This item is available on the Militant Islam Monitor website, at http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/3113

KGIA advisory board member Talib Abdur Rashid message "Allah is our goal" "The Quran is our constitution" "jihad is our way"

August 19, 2007

MIM: Imam Talib Abdul Rashid- an advisory board member of the taxpayer funded Khalil Gibran Academy heads a mosque whose slogan reads: "Allah is our goal-The prophet Muhammed ibn 'Abdullah is our leader-The Qu'ran is our constitution-Jihad is our way- And Death in the way of Allah is our promised end."

According to Dr.Daniel Pipes:

"Beila Rabinowitz alerts me to another Islamist feature of the KGIA's advisory board:Imam Talib Abdul-Rashid, about whom I have previously written (noting that he "belongs to the ‘National Committee to Free Imam Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin'," a convicted cop-killer), turns out to be the "resident imam" of the Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood, Harlem. The MIB's logo shows a sword with the words "There is no deity but God and Muhammad is his prophet." Yet more alarming, however, is the Muslim Brethren slogan, printed right on the "About us" page:

Allah is our goal
The Prophet Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah is our leader
The Qu'ran is our constitution
Jihad is our way
And death in the way of Allah is our promised end.

Abdul-Rashid's bio also lists that he is a member of the "N.Y.C. Dept. of Education Chancellor's Interfaith Advisory Committee to the NYC Dept. of Education," pointing to the deeper state of rot in the whole of the DOE when it comes to Islam. That this man is on the KGIA board offers further confirmation of the school's Islamist quality.

MIM: Rashid is listed as a board member of KGIA :

  • Imam Talib Abdul-Rashid, Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood, Harlem http://www.danielpipes.org/blog/731
  • --------------------------------------------------------

    BRIEF HISTORY OF THE MOSQUE OF ISLAMIC BROTHERHOOD

  • "Let there arise out of you an umma (nation, group) of people, inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong. They are the ones to attain success." (Qur'an 3:103)

    The Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood and the School of Islamic and Arabic Studies was founded in 1964. Incorporated in 1967, The M.I.B.is the lineal descendant of the Muslim Mosque Inc. started by the late El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz (Malcolm X) , in 1964, after his departure from the organization known as the Nation of Islam. The founders of the Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood had been members of the M.M.I.

    The formation of the Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood was very necessary and timely. It had become obvious that the then existing Sunni Muslim communities lacked knowledge and discipline, and were thereby exposed to manipulation and apparent use as a political arm. This unfortunate situation was rapidly resulting in confusion, and un-Islamic teachings within the Sunni Muslim communities, and the alienation of many people, who wanted a true understanding of Islam.

    "As Muslim Americans of African descent, we believe in the principle of self-determination and strive for its actualization as a community of believers. Therefore our expressed purpose is to give a true presentation of Sunni Islam to American society. We intend to vigorously utilize our energies, as well as our facilities, to teach and spread this eternal message of all of the Prophets. And it is our hope and prayer that the American of African descent (Kushite) will be in the forefront of those, who accept this gift of (Almighty God) Allah.

    It is also our expressed purpose to create an indigenous Islamic intelligentsia, thereby reserving the right to look to ourselves for Islamic scholarship and leadership, because it is our belief, that by the sincere expression of the words Allahu Akbar (Allah is Supreme), an individual must look within him or herself, and from that place find the answer to their prayers."


    Allah is our goal
    The Prophet Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah is our leader
    The Qu'ran is our constitution
    Jihad is our way
    And death in the way of Allah is our promised end

    http://www.mosqueofislamicbrotherhoodinc.org/aboutus.html


    http://www.mosqueofislamicbrotherhoodinc.org/emblem.html

    "Your Guardian Lord is Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth in six days, then He settled Himself on the Throne. He draws the night as a veil over the day, each seeking the other in rapid succession. And the sun, the moon, and the stars, are subservient by His Command. Verily, His are the Creation and the Command. Blessed be Allah, The Cherisher and Sustainer of the Worlds."
    http://www.moshttp://wwhttp://www.mosqueofislamicbrotherhoodinc.org/imamtalib.htmlw.mosqueofislamicbrotherhoodinc.org/imamtalib.htmlqueofislamicbrotherhoodinc.org/imamtalib.html

    Imaamur-Raatib (Resident Imam)
    Al-Hajj Talib 'Abdur-Rashid


    Imam Al-Hajj Talib ‘Abdur-Rashid is the religious and spiritual leader of The Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood in Harlem, New York City. He has been a Sunni Muslim since 1971, a member of the mosque since that time, and its imam since 1989.

    Imam Talib ‘Abdur-Rashid is also the Amir (leader) of the Harlem Shura, a coalition of seven Harlem mosques. He is a Deputy Amir of the Majlis Ash-Shura (Islamic Leadership Council) of New York, and Deputy Amir of The Muslim Alliance in North America. Further, Imam Talib (as he is popularly known) serves on or advises several interfaith bodies located in New York City. They include Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement, A Partnership of Faith in New York City, The Temple of Understanding, The Interfaith Center of New York, The N.Y.C. Dept. of Education Chancellor's Interfaith Advisory Committee to the NYC Dept. of Education, and the Bertram Beck Institute on Religion and Poverty.

    /i//Imamsitephoto.jpg

    He has given sermons and lectures in Mosques, Churches and Synagogues throughout New York City and beyond. Further, he was a presenter at the Parliament of World Religions in both Chicago (1993) and Capetown, South Africa (1999). He was also the key American Muslim speaker at the International Conference on Religious Pluralism in Democratic Societies, in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia in 2002. One of the original Muslim participants in the Harlem Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS, the Imam has served as a counselor to and advocate for Muslims living with AIDS, and their families, since 1990. He is the co-founder of the African-African American Commission on HIV/AIDS , Prevention and African Orphans.

    /i/ImamurRaatib/graduation320240.jpg

    Imam ‘Abdur-Rashid has also has served the city and state prisoners of New York as a Muslim Chaplain, since 1977. He worked in that capacity at the Sing-Sing Correctional Facility in Ossining, New York for 11 years, and is currently a part-time employee for the New York City Department of Corrections. As a religious activist for human rights, social justice, and the liberation of his people, Imam Talib is a member of the National Committee to Free Imam Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin (the former H. "Rap" Brown).

