Between Exodus and Egypt: Malcolm X, Islam, and the natural religion of the oppressed

Abstract

Malcolm X's life and career offers a window through which to analyze the interactions between race and religion in the post-slavery experience of African Americans. This essay traces the trajectory of Malcolm's two religious conversions, and his evolving sense that Christianity is the backbone of white supremacy and western imperialism, where Islam is the natural religion of the oppressed. This journey, I suggest, features the eclipse of the 'Exodus' motif -that has been so central to much black religiosity since slavery -to make way for the centralization of the 'Egypt' metaphor; thus identifications with Jews are displaced by associations with black and Muslim diasporas. However, exploration of this movement from 'Exodus' to 'Egypt' illuminates not a smooth transition but rather a complex and ongoing interaction between the two motifs, interactions that question the notion that any singular religious identity offers an 'authentic' experience for oppressed peoples. I suggest that Malcolm X's negotiation between what emerge as the competing modalities of race, religion and nation offer an insight into those forces that shape expressions of 'black religion' today.

The Ideological and Spiritual Transformation of Malcolm X

“…Malcolm's early messages to Black Muslims and bystanders were reminiscent of those of his father Earl Little, who also preached a controversial religious and political ideology. Anna Hartwell argues, "The Nation's appropriation of Garveyismas well as other sources of 19th century as well as 20th century black nationalismthus hung onto its central symbols while displacing the Christian account of divine authority" (Hartwell 2008). Malcolm believed that Islam was a special religion for African American males, who in his opinion were misguided and conditioned to view themselves as inferior beings through the eyes of the white race.…”