Let’s Talk About Malcolm X Webinar

Malcolm X’s life was uniquely fascinating and inspiring, despite being continually surrounded by controversy and violence from inception through to a sad, horrific demise. His family home was repeatedly attacked by white supremacists in early life, ultimately leading to his father’s murder and his mother’s mental breakdown. Farmed off into social care, his childhood ambitions of becoming a lawyer were left unfulfilled due to lack of opportunities afforded to his race. His descent into criminal gangs and consequent incarceration were sad features of his early youth. However, for seven years in prison he dedicated himself to self-education and spiritual discovery. On his release, his natural oratory proficiency rapidly led to his rise in becoming one of the loudest and brightest voices in the US Civil Rights movement. Disillusionment and betrayal by his erstwhile, esteemed mentor Elijah Mohammad compelled him to break away and ultimately revert to mainstream Islam. His life was violently and prematurely terminated at the age of 39.

Using short clips from the highly acclaimed, award-winning 1992 movie by Spike Lee with Denzel Washington in the lead role, the ‘Let’s talk about…Malcolm X’ Webinar led us through Malcolm’s remarkable journey while pausing to reflect with our host Shams Uddin and our esteemed guest speakers on questions such as:

Have education and career opportunities available to Afro-Americans improved? Are Afro-Americans still treated unfairly by the judicial system? What is the school-prison pipeline? Was Prophet Jesus (PBUH) really White? Can followers of the Nation of Islam be considered to be Muslim at all? Why was Malcolm X kicked out of the Nation of Islam? Why did Malcolm X visit the UK? Why is Malcolm X not as well known as Martin Luther King Jr.? Which Marvel X-Men character was modelled on Malcolm X? What will it take for racism to be truly eliminated from Western Society?

Our Guest Speakers:

Gareth Bryant has been working as a Muslim Chaplain in Brooklyn, New York since 2014 and he describes himself as having dedicated his service to humanity. He has counselled members of his community on Suicide, Substance Abuse, Crime/Gang Activity, Domestic Violence & many other issues they’re facing. He is also a founding member of Muslims Giving Back: a Faith-Based Non-Profit organisation dedicated to Poverty Prevention & Community Empowerment.

AbdulMaalik Tailor is London’s first professionally qualified Muslim Tour Guide and specialises in Muslim heritage in Britain. He is the founder of Muslim History Tours, focusing on Halal Domestic and UK Inbound travel. AbdulMaalik has researched into Malcolm X’s visits to Britain.

The video of this webinar is available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CusOyxo07YM