MALCOLM X - PRINCE OF ISLAM DVD Reviewed By Yvonne Ridley

Unbelievable as it may seem, there are still lots of people, especially in the black communities, who are not aware that Malcolm X was a Muslim.

Nebraska-born Malcolm Little made his entrance to the world in 1925 and would probably still be alive if it were not for his outspoken views and support for Islam.
The African American activist whose ideas about racial problems in the United States had an important influence on black nationalist and black separatist movements of the 1950s and 1960s was assassinated in 1965 spwaning numerous conspiracy theories about who and why he was eliminated.

He believed that Western nations were inherently racist and that black people must join together to build their own society and value system. Sadly, his beliefs gained a broader audience and greater influence after his death.

A true reflection of his stormy life, MALCOLM X - PRINCE OF ISLAM, is provided by a compelling documentary which reveals never-before-seen footage of the man who took the name El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz when he discovered and embraced his new faith. The story opens with a bracing rap song depiciting the highs and lows of his life ... the kids will love it and even the anti-music lobby would be pushed to find fault.

His father’s death had a disastrous effect on Malcolm and his family. His mother suffered a nervous breakdown, and the welfare department took the eight little children away from her. Malcolm was placed in a foster home and then in reform school. In 1941 he went to live with his half-sister in Boston, Massachusetts. There he soon entered the fringes of the underworld, and at the age of 17 he moved to the rough new York district of Harlem. from there he became a drug dealer and armed robber and by the time he reached 20 he was given a 10-year stretch in prison for burglary.

It was while he was in prison for burglary that he set out on a spiritual journey and joined the Nation of Islam becoming a minister in the organisation upon his release in 1952. As Malcolm X, he was seen as the charismatic advocate of black separatism who rejected Martin Luther King's policies of non-violence.

He quit the Nation of Islam in 1964 and that same year made a life-changing pilgrimage to Makkah. On his return he recanted some of his earlier more strident viewpoints on race, although he always remained a supporter of "black power." He was brutally gunned down in New York City in 1965; and while some of the assassins had connections to the Nation of Islam a formal tie linking the group and the killers was never proven.

This DVD of his life takes us through the gritty back streets of Nebraska where Brother Malcolm was dragged up. The whole content of the DVD is all the more gripping because it is portraying true life and a recent history some of us 'grey folk' can still remember!

I defy anyone not to feel a pang of emotion as they watch the brother preparing to sacrifice everything in the pursuit of seeking the pleasure of Allah (swt). In ‘Prince of Islam’ we learn about his childhood struggles through to him joining the heretical group ‘Nation of Islam’ to him finally accepting the true religion of Islam after performing the Hajj in Makkah.

There is also a special bonus DVD in limited edition packs produced by Green 72 Media which will be of additional interest to followers of Islam giving graphic details of forthcoming productions the media crew from India are working on, but be warned ... some of the trailer content is deeply unpleasant and bound to shock because of its frank nature.

Sesiapa yang ingin menonton DVD tersebut bolehlah ke laman web Sis Yvonne Ridley.

http://www.yvonneridley.org/mediaitem.php?id=3

* MALCOLM X - PRINCE OF ISLAM. PRICE £9.95 from Maktabah and all good Islamic book shops.