    /i/ImamurRaatib/imam_shaykh320240.jpg

    The Imam's work has been the object of several featured articles in the New York Times , and is featured in the books American Islam, by Richard Wormser, Working on God, by Winifred Gallagher,and Restoring Faith: America's Religious Leaders Answer Terror with Hope ,edited by Forrest Church. He is the author of both A Muslim Manifesto on Darfur , and Healing Indigenous Muslim Families in America , as well as the forthcoming Justice for the People of Darfur: Hell on Earth Must End, Social Justice According to the Prophetic Paradigm Muslim ,and Reclaimed Legacy: Indigenous and Immigrant Peoples, and The History of Al-Islam in America . Imam Talib is the host of a monthly Harlem-based radio show, entitled "Prophetic Echoes" (broadcast the 4th and 5th Friday of each month,at 90.3 FM in the NYC area, and whcr.org via internet stream). For media accounts, conduct internet search (e.g. google) for "Imam Talib Abdur-Rashid"

    /i/ImamurRaatib/MJCOV-APR93240320.jpg
    PHOTOS ABOVE: 1- Imam Talib (as he is popularly known) circa 1995 2- At a graduation ceremony of the Banu Hilal Islamic Academy, Imam presents an award to a child (Abdul-Hakim Kamil) who is now an adult and haafiz (complete memorizer) of the Qur'an 3- Imam Talib (seated) with his mentor Shaykh Tawfiq in 1974 . The Imam was the Shaykh's student for 17 years and Assistant Imam for 13 years 4- Imam Talib appeared on the cover of the Muslim Journal newspaper, circa 1992 5- Current picture of the Imam
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    MIM: The Mosqueof the Islamic Brotherhood has a Boy Scout /jihadist program.

    Note the combat fatiques worn by the instructor and the scouts and that some appear

    to be past scouting age.

    Scouting Program

    A History of Boy Scouts of America Unit 357,
    Harlem, New York City

    B.S.A. Unit 357 was the fourth Islamic Boy Scout unit formed in the Northeastern United States, and it is believed, the 5th or 6th in the nation. Although there are indications of historical Muslim Scouting involvement in America, the earliest organized Muslim Scouting activity appears to have begun in the mid to late 1970s. There were signs that there was at some time Muslims involved in scouting, but our research could not find any existing or records Muslim scouting units here in the United States.

    The Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood Inc., (founded by Shaykh-‘Allama Al-Hajj Ahmad Tawfiq) is one of the oldest extant Sunni Muslim communities in the country, decided to form a scout unit in 1978. Wali Abdun-Noor was the founder of our Scout Unit 357 at M.I.B and was involved in two other Muslim Scout units within New York Metropolitan area before he joined MIB. He volunteered his time, energy, experience and expertise, and duplicated his efforts. He thus became the first Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Unit 357 at MIB. Shaykh Tawfiq was the founder of the Liwa-Ul-Iman scout patch that was accepted by the Boy Scouts of America.

    Scout Unit 357 became one of the few inner-city based organizations that developed youth from the Cub Scout level to Explorer Scouts. It produced an Eagle Scout (first in formal ceremony in 20 years, in Harlem, New York) and 5 Star Scouts from its South Central Harlem headquarters.

    /i/Pack 357/dn6320240.jpg

    /i/Pack 357/dn7320240.jpg In the picture above, the Boy Scout on the left has the Islamic patch "Liwa-ul-Iman on his right shoulder. The three cub scouts are wearing it on their shirt above their right shirt pocket. We are the first Islamic Boy Scout Unit that had created an Islamic patch within the B.S.A.

    The distinctive unit patch of Pack and Troop 357 is known as the Liwa-ul-Iman (Banner of Faith). Utilizing traditional Islamic symbolism, it serves the purpose of reminding Muslim Scouts of the lofty principles of their faith. It is worn on the official uniform of the Boy Scouts of America, beneath the American flag, in order to remind those same scouts of their duty to serve the nation with distinctive dignity. The Muslim Scouts of Unit 357 are educated in these principles.

    Youth from Unit 357 have grown up to become productive adult members of society. Several have served honorably in various branches of the military. Some are currently employed in the Boy Scouts of America in other states, as well as the New York City fire, police and emergency medical technician departments. These men were molded from 1978 through the mid 1990s. During that period, unit 357 conducted productive, year-round training and weekend camping. They regularly attended the famous Ten Mile River Boy Scout Summer Camp. Ten of them became counselors and spent entire summers there. /i/Pack 357/dn5320240.jpg

    /i/Pack 357/dn3320240.jpg

    Pictured left is Al-Hajj Talib ‘Abdur-Rashid, a former award-winning scout leader (late 1980s Cub-master of the year, Harlem District). He has gone on to become the Imam (religious and spiritual leader) of the sponsoring organization for Unit 357, The Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood. The Imam is one of the major religious leaders in New York City, and maintains his commitment to scouting.

    Hannibal received his Eagle Scout award in 1987 and at the time he was the third person to achieve that rank in the Harlem District. He knows of one other Eagle Scout from Harlem who works for the scouts.
    He is currently a Field Director with the Los Angeles Area Council and lead a team of 11 Executives. His job is to teach them how to raise funds, recruit adults and youth members as well as facilitating the scouting programs.

    Pictured right (far left) is the founding Scoutmaster of Troop 357, Wali Abdun-Noor of the Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood Inc., as he addresses unit Scouts at an awards ceremony at the Mosque. On the far right side is Hannibal Sullivan, who achieved the rank of Eagle Scout, and now works as an Executive for the Boys Scouts of America in L. A. California . The boy in the picture third from the left is Hisham Tawfiq, who completed the requirements for Eagle Scout but didn't complete his paper work prior to his eighteenth birthday. He went on to serve with distinction in the U.S. Marine Corps (top ten achiever in the U.S. Marine Survival Course), and is now a fireman in the NYC fire department. The boy second from the right Faheem Abdur-Razzaq is a computer literacy trainer of youths in a Harlem-based program, "Play-to-Win". The 3rd boy from the left is fledgling film producer Jamil Touré.
    Unit 357 has produced many other success stories. When our boys reached Explorer age, our unit developed a Sea Explorer Scout Group (Ship 357), and moved the youth unto specialized training.
    /i/Pack 357/dn2320240.jpg

    /i/Pack 357/dn9320240.jpg In 1987, Sea Explorer Ship 357 came into existence. Because of the discipline and precision exhibited by members of the unit, Rear Admiral F.H. Miller USN (Ret), then President of Maritime College, invited Sea Explorer Ship 357 to use the SUNY Maritime Campus at Fort Schyler for meeting and training. Regular Sunday training produced Explorer Scouts proficient in swimming, rowing, seamanship Skills, communication, and overall leadership skills. This all took place under the watchful and caring eyes of Captain James CO. DeSimone, Commandant of Cadet and Captain of the Empire State Training Ship.

    During that period Sea Explorer Unit 357's leaders were part of the Explorer President's Association. That particular organization planned and implemented various activities for explorers throughout the region such as:
    The Moses M. Falk Rendezvous 22-24, 1987
    The Catholic Youth Organization Scout Awards, 1988
    Explorer presentation, the Scout Show aboard the U.S.S. Intrepid, 1989

    Because of the high quality of Ship 357's training and performance, Paul Pennoyer - the founder of Project Sail East Harlem Maritime School (a Board of Education Specialized School), requested that some of the youth of Sea Explorer Ship 357 become instructors in his program. Project Sail was based on the premise that "In young people there is an instinct for adventure, and satisfying this instinct involves facing challenges and overcoming them. Those challenges come in various forms. They can be found in violence, vandalism and anti-social behavior. But they can also be found in confrontation with the forces of nature, particularly the sea, where they will have to learn how to live and cooperate with their fellow human beings, and how to overcome short term self interest - especially when it clashes with the long term common good". The East Harlem Maritime School was based at 2351 First Ave, NYC 10035 in Harlem.

