Was Malcom X in the black power movement?

Question

Did Malcom X advocate 'ambitions of a 'state within a state'? and was the N.O.I. part of the black power movement? When Malcom X left the N.O.I. did he then advocate Martin Luther King type beliefs on integration? Essentially I am trying to find out whether Malcom X believed in integration or Black power / multi culturalism? thank you every one.

I have an essay deadline and just haven't been able to find a comprehensive answer to the question, as it seemed I was getting different answers in different places, but now I understand why. Thank you to both of you, for your answers.

Answer 1

During his time in ther NOI, he was part of the "Black Power" movement, for the NOI at that time taught not integration but instead the superiority of Blacks and separation from whites.
However, after his Haj pilgrimage to Mecca, Malcolm joined mainstream Islam, with this result:

"On April 19, he completed the Umrah, making the seven circuits around the Kaaba, drinking from the well of Zamzam and running between the hills of Safah and Marwah seven times. According to the Autobiography, on this trip Malcolm viewed Muslims of different races interacting as equals and came to believe that Islam conceivably could erase all racial problems.
ncreasingly though he did come to regret his involvement within the Nation of Islam and its tendency to promote racism as a blacks versus whites issue. In an interview with Gordon Parks in 1965 he revealed:
"I realized racism isn't just a black and white problem. It's brought bloodbaths to about every nation on earth at one time or another."
He stopped and remained silent for a few moments, then stated,
"Brother, remember the time that white college girl came into the restaurant -- the one who wanted to help the Muslims and the whites get together -- and I told her there wasn't a ghost of a chance and she went away crying?"
He also later reflected:
"Well, I've lived to regret that incident. In many parts of the African continent I saw white students helping black people. Something like this kills a lot of argument. I did many things as a [black] Muslim that I'm sorry for now. I was a zombie then -- like all [black] Muslims -- I was hypnotized, pointed in a certain direction and told to march. Well, I guess a man's entitled to make a fool of himself if he's ready to pay the cost. It cost me twelve years."
"That was a bad scene, brother. The sickness and madness of those days -- I'm glad to be free of them."

Answer 2

Malcolm X was a Bogey man of the sixties, but in retrospect he was a black mand trying to haul his people out of the morass they were in after hundreds of years of virtual, and indeed, actual enslavement. He was one of the few people at that time, black or white, who could see that his people were still in that 'black' and therefore 'inferior' mindset. Understandable! Hundreds of years of slavery HAD to leave it's mark on both the enslavers and the enslaved. He was a remarkable man, but flawed, as everybody is. His embracing Islam was more an act of rejection of the religion of whites than anything else.

Answer 3

Malcolm X was initially in favor of "black power," yes. Read his autobiography and you'll see that he argues that it is ridiculous for blacks to rely on their former oppressors to give them equality and that they should demand it and build themselves up.

The Nation of Islam still advocates this.

Malcolm X went on a hajj (trip to Mecca required of all Muslims who can make it) and changes his name to Al-Hajj Malik Al-Shabazz (sp?) not long before his assasination. It is said that while on his hajj, