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"God's Judgment of White America" "Accept him and be saved; reject him and be damned!" Malcolm X.

Malcolm is angry; Malcolm is fed up; he is offensive, idealistic, and fanatically religious. His beliefs are strong; he is ready for serious actions; he is not willing to compromise. All this can be easily identified in Malcolm's speech "God's Judgment of White America". The aggression is sensed in every word and every phrase. His goal is clear; he expresses it with no hesitation. Malcolm knows what he wants: he wants justice for his people. He also knows what he has to do to get it: threaten with God's punishment those who may prevent him from the accomplishment of this goal.

The persuasion method Malcolm is using in his speech is not novel. Malcolm is using religion as a weapon in his fight for what he thinks is just, and does it in a very threatening and uncompromising way.

Malcolm X

MALCOLM CONGOO

Malcolm X at Queens Court

Throughout the history of the human race, people have used and often abused religion as a compass in their search for justice. When used by an intelligent leader in a religious society this method rarely fails. One of the most memorable examples from the most recent past is Hitler, who believed in the divine supremacy of the white race and Christian religion. The consequences of his beliefs are well known to us, and will never be forgotten.

Malcolm's obsessive beliefs in the power of Islam strongly suggest tragic outcome to those who do not submit to Allah as the only God. His message is clear: "His [Malcolm's] mission is to warn America to repent, and to atone for her sins against God's people"¦or face complete destruction and permanent removal from the face of this earth"¦and removal not only as a nation but removal even as a race!" (Chicken 5) Malcolm's despicable speech and an idea of trying to form a so-called clan of Islamic believers raised an unbelievable controversy throughout the nation. Malcolm's mission to get attention of the masses was accomplished. His aggressive tone, unwillingness to compromise and usage of religion as a threat may not be appealing and are even offensive to most of us, but they are definitively effective. Malcolm is well aware that his message cannot leave religious people unconcerned. To give more weight to his words, Malcolm is referring to Christian and Jewish scriptures, to make sure that not only Muslims, but also the followers of other major religions will listen to what he has to say. "Before your pride causes you to harden your heart and further close your ears, and before your ignorance provokes laughter, search the Christian scriptures" (Chicken 3), another example: "Still later, when God prepared to turn his wrath upon the Egyptians"¦God raised his servant Moses (Hebrew prophet) as a warner to the cruel slave master, Pharaoh" (Chicken 3). In addition, Malcolm invites other religious communities to joint him in the solitude of Islam. He preaches: "Accept him [Allah] and be saved; reject him and be doomed"(Chicken 6). With the words of wisdom and insanity, Malcolm X agitates nations to worship what he names "the great God of all Universe".

While reading Malcolm's speech it is obvious that we are dealing with a bright man, but it is just as obvious that this man is an extremist and fanatic. His ideas are threatening not only to the white population, but also to the non-Muslim part of it, which is still a majority in America as well as in the rest of the world. History has taught us that religious fanaticism never leads to rational actions. However, with all his extensive knowledge of history, Malcolm seems to overlook this particular fact, which leads people to acknowledge him as a threat to the society rather than a political leader who might bring some positive, long-awaited changes into it.

MALCOLM CONGOO

MALCOLM CONGOO

MALCOLM CONGOO