    Members of Sea Explorer Ship 357 also escorted the youth of Project sail on a historic Sea voyage aboard the Ernestina/Morrissey, a restored two master ocean going sailing vessel. This vessel is over 100 years old, and operates completely by sail power. Training on it epitomizes the saying "learning the ropes". The Ernestina has well over 500 different ropes and lines in order to operate. It is a National Landmark.

    Members and instructors of Sea Explorer Ship 357, rowing in the waters off the coast off New York City. The Late Luqman Abdul-Malik was a former paratrooper is one of the key trainers and instructor of Ship 357 is seen at the bow, right hand side. /i/Pack 357/dn8320240.jpg

    /i/Pack 357/dnsalat320240.jpg Ship leader Hisham Tawfiq (4th from the left) as a youth, with Luqman Abdul-Malik (2nd from right) who was the assistant skipper for ship 357

    Here is a class room setting where Skipper Wali and Assistant Skipper Luqman is giving orientation to parents and new explorer members of Ship 357. Another note about the late Luqman Abdul-Malik is that he was part of a community radio show (WHCR) at City College in the mid eighties. There he had some of the explorers do a show on Saturday that dealt with the issues of the youths within the community. The name of the program was called the Communicators that came on twice a week back then. The show consists of three brothers and Luqman being one of the three. It came on Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon. The only survivor of the Communicators is Brother Leroy who still hosts the Sunday show. /i/Pack 357/dnclass320240.jpg

    /i/Pack 357/dn320240.jpg Here is a group of youths doing an orientation that is lead by the senior explorers while the skipper sits in to observe the group.

    These accomplishments were achieved during a time when the great city of New York was suffering from urban blight, and nowhere was this more evident than in the crack-cocaine ravished streets of Harlem. Yet a group of dedicated adults and young people forged a legacy of cooperation that contributed to the city's future. Now, Unit 357 has been reformed for the first time in several years, in order to meet the needs of a new generation of youth, in the post-September 11th world. Its dedicated staff now seeks the support of community resources and institutions in a re-vitalized City of New York, in order to accomplish this goal.

    The Scout Unit is presently holding their meeting in a store front at 132 West 113th Street every Sunday until they are able to gain a better meeting place.

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    . http://www.mosqueofislamicbrotherhoodinc.org/scouting.html

    http://www.mosqueofislamicbrotherhoodinc.org/imamtalib.html
    http://wwhttp://www.mosqueofislamicbrotherhoodinc.org/imamtalib.htmlw.mosqueofislamicbrotherhoodinc.org/medialinks.html

    MIM: Talib Abdur Rashid on Malcolm X:


    http://www.mosqueofislamicbrotherhoodinc.org/imamtalib.html

    http://www.mosqueofislamicbrotherhoodinc.org/shabazz.html

    REFLECTIONS ON THE TRUE HISTORICAL LEGACY OF EL-HAJJ MALIK EL-SHABAZZ/MALCOLM X
    by Imam Al-Hajj Talib Abdur-Rashid

    Reflections on the True Historical Legacy of El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz/Malcolm X , as a Muslim Fighter for the Liberation of his People by Imam Al-Hajj Talib ‘Abdur-Rashid

    In spite of the words of the Star-Spangled Banner and other American odes to truth and justice, the real measuring stick for freedom in The United States of America was and is its treatment of African Americans, with regards to Social Justice matters. The most famous and influential champion of both Allah's Cause of the establishment of Al-Islam, and the pursuit of social justice for his people, was El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz (Malcolm X, may Allah's Mercy and Favor be upon him).

    The two major voices for Social Justice in America, at least during the latter half of the 20th Century, were El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz - a Muslim, and Dr. Martin Luther King - a Christian. The significance of Shabazz as a leader with a voice echoing a prophetic social justice dimension, has been written about often, by both non-Muslims and Muslims. Professor James Cone , author of Martin and Malcolm and America, describes the two men as "resources in the struggle for justice" . He wrote of them (pp. ix,x):

    "Martin and Malcolm illuminate the two roads to freedom (i.e. " the two main resistance traditions in African-American history and culture- integration and nationalism") that meet in the African-Americans search for identity in the land of their birth."

    "The reason that sympathetic interpreters often miss the central role of religion in Malcolm's thinking is that religion is commonly separated from struggles for justice. That was why Martin had such difficult time getting the white church involved in the civil rights movement, and why liberation theologians in the Third World are so controversial today.

    "Many people think that religion has everything to do with an individual's personal relationship with God and nothing to do with society and one's fight for justice in it. When Malcolm X identified the fight for justice as the central religious act , his message was usually misunderstood. His friends often avoided the subject of religion and ignored the strict moral code he faithfully obeyed. Malcolm's enemies accused him of using religion as a façade for fomenting hate and violence."

    "Even though Martin is generally and appropriately credited with deep religious commitment, a case could be made that Malcolm was more religious than Martin…I contend that the depth of any religious commitment should be judged by one's commitment to justice for humanity, using the liberation activity of humans beings as the lens through which one sees God. By this criterion both Martin and Malcolm must be considered deeply religious persons."

    Although Shabazz and King will be forever linked in American history, in truth the Muslim acted as a deliberate counter-point to his Noble Peace-Prize winning contemporary. In words that would electrify American society if publicly spoken during this, the "post 9-11 world", he once stated:

    "No, I'm not an American. I'm one of the 22 million black people who are the victims of democracy, nothing but disguised hypocrisy. So I'm not standing here speaking to you as an American, or a patriot, or a flag-saluter , or a flag-waver – no, not I. I'm speaking as a victim of this American system. And I see America through the eyes of the victim. I don't see an American dream. I see an American nightmare."

    Amongst Muslims, Shabazz/Malcolm X has been written of by Dr. Yusuf Naim Kly Dr. Kly is the former Chairman of the Canadian branch of the second group founded by Malik Shabazz, the Organization of Afro-American Unity. He has written of the man who had been his leader :

    "It is ironic that when most Americans think of Malcolm X, they think of him as un-American or anti-American. However, this is no doubt due to confusion between his being against certain government policies, as opposed to being anti-American. When we look unemotionally at he political philosophy of Malcolm X, there can be little doubt that Malcolm's values represented a far greater integration into the American majority system than, say, the political philosophy of the honorable Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. While King's absolute belief in non-self-defense or nonresistance against violent aggression reflected strong Hindu or Buddhist orientation, Malcolm's philosophy was really about the same as any majority American would hold, given similar circumstances and grievances…"

    El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz was the most effective American-based international voice for liberation of African people. During his July, 1964 stay in Cairo, he made the following recommendations to conferees st the Organization of African Unity Summit:

    1. Civil Rights organizations in the United States have accomplished the most they can hope for under the existing conditions.

    2. The time has come to internationalize the American Negro problem so as to accentuate the struggle.

    3. This can be done only by linking the fate of the new African states with that of American Negroes.

    4. This can be done by employing the racial situation in the United States as and instrument of attack in discussing international problems.

