lives in Jedda, the town from which the pilgrimages begin.
Malcolm leaves the country silently, preventing publicity, and has a good flight to Frankfurt Germany, chatting all the while with his seatmates. In Frankfurt, Malcolm is impressed by the friendliness of store owners, and is recognized by a white American student, who is thrilled to see him. Malcolm spends another layover in Cairo, this one for two days of sightseeing. He visits Shawarbi’s son, and sees enough of the city to be impressed by its level of industrialization. From the beginning of the trip he is struck by the Arab world’s apparent color-blindness. Malcolm’s travels run smoothly until he reaches the airport in Jedda, where officials confiscate his passport and tell him a high court must establish whether or not he is a true Muslim.
The Essay on History of Muslim
Elijah Muhammad was born in Sandersville in Georgia in a family of 13 children. He left home at the age of 16 and went around United States. He settled in Detroit Michigan in 1923 where he worked in an automobile factory. He later became an advocate for independence of black people, spearheaded for black operated institutions and religion. The Muslim community established various centers for ...
He retreats to a crowded airport dormitory, where he spends many anxious hours. Despite Malcolm’s anxiety, he reflects on the various languages, colors, and customs of all the Muslims around him. Malcolm practices the prayer rituals, shares food with his dormitory mates, is stared at, tries to overcome the language barrier, and is mistaken for the boxer Muhammad Ali, who is now famous throughout the Islamic world. Finally, Malcolm remembers that he has the telephone number of Omar Azzam, whom he calls. Azzam brings Malcolm to the Jedda Palace Hotel, where Azzam’s father, the author of the book on Islam, moves into his son’s home and gives his suite to Malcolm. From now on Malcolm travels in style.
He enjoys fine food and conversation with Jedda’s elite, is treated hospitably by the court, and is lent a car by Prince Faisal himself, to make the Hajj to Mecca. In The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Malcolm makes a great change in his life as the one he underwent in prison. During his pilgrimage to Mecca, and his subsequent stops in Africa and the Middle East, Malcolm observes to what seems to be the colorblindness of the Islamic world. When Malcolm has untainted encounters with fair-complexioned Muslims, he reevaluates the connections drawn by Elijah Muhammad between white skin and evil disposition, and quickly assumes a more sociological view of the problems in the United States..
