Introduction
Whatever is trending in a nation becomes a topic of criticism, people are open to pass judgement and put their opinions in front. Every news carries two perspectives, one in favour and the other in opposition.
So readers! We’re gathered here to give brief information about Malcolm X’s opinion on Zionism and the struggle for justice.
We have tried to keep it precise yet meaningful. So come let’s explore the path of justice together!
Who is Malcolm X?
Malcolm X was an African American leader who converted his religion to Islam after he came out of prison. He was born on 19th May 1925 in Omaha situated in Nebraska.
He was a celebrated person in the nation of Islam, who joined concepts of race pride and black nationalism in the early 1960s.
After his death, the biography of his life – “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” made him even more respectful, especially in the eyes of Black youth.
After his release from prison, Malcolm joined the Nation of Islam to help them during the time of growth and influence. He helped the community in so many good deeds.
And why wouldn’t he do it, he was known for his advocacy for the civil rights of the Black Community in the US, and along with this he used to spend often time speaking on the issues of people all over the globe.
When the issue of Palestine came to his knowledge, he couldn’t stop himself from helping them. He was honest, brave, and always spoke for the right. He went straight to Gaza to understand their condition better.
Visit to Gaza
Malcolm landed from Egypt to Gaza on September 5, 1964. At that time, Gaza was under the supervision of Egypt i.e. Egypt was controlling the city.
This made the travel between two regions easy. As per his travel diaries, he visited the Khan Younis refugee camp, which was established in 1949.
Along with this, he went to a local hospital and even had dinner with some religious leaders in Gaza.
In the evening, the American preacher met a well-known poet from Palestine Harun Hashem Rashid. Who told him how hardly he escaped from Khan Younis’s death in 1956.
At the time of the massacre, which happened in the one-week war known as the Suez Crisis, where Israeli forces went house to house in southern Gaza.
Rashid started reciting the poem dedicated to Palestinian refugees returning to their lands, which Malcolm wrote in his diary.
Malcolm also mentioned this incident where they left for the mosque to pray with some religious leaders. “The spirit of Allah was powerful” in his diary.
To end this trip he visited Gaza’s parliamentary building and did a press conference with multiple local figures.
“There they showed gifts upon me,” he wrote, in which the picture of the Aswan High Dam taken down from a wall in the parliament building was also included.
He left from Gaza on September 6 for Cario. Malcolm met some members of the newly formed Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), in Shepheard’s Hotel in Cairo on 15 September.
About Zionism
Zionism is an ethnocultural nationalist movement that appeared in Europe in the late 19th century. Their main aim was to establish a national home for the Jewish people, followed by the foundation of Palestine.
It is a place roughly related to the land of Israel in Judaism, which holds great importance in the history of Judaism. They wanted to build a Jewish state in Palestine with huge land space.
Basically, they wanted to have their own empire. When Zionist settlers went to Palestine, it is said that this was the time when conflict between them initiated.
The Zionist claim to Palestine that Jews have historic rights on the land more than Arabs have. The land belongs more to them.
Struggle for Justice of Palestine
The war between Palestine and Israel is said to be one of the longest-running conflicts. The issues between them are increasing only, it feels like they are on their urge now.
In this conflict, Palestine has struggled a lot and in which we see no end. What all they have been through we can’t even imagine. They lost homes, lives, shelter and loved ones.
In year 1948, which is famous as Nakba where 750,000 Palestinians lost their homes, as Israel wanted to make a state for itself.
Palestinians were forced to live in refugee camps in Gaza, the West Bank, and neighbouring countries like Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. Relating to this Malcolm visited Palestine twice.
Once in 1959 to see the roots of the conflict in Jerusalem and then to Gaza for two days in September 1964. His visit to Jerusalem is not mentioned clearly anywhere, but the trip to Gaza is well documented.
What was Malcolm X‘s Final Take
After all these, Malcolm X thought, Zionism was inseparably linked to wider European colonialism. Right before his death, he wrote a message saying, Zionism is not only a threat to Palestine; but to the entire Third World.