    5. Such a strategy would give the African states more leverage in dealing with the United States and would in turn give American Negroes more leverage in American society.

    This level of analysis and organization created tremendous concern and opposition in the circles of the American government. Intelligence sources began to circulate memos discussing neutralizing Shabazz.

    Further, the importance of Shabazz (Malcolm X) to the African American psyche has been cited by Eugene Victor Wolfenstein in his book The Victims of Democracy: Malcolm X and the Black Revolution, where-in he states:

    "Taken as a whole, we may represent the development of Malcolm's self-consciousness as the process through which he learned to think for himself, to recognize that his sincerity was his credentials, and to accept the responsibility for revolutionary leadership

    "This process, which Malcolm's autobiography so clearly reveals, is a moving and dramatic affirmation of the human spirit. But its significance is neither simply individual nor abstractly universal. As Malcolm's speeches and the subsequent role played by The Autobiography of Malcolm X indicate, his experience became a medium for the reproduction of that experience in others. He became a mirror in which black people saw reflected their pain and rage, and he provided interpretations of that pain and rage which led to both insight and to action. His interpretation of the black American experience provided insight into the souls of black folk for black folk themselves and, by so doing, led toward organized black revolutionary action…In sum, Malcolm represented the interests and mobilized the emotional resources of the black masses and black people in general."

    Carew (author of Ghosts In Our Blood) writes (pg. 103) of Malcolm X: "He was one of those rare speakers who always gave his best to his listeners, and through his discourse he took them into his confidence. He was at different times a teacher, a storyteller, and a griot. He could use words to distill he collective griefs of Black people and transform them into hard, crystalline calls for action. His was an eloquent exercise in Aristotle's catharsis and purging and purging of the spirit as he shifted the collective mood deftly from the somber to the amused and from the indignant to the sad and the triumphant".

    In a masterfully ironic turn of history, Malik Shabazz furthered a struggle envisioned by his parents, both of whom were followers of the honorable Marcus Garvey. It is well-known that his father, who was a proud defender of his family and his people, was killed when Shabazz was a young boy. Although it is not known exactly what Earl Little (Malcolm X's father) was doing on the night of his death, he was undoubtedly attacked and killed then by White Supremacists (the original American terrorists). According to Evanzz , this brave man had been generally gathering signatures on a petition being circulated by the followers of Garvey, on his instructions. The petition was designed to bring the grievances of people of African descent before the League of Nations; the forerunner of the United Nations.

    This was never done, as the U.S. government itself conspired to exploit the weaknesses of Garvey's nobly intended organization (the United Negro Improvement Association), destabilize it, and destroy both it and its leader. This campaign was led by a fledgling commander of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (the F.B.I.), named J. Edgar Hoover.

    The great African American freedom fighter and world citizen Paul Robeson, took up this cause and along with another gallant activist named William Patterson, did in fact submit a petition requesting relief for African Americans in the denial of their human rights. When Malcolm X left the Nation of Islam and began his evolution into El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, the Sunni Muslim revolutionary and inheritor of the mantle of leadership embodied by his father, his father's leader (Garvey), and Robeson, he took up that same struggle.

    Not only did El-Shabazz/Malcolm X permanently etch the strategy or pursuit of human rights upon the consciousness of Americans of African descent, but he actually lobbied and gained support for the move amongst leaders in Africa and the Middle East. He did so during a time when the image of the United States as a defender of global freedoms was vulnerable.

    Like Garvey and Robeson, Shabazz too was the object of covert intelligence operations carried out by the U.S. government on the orders of Hoover; who saw them as he later would see Dr. Martin Luther King, and all American strugglers for freedom, including Civil Rights and "Black Power" leaders and organizations, the Native American and Puerto Rican Independence Movements, and the Anti-War Movement of the Vietnam Era. Hoover and those in power over him in the Executive Branch, considered these true patriots enemies of America, and acted accordingly by implementing COINTELPRO .

    Nonetheless, Shabazz/Mallcolm X succeeded in firmly planting within the analytic and tactical manual of social struggle in America, the notion that it must be human rights and not just civil rights oriented. This is and continues to be a major point being pursued by American activists, as exhibited by the Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, held in Durban, South Africa, during then end of August and beginning of September,2001. It is exactly the type of forum that El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz helped bring into existence, with his ideas, influence, and vision. He would have reveled in its proceedings. Post-Nation of Islam Work

    The indefatigable work of Malcolm X in building the Nation of Islam is well known, as are the circumstances of his departure from Elijah Muhammad's proto-Islamic organization. Not as well known to some people though, is the breadth of his vision, and the work he began after his departure from the so-called Nation of Islam, and acceptance of the authentic faith of Al-Islam.

    While it is true that at first he and those of his followers who made hijra from the so-called Nation of Islam didn't know a great deal about canonical Islam , none can deny that he was firmly on the True Path when he was martyred. His conversion was conscientious, and based upon knowledge-not just sincerity.

    Beginning in early March, 1964 Malik Shabazz received almost nightly Islamic instructions for several weeks from Dr. Mahmoud Yussef Shawarbi; then director of the Islamic Center of New York (an institution that now shines on the corner of E. 96th Street and Third Avenue in Manhattan, New York City).

    On March 12, 1964 he held a press conference at the Park Sheraton hotel in New York City, during which he stated "I am going to organize and head a new mosque in New York City, known as the Muslim Mosque Inc. This gives us a religious base, and the spiritual force necessary to rid our people of the vices that destroy the moral fiber of our community".

    True to his word, on March 16, 1964, he and his followers who were ex-members of the so-called Nation of Islam, combined their efforts with other Sunni Muslim African-Americans, to legally incorporate the Muslim Mosque Inc.

    George Breitman writes "Malcolm founded a religious organization first, because he and most of the people willing to work with him at that point wanted to remain Muslims although outside of the Nation of Islam."

    Their religious intent in forming the mosque is evident in their stated purpose, outlined in the seven points of their certificate of incorporation:

    "To provide a suitable place of worship for its members and others in accordance with the Islamic Faith.

    " To maintain a house of study for the advancement of the Islamic Faith and Religion.

    "To stimulate interest among the members in the formation, maintenance, and the teachings of the Islamic Faith.

    "To publish textbooks, pamphlets, brochures, and to solicit, collect and in other manners raise funds for the hereinabove and hereinafter enumerated purposes..

    " To work for the imparting of the Islamic Faith and Islamic Religion in accordance with the accepted Islamic Religious principles.

    " To purchase, lease, acquire, sell and mortgage improved or unimproved real property and any interest therein.

    "The foregoing clauses shall be considered both as objects and purposes, and it is hereby expressly provided that the foregoing enumerated specific objects and purposes shall not be held to limit or restrict in any manner the powers of this corporation, but that this corporation shall be entitled to enjoy all the powers that a religious corporation may have under and by virtue of the Laws of the State of New York."

