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Malcolm X remembered on 40th anniversary of death
Vaishali Kirpekar
Daily Staff Writer
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Tyson Mustafa Ameer, a former San Jose State University student, spoke about the role of Malcolm X in the history of black Americans on Feb. 11.
"To understand Malcolm, one needs to go deep into the role of Muslims in transatlantic slave trade," Mustafa Ameer said.
He gave a historical background of the spread of Islam from Africa to America, describing how enslaved Africans brought Islam to America in the 1700s.
"Malcolm said that America needs to understand Islam because this is the one religion that erases the racial problems from its society," Mustafa Ameer said. "Malcolm's death happened far too soon. He had joined the religious organization, the Nation of Islam, led by Elijah Mohammed, who taught that white society actively worked to keep African-Americans suppressed."
He said the assassination of Malcolm X gave a lot of focus to Islam in black American history.
Jennifer Rycenga, a professor in comparative religious studies, was present for the discussion and explained the significance of Malcolm X, referring to his life as an "American story."
"He went through social and cultural changes," Rycenga said. "His father was killed by the white supremacist organization. Malcolm became a criminal, exposed to Jazz and Harlem. Malcolm was a minister and national spokesman for the Nation of Islam. His is a very American story, like the Horatio Alger one - a rags to riches story."
Mustafa Ameer, who wears the "koufi" - a Muslim cap - along with loose jeans and a careless denim jacket, said he converted to Islam.
"But I love my basketball and rap," he said.
Mustafa Ameer's great-great-grandfather, Bartlett Flemister, worked as a slave on a plantation in the early 1800s.
"My father used to tell me about African Muslim history," he said.
Mustafa Ameer said watching the movie "Malcolm X" at 10 years old awakened him to think about his identity.
Like Mustafa Ameer, Ewell Kameron Collins, a television, radio, film and theatre minor, said he converted to Islam.
"From the place where I come from, violence, gangs abound and Christianity or church could not help me do the good that I wanted to do, in spite of everything, and my mom used to tell me that I had to go to church," Kameron Collins said. "When I follow Ramadan, my mom keeps a glass of milk ready for me early morning."
Mustafa Ameer criticized the media for their stereotypical representation of Islam.
"The new (show) on Fox's '24' shows Muslims as terrorists - why?" he said. "I am a Muslim, but I am against violence."
"I am American, I teach Islam and I believe in broader truth - I care about plurality of religions," Rycenga said. "Islam's misrepresentation in America is a willful ignorance of Americans. Timothy McVeigh was persecuted in June 2001 for the Oklahoma City bombings, which killed 168 innocents. He disliked Jews and blacks and considered himself as the warrior-avenger, a hero. Why don't we see a misrepresentation of a violent heavily racialized Christian right, which believes that Jews, blacks and other such minorities descended from the devil?"
Other faculty and students felt that the racism that existed during Malcolm X's time still exists today.
"People don't believe why somebody black like me wants to be an engineer," said Akili Anderson, a senior majoring in electrical engineering and the president of the Black Alliance of Scientists and Engineers. "When you walk into a shop, people assume you don't have money or cops take you in, it has happened to my friends. My father tells me that I have to work harder than others because I am black."
Akili said he disagreed with the modern "institutionalized racism."
"It is more covert than overt. For example, the Patriot Act, which makes it possible to detain people without any evidence," Akili said.
Natasha Lovelace, a psychology major and president of the Black Student Union, spoke on the significance of Malcolm X.
"Equality activism is practiced even today," Lovelace said. "For example, recently, the Black Student Union and African American faculty and staff members had a march to protest the firing of SJSU minority workers."
Politically active students spoke about politics and religion, in the context of Malcolm X. Ahmad Chapman, a senior majoring in political science and president of College Democrats, said religion and politics are tools used by government.
"The constitution says that religion does not play a role in politics," Chapman said. "The Constitution is founded on Judeo-Christian principles. But the government practices it in a way that suits it. For example, terrorism - I would rather face terrorism than have the government look over my shoulder all the time."
"Although most Republicans are Christians, I can feel comfortable being both the leader of a politically conservative organization and an agnostic," said Megan Brill, a senior majoring in history and chair of SJSU College Republicans.
She said religion is a dividing factor just like race was in Malcolm X's time.
"There is nothing wrong with being proud of your religion," Brill said. "However, it is wrong to use religion as a discriminating factor. Americans are far removed from Mid-East conflict and tend to point fingers at an entire religious group. But more and more people are getting educated about Islam's customs."
Cobie Harris, an associate professor of political science, spoke about religion and conflict.
"Religion was a social-cohesive force to keep a community together," Harris said. " In those times, white man's heaven was black man's hell. Islam developed a feeling of resistance in suppressed people. People derived the notion of justice from Islam. In Islam, there is no white or black. The African Americans living in the times of slavery felt that the Christian religion had a white God with blue eyes and golden hair."
He said Malcolm X was instrumental in turning the urban blacks to Islam.
"He wanted to reduce hatred and be proud of his black descent," Harris said.
But not all agree with Malcolm X's contributions.
"I don't quite understand all these fraternities, sororities, etc.," said Shanelle Cotton, a senior majoring in anthropology. "People who change faiths are, perhaps, lost. They lack a family structure and need a new belief system."
Cotton said she is not a perfect Baptist, but her foundation and principles come from religion.
On Malcolm, she said, "I am born in the same place as him. When I think of him, I question why and how can violence that he used serve a cause of peace? Maybe his assassination was some covert agenda by the American government."
She said her grandmother worked in Mississippi cleaning up white people's houses.
"She moved to Omaha later," she said. "It took her 40 years to get herself to visit Mississippi again. That was the impact racism had on her."
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