    Thus it is clear that the stated intention and purpose of the Muslim Mosque Inc. encompassed the traditional areas of (Sunni) Islamic belief , doctrine and practice, namely ibaadat (worship), tarbiyya (religious education), da'wah (propogation of the Faith), ‘Aqeeda (traditional binding beliefs, understanding and actualizing Islam in accordance with "accepted Islamic principles", and thus separating themselves from the NOI), and ‘iqaamatud-din (establishment of the faith through institutionalization).

    El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz/Malcolm X departed the U.S. for hajj on April 13,1964. He completed his pilgrimage and then went on to visit Africa and the so-called Middle East. When he returned to the United States, Shabazz continued his mission of liberation of the oppressed African American masses.

    The strategic plan formulated by him called for two-pronged leadership amongst his followers. He arranged for Koli Ahmad Tawfiq (see below) to take the entrance exam to Al-Azhar University. When Tawfiq passed the exams he was dispatched to that esteemed institution as part of a plan that called for him to eventually become the first African-American Imam of the Muslim Mosque Inc, which never happened. At that time prayers were being led and guidance according to the Sunna was provided, by a Shaykh from the Sudan named Ahmad Hassoun. Shabazz continued to lead the Organization of Afro-American Unity – providing political leadership for the African American masses, while the M.M.I. was being built for provision of spiritual leadership.

    Tawfiq began matriculation at Al-Azhar in September, 1964. At the same time Shabazz returned to Makka, to make Umra (the lesser hajj), having been in Cairo since July. Much attention has been made to Malik Shabazz's political activities during this, his second tour of Africa and the so-called Middle East. His meetings with heads of state, observances of various political proceedings, and speeches before such august bodies as the Organization of African Unity were vitally important for his cause. They also brought him much attention and targeting by the U.S. government. At the same time though, he was also furthering his own religious training on the path of the Sunna (prophetic tradition of the Messenger of Allah, Prophet Muhammad Ibn Abdullah, may the Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him).

    Sunni Muslim Training and Education

    During a four month period of time from July through October of 1964, Shabazz studied Al-Islam under the supervision of the Supreme Council on Islamic Affairs in Cairo, Egypt and the Muslim World League in Saudi Arabia. His training and education was not designed to make him an imam or ‘alim, but rather to further correct his understanding of dinul-Islam and to strengthen his qualification as America's most visible Sunni Muslim and potential da'ee (propagator of the faith of Al-Islam).

    In Saudi Arabia, Shabazz/Malcolm X's studies were supervised by Shaykh Muhammad Sarur As-Sabban, the Secretary-General of theMuslim World League . During this period of time, The University of Medina offered Shabazz 15 scholarships for young African Americans, to go along with those offered by Al-Azhar. Thus it is evident that those detractors who think that Malik Shabazz had no formal Islamic training according to the Sunna are clearly mistaken. In fact, his intensive training occupied five of the last eleven months of his life.

    Both Decaro and Edward E. Curtis IV quote Richard Murphy, who was an American embassy official in Jedda, Saudi Arabia in 1964, as reporting an interview between Shabazz and a reporter that published in the Jeddan newspaper Al-Bilad. During it, Murphy wrote, "Malcolm X stressed his pleasure at his visits to Saudi Arabia and their benefit to his personal spiritual development. He took pain during this conversation to deprecate his reputation as a political activist and dwelt mainly on his interest in bringing sounder appreciation of Islam" to African Americans.

    Further, it must be stated here that Shabazz envisioned a connection between Islam and Muslims in Africa and in America, as evidenced by the photograph that he took wearing the traditional turban and robes of the Jamaa'at of the esteemed Muslim leader, Imam, Shaykh, and reviver of The Faith, Uthman Ibn Fudi (Usuman Dan Fodiyo), in Nigeria (May Allah forgive the sins of the Shehu and reward him with Paradise, amin).

    This has been clearly indicated by the Amir of that Jamaat in North America, Muhammad Shareef ibn Farid. The traditional African Muslim robes and turban were presented to Shabazz by a Nigerian government official, described by Peter Goldman as the "Nigerian High Commissioner".

    Dr. Yusuf Naim Kly, a Muslim who is former Chairman of the Canadian Branch of the Organization of Afro-American Unity (the political organization founded by El-Hajj Malik) and an internationally reknown scholar of International Law, verifies this desire as expessed by Malik Shabazz, in writing :

    "…under the guidance of Dr. Mahmoud Youseff Shawabi, Imam of the New York Islamic Center, Hajji Malik El Shabazz accepted Sunni Islam as his personal faith, made the hajj to Mecca, and traveled to Africa wherein he became engaged with the following three major concerns that occupied the remainder of his attention until his untimely death in the Audubon Ballroom that winter Sunday of 1965:

    a. The introduction of the Islamic civilization into America . The introduction of the Afro-American question to the United Nations

    b. The organization of an authentic internationally-recognized Afro-American national liberation movement

    c. The replacement of the irresponsible traditional negro leadership, for without this no meaningful changes or new conceptualizations could reach the masses."

    This it is evident that Shabazz's first priority was the establishment of Al-Islam in the West, and that his close second priority was the liberation of his people (African Americans) from oppression. He undoubtedly saw the former as essential to the latter. So sweeping and comprehensive was the scope of Shabazz's work that after his passing it was taken up by several organizations, Muslim and non-Muslim, all of whom have built entire platforms of activity, work and action, around only various parts of the MMI program.

    The threads of El-Hajj Malik's life and work as a reflection of the history of Al-Islam in America, manifested themselves even in his passing. According to Shaykh Hajj Hesham Jaaber (see below) many of the Imams of that time (i.e. the mid- 1960s) in New York and New Jersey, either couldn't or wouldn't (mostly wouldn't) officiate over Shabazz's burial ( due no doubt to fear of reprisal from either the U.S. government or the so-called Nation of Islam). In the M.M.I., Tawfiq was still a student in Egypt. Many of the soldiers of the M.M.I. were in a state of both covert and overt warfare with the so-called Fruit of Islam (FOI) of the Nation. Besides, at that time the soldiers lacked the knowledge of the Sunna to conduct traditional burial services, even if they had been in the position to do so.

    Thus the remains of Malik Shabazz were prepared in the traditional Islamic way (i.e. according to the Sunna) by Shaykh Hassoun. The Janaza prayers were courageously led by Shaykh Jaaber (whose roots lie in the Addeynu Allahu Universal Arabic Association – a pioneering Sunni Muslim community founded in 1930), and Sunni Muslim African Americans from Elizabeth, New Jersey, including Haj Muhammad Taleeb, Yahya Bashir, Wakeel Abdu-Nafi, Jamil Abdul-Aziz, Yusef Abdu-Razzak, and Ismael Abdu-Ghani.

    Other African American Sunni Muslims from what was affectionately known in New York City as the Ansar House were also trying to be of assistance. This is evidenced by a letter that had been left at the New York Medical Examiner's office by one of the Ansar House's representatives, Sister Hajjah Jamillah Hassan. The letter was intercepted by the New York City Police Department, and it is not clear whether or not Sister Betty Bahiyyah Shabazz (Malcolm X's widow) ever saw it. At any rate, Shaykhs Hassoun and Jabber saw to it the Malik Shabazz was properly prepared and buried.

    Shaykh Jaaber has written , "History has recorded my participation at the Janaza of Haj Malik, but few in history have ever reported or known that we were an indigenous community of Sunnah Muslims, born, raised and touched by Allah on the soil of the United States".

    Lastly. Al-Hajj K. Ahmad Tawfiq, the founding Imam and Shaykh –‘Allaamah of the Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood Inc. (May Allah forgive his sins and have mercy upon him) wrote of his leader, "The Holy Qur'an (The Holy Book of the Muslims) reads in Sura 2:Ayyat 154: ‘And speak not of those who are slain in Allah's Way as dead. Nay, they are alive, but you perceive not.'

    "A Muslim is taught that the doors of Paradise are flung open for those who die fighting in the way of Allah. So, may it be remembered that our dear, beloved brother in Islam, Malik El-Shabazz, was a Muslim who died fighting in the Way of Allah. In that faith, he knows no sadness and is at this very moment enjoying the fruits of his labor. For surely we belong to Allah and to Him we will return. "

    Imam Al-Hajj Talib ‘Abdur-Rashid is the Imam of the Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood Inc. in Harlem, New York (USA). He is also the Amir of the Harlem Shura, the Chairman of the Justice Committee of the Majlis Ash-Shura of New York, and the Deputy Amir of The Muslim Alliance in North America (MANA)

    THE SUNNI ISLAMIC TRAINING AND MISSION OF EL-HAJJ MALIK EL-SHABAZZ/MALCOLM X
    by Imam Al-Hajj Talib Abdur-Rashid

    Reflections on the True Historical Legacy of El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz/Malcolm X , as a Muslim Fighter for the Liberation of his People by Imam Al-Hajj Talib ‘Abdur-Rashid

    In spite of the words of the Star-Spangled Banner and other American odes to truth and justice, the real measuring stick for freedom in The United States of America was and is its treatment of African Americans, with regards to Social Justice matters. The most famous and influential champion of both Allah's Cause of the establishment of Al-Islam, and the pursuit of social justice for his people, was El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz (Malcolm X, may Allah's Mercy and Favor be upon him).

    The two major voices for Social Justice in America, at least during the latter half of the 20th Century, were El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz - a Muslim, and Dr. Martin Luther King - a Christian. The significance of Shabazz as a leader with a voice echoing a prophetic social justice dimension, has been written about often, by both non-Muslims and Muslims. Professor James Cone , author of Martin and Malcolm and America, describes the two men as "resources in the struggle for justice" . He wrote of them (pp. ix,x):

    "Martin and Malcolm illuminate the two roads to freedom (i.e. " the two main resistance traditions in African-American history and culture- integration and nationalism") that meet in the African-Americans search for identity in the land of their birth."

    "The reason that sympathetic interpreters often miss the central role of religion in Malcolm's thinking is that religion is commonly separated from struggles for justice. That was why Martin had such difficult time getting the white church involved in the civil rights movement, and why liberation theologians in the Third World are so controversial today.

    "Many people think that religion has everything to do with an individual's personal relationship with God and nothing to do with society and one's fight for justice in it. When Malcolm X identified the fight for justice as the central religious act , his message was usually misunderstood. His friends often avoided the subject of religion and ignored the strict moral code he faithfully obeyed. Malcolm's enemies accused him of using religion as a façade for fomenting hate and violence."

    "Even though Martin is generally and appropriately credited with deep religious commitment, a case could be made that Malcolm was more religious than Martin…I contend that the depth of any religious commitment should be judged by one's commitment to justice for humanity, using the liberation activity of humans beings as the lens through which one sees God. By this criterion both Martin and Malcolm must be considered deeply religious persons." :

    Although Shabazz and King will be forever linked in American history, in truth the Muslim acted as a deliberate counter-point to his Noble Peace-Prize winning contemporary. In words that would electrify American society if publicly spoken during this, the "post 9-11 world", he once stated:

    "No, I'm not an American. I'm one of the 22 million black people who are the victims of democracy, nothing but disguised hypocrisy. So I'm not standing here speaking to you as an American, or a patriot, or a flag-saluter , or a flag-waver – no, not I. I'm speaking as a victim of this American system. And I see America through the eyes of the victim. I don't see an American dream. I see an American nightmare."

    Amongst Muslims, Shabazz/Malcolm X has been written of by Dr. Yusuf Naim Kly Dr. Kly is the former Chairman of the Canadian branch of the second group founded by Malik Shabazz, the Organization of Afro-American Unity. He has written of the man who had been his leader :

    "It is ironic that when most Americans think of Malcolm X, they think of him as un-American or anti-American. However, this is no doubt due to confusion between his being against certain government policies, as opposed to being anti-American. When we look unemotionally at he political philosophy of Malcolm X, there can be little doubt that Malcolm's values represented a far greater integration into the American majority system than, say, the political philosophy of the honorable Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. While King's absolute belief in non-self-defense or nonresistance against violent aggression reflected strong Hindu or Buddhist orientation, Malcolm's philosophy was really about the same as any majority American would hold, given similar circumstances and grievances…"

    El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz was the most effective American-based international voice for liberation of African people. During his July, 1964 stay in Cairo, he made the following recommendations to conferees st the Organization of African Unity Summit:

    1. Civil Rights organizations in the United States have accomplished the most they can hope for under the existing conditions.

    2. The time has come to internationalize the American Negro problem so as to accentuate the struggle.

    3. This can be done only by linking the fate of the new African states with that of American Negroes.

    4. This can be done by employing the racial situation in the United States as and instrument of attack in discussing international problems.

    5. Such a strategy would give the African states more leverage in dealing with the United States and would in turn give American Negroes more leverage in American society.

    This level of analysis and organization created tremendous concern and opposition in the circles of the American government. Intelligence sources began to circulate memos discussing neutralizing Shabazz.

    Further, the importance of Shabazz (Malcolm X) to the African American psyche has been cited by Eugene Victor Wolfenstein in his book The Victims of Democracy: Malcolm X and the Black Revolution, where-in he states:

    "Taken as a whole, we may represent the development of Malcolm's self-consciousness as the process through which he learned to think for himself, to recognize that his sincerity was his credentials, and to accept the responsibility for revolutionary leadership

    "This process, which Malcolm's autobiography so clearly reveals, is a moving and dramatic affirmation of the human spirit. But its significance is neither simply individual nor abstractly universal. As Malcolm's speeches and the subsequent role played by The Autobiography of Malcolm X indicate, his experience became a medium for the reproduction of that experience in others. He became a mirror in which black people saw reflected their pain and rage, and he provided interpretations of that pain and rage which led to both insight and to action. His interpretation of the black American experience provided insight into the souls of black folk for black folk themselves and, by so doing, led toward organized black revolutionary action…In sum, Malcolm represented the interests and mobilized the emotional resources of the black masses and black people in general."

    Carew (author of Ghosts In Our Blood) writes (pg. 103) of Malcolm X:

    "He was one of those rare speakers who always gave his best to his listeners, and through his discourse he took them into his confidence. He was at different times a teacher, a storyteller, and a griot. He could use words to distill he collective griefs of Black people and transform them into hard, crystalline calls for action. His was an eloquent exercise in Aristotle's catharsis and purging and purging of the spirit as he shifted the collective mood deftly from the somber to the amused and from the indignant to the sad and the triumphant".

    In a masterfully ironic turn of history, Malik Shabazz furthered a struggle envisioned by his parents, both of whom were followers of the honorable Marcus Garvey. It is well-known that his father, who was a proud defender of his family and his people, was killed when Shabazz was a young boy. Although it is not known exactly what Earl Little (Malcolm X's father) was doing on the night of his death, he was undoubtedly attacked and killed then by White Supremacists (the original American terrorists). According to Evanzz , this brave man had been generally gathering signatures on a petition being circulated by the followers of Garvey, on his instructions. The petition was designed to bring the grievances of people of African descent before the League of Nations; the forerunner of the United Nations.

    This was never done, as the U.S. government itself conspired to exploit the weaknesses of Garvey's nobly intended organization (the United Negro Improvement Association), destabilize it, and destroy both it and its leader. This campaign was led by a fledgling commander of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (the F.B.I.), named J. Edgar Hoover.

    The great African American freedom fighter and world citizen Paul Robeson, took up this cause and along with another gallant activist named William Patterson, did in fact submit a petition requesting relief for African Americans in the denial of their human rights. When Malcolm X left the Nation of Islam and began his evolution into El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, the Sunni Muslim revolutionary and inheritor of the mantle of leadership embodied by his father, his father's leader (Garvey), and Robeson, he took up that same struggle.

    Not only did El-Shabazz/Malcolm X permanently etch the strategy or pursuit of human rights upon the consciousness of Americans of African descent, but he actually lobbied and gained support for the move amongst leaders in Africa and the Middle East. He did so during a time when the image of the United States as a defender of global freedoms was vulnerable.

    Like Garvey and Robeson, Shabazz too was the object of covert intelligence operations carried out by the U.S. government on the orders of Hoover; who saw them as he later would see Dr. Martin Luther King, and all American strugglers for freedom, including Civil Rights and "Black Power" leaders and organizations, the Native American and

    Puerto Rican Independence Movements, and the Anti-War Movement of the Vietnam Era. Hoover and those in power over him in the Executive Branch, considered these true patriots enemies of America, and acted accordingly by implementing COINTELPRO .

    Nonetheless, Shabazz/Mallcolm X succeeded in firmly planting within the analytic and tactical manual of social struggle in America, the notion that it must be human rights and not just civil rights oriented. This is and continues to be a major point being pursued by American activists, as exhibited by the Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, held in Durban, South Africa, during then end of August and beginning of September,2001. It is exactly the type of forum that El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz helped bring into existence, with his ideas, influence, and vision. He would have reveled in its proceedings.
    Post-Nation of Islam Work

    The indefatigable work of Malcolm X in building the Nation of Islam is well known, as are the circumstances of his departure from Elijah Muhammad's proto-Islamic organization. Not as well known to some people though, is the breadth of his vision, and the work he began after his departure from the so-called Nation of Islam, and acceptance of the authentic faith of Al-Islam.

    While it is true that at first he and those of his followers who made hijra from the so-called Nation of Islam didn't know a great deal about canonical Islam , none can deny that he was firmly on the True Path when he was martyred. His conversion was conscientious, and based upon knowledge-not just sincerity.

    Beginning in early March, 1964 Malik Shabazz received almost nightly Islamic instructions for several weeks from Dr. Mahmoud Yussef Shawarbi; then director of the Islamic Center of New York (an institution that now shines on the corner of E. 96th Street and Third Avenue in Manhattan, New York City). On March 12, 1964 he held a press conference at the Park Sheraton hotel in New York City, during which he stated "I am going to organize and head a new mosque in New York City, known as the Muslim Mosque Inc. This gives us a religious base, and the spiritual force necessary to rid our people of the vices that destroy the moral fiber of our community".

    True to his word, on March 16, 1964, he and his followers who were ex-members of the so-called Nation of Islam, combined their efforts with other Sunni Muslim African-Americans, to legally incorporate the Muslim Mosque Inc.

    George Breitman writes "Malcolm founded a religious organization first, because he and most of the people willing to work with him at that point wanted to remain Muslims although outside of the Nation of Islam."

    Their religious intent in forming the mosque is evident in their stated purpose, outlined in the seven points of their certificate of incorporation:

    "To provide a suitable place of worship for its members and others in accordance with the Islamic Faith.

    " To maintain a house of study for the advancement of the Islamic Faith and Religion.

    "To stimulate interest among the members in the formation, maintenance, and the teachings of the Islamic Faith.

    "To publish textbooks, pamphlets, brochures, and to solicit, collect and in other manners raise funds for the hereinabove and hereinafter enumerated purposes..

    " To work for the imparting of the Islamic Faith and Islamic Religion in accordance with the accepted Islamic Religious principles.

    " To purchase, lease, acquire, sell and mortgage improved or unimproved real property and any interest therein.

    "The foregoing clauses shall be considered both as objects and purposes, and it is hereby expressly provided that the foregoing enumerated specific objects and purposes shall not be held to limit or restrict in any manner the powers of this corporation, but that this corporation shall be entitled to enjoy all the powers that a religious corporation may have under and by virtue of the Laws of the State of New York."

    Thus it is clear that the stated intention and purpose of the Muslim Mosque Inc. encompassed the traditional areas of (Sunni) Islamic belief , doctrine and practice, namely ibaadat (worship), tarbiyya (religious education), da'wah (propogation of the Faith), ‘Aqeeda (traditional binding beliefs, understanding and actualizing Islam in accordance with "accepted Islamic principles", and thus separating themselves from the NOI), and ‘iqaamatud-din (establishment of the faith through institutionalization).

    El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz/Malcolm X departed the U.S. for hajj on April 13,1964. He completed his pilgrimage and then went on to visit Africa and the so-called Middle East. When he returned to the United States, Shabazz continued his mission of liberation of the oppressed African American masses.

    The strategic plan formulated by him called for two-pronged leadership amongst his followers. He arranged for Koli Ahmad Tawfiq (see below) to take the entrance exam to Al-Azhar University. When Tawfiq passed the exams he was dispatched to that esteemed institution as part of a plan that called for him to eventually become the first African-American Imam of the Muslim Mosque Inc, which never happened. At that time prayers were being led and guidance according to the Sunna was provided, by a Shaykh from the Sudan named Ahmad Hassoun. Shabazz continued to lead the Organization of Afro-American Unity – providing political leadership for the African American masses, while the M.M.I. was being built for provision of spiritual leadership.

    Tawfiq began matriculation at Al-Azhar in September, 1964. At the same time Shabazz returned to Makka, to make Umra (the lesser hajj), having been in Cairo since July. Much attention has been made to Malik Shabazz's political activities during this, his second tour of Africa and the so-called Middle East. His meetings with heads of state, observances of various political proceedings, and speeches before such august bodies as the Organization of African Unity were vitally important for his cause. They also brought him much attention and targeting by the U.S. government. At the same time though, he was also furthering his own religious training on the path of the Sunna (prophetic tradition of the Messenger of Allah, Prophet Muhammad Ibn Abdullah, may the Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him).
    Sunni Muslim Training and Education

    During a four month period of time from July through October of 1964, Shabazz studied Al-Islam under the supervision of the Supreme Council on Islamic Affairs in Cairo, Egypt and the Muslim World League in Saudi Arabia. His training and education was not designed to make him an imam or ‘alim, but rather to further correct his understanding of dinul-Islam and to strengthen his qualification as America's most visible Sunni Muslim and potential da'ee (propagator of the faith of Al-Islam).

    In Saudi Arabia, Shabazz/Malcolm X's studies were supervised by Shaykh Muhammad Sarur As-Sabban, the Secretary-General of theMuslim World League . During this period of time, The University of Medina offered Shabazz 15 scholarships for young African Americans, to go along with those offered by Al-Azhar. Thus it is evident that those detractors who think that Malik Shabazz had no formal Islamic training according to the Sunna are clearly mistaken. In fact, his intensive training occupied five of the last eleven months of his life.

    Both Decaro and Edward E. Curtis IV quote Richard Murphy, who was an American embassy official in Jedda, Saudi Arabia in 1964, as reporting an interview between Shabazz and a reporter that published in the Jeddan newspaper Al-Bilad. During it, Murphy wrote, "Malcolm X stressed his pleasure at his visits to Saudi Arabia and their benefit to his personal spiritual development. He took pain during this conversation to deprecate his reputation as a political activist and dwelt mainly on his interest in bringing sounder appreciation of Islam" to African Americans.

    Further, it must be stated here that Shabazz envisioned a connection between Islam and Muslims in Africa and in America, as evidenced by the photograph that he took wearing the traditional turban and robes of the Jamaa'at of the esteemed Muslim leader, Imam, Shaykh, and reviver of The Faith, Uthman Ibn Fudi (Usuman Dan Fodiyo), in Nigeria (May Allah forgive the sins of the Shehu and reward him with Paradise, amin).

    This has been clearly indicated by the Amir of that Jamaat in North America, Muhammad Shareef ibn Farid. The traditional African Muslim robes and turban were presented to Shabazz by a Nigerian government official, described by Peter Goldman as the "Nigerian High Commissioner".

    Dr. Yusuf Naim Kly, a Muslim who is former Chairman of the Canadian Branch of the Organization of Afro-American Unity (the political organization founded by El-Hajj Malik) and an internationally reknown scholar of International Law, verifies this desire as expessed by Malik Shabazz, in writing :

    "…under the guidance of Dr. Mahmoud Youseff Shawabi, Imam of the New York Islamic Center, Hajji Malik El Shabazz accepted Sunni Islam as his personal faith, made the hajj to Mecca, and traveled to Africa wherein he became engaged with the following three major concerns that occupied the remainder of his attention until his untimely death in the Audubon Ballroom that winter Sunday of 1965:

    a. The introduction of the Islamic civilization into America . The introduction of the Afro-American question to the United Nations

    b. The organization of an authentic internationally-recognized Afro-American national liberation movement

    c. The replacement of the irresponsible traditional negro leadership, for without this no meaningful changes or new conceptualizations could reach the masses."

    This it is evident that Shabazz's first priority was the establishment of Al-Islam in the West, and that his close second priority was the liberation of his people (African Americans) from oppression. He undoubtedly saw the former as essential to the latter. So sweeping and comprehensive was the scope of Shabazz's work that after his passing it was taken up by several organizations, Muslim and non-Muslim, all of whom have built entire platforms of activity, work and action, around only various parts of the MMI program.

    The threads of El-Hajj Malik's life and work as a reflection of the history of Al-Islam in America, manifested themselves even in his passing. According to Shaykh Hajj Hesham Jaaber (see below) many of the Imams of that time (i.e. the mid- 1960s) in New York and New Jersey, either couldn't or wouldn't (mostly wouldn't) officiate over Shabazz's burial ( due no doubt to fear of reprisal from either the U.S. government or the so-called Nation of Islam). In the M.M.I., Tawfiq was still a student in Egypt. Many of the soldiers of the M.M.I. were in a state of both covert and overt warfare with the so-called Fruit of Islam (FOI) of the Nation. Besides, at that time the soldiers lacked the knowledge of the Sunna to conduct traditional burial services, even if they had been in the position to do so.

    Thus the remains of Malik Shabazz were prepared in the traditional Islamic way (i.e. according to the Sunna) by Shaykh Hassoun. The Janaza prayers were courageously led by Shaykh Jaaber (whose roots lie in the Addeynu Allahu Universal Arabic Association – a pioneering Sunni Muslim community founded in 1930), and Sunni Muslim African Americans from Elizabeth, New Jersey, including Haj Muhammad Taleeb, Yahya Bashir, Wakeel Abdu-Nafi, Jamil Abdul-Aziz, Yusef Abdu-Razzak, and Ismael Abdu-Ghani.

    Other African American Sunni Muslims from what was affectionately known in New York City as the Ansar House were also trying to be of assistance. This is evidenced by a letter that had been left at the New York Medical Examiner's office by one of the Ansar House's representatives, Sister Hajjah Jamillah Hassan. The letter was intercepted by the New York City Police Department, and it is not clear whether or not Sister Betty Bahiyyah Shabazz (Malcolm X's widow) ever saw it. At any rate, Shaykhs Hassoun and Jabber saw to it the Malik Shabazz was properly prepared and buried.

    Shaykh Jaaber has written , "History has recorded my participation at the Janaza of Haj Malik, but few in history have ever reported or known that we were an indigenous community of Sunnah Muslims, born, raised and touched by Allah on the soil of the United States".

    Lastly, Al-Hajj K. Ahmad Tawfiq, the founding Imam and Shaykh –‘Allaamah of the Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood Inc. (May Allah forgive his sins and have mercy upon him) wrote of his leader, "The Holy Qur'an (The Holy Book of the Muslims) reads in Sura 2:Ayyat 154: ‘And speak not of those who are slain in Allah's Way as dead. Nay, they are alive, but you perceive not.'

    "A Muslim is taught that the doors of Paradise are flung open for those who die fighting in the way of Allah. So, may it be remembered that our dear, beloved brother in Islam, Malik El-Shabazz, was a Muslim who died fighting in the Way of Allah. In that faith, he knows no sadness and is at this very moment enjoying the fruits of his labor. For surely we belong to Allah and to Him we will return. "


    Imam Al-Hajj Talib ‘Abdur-Rashid is the Imam of the Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood Inc. in Harlem, New York (USA). He is also the Amir of the Harlem Shura, the Chairman of the Justice Committee of the Majlis Ash-Shura of New York, and the Deputy Amir of The Muslim Alliance in North America (MANA)

    This item is available on the Militant Islam Monitor website, at http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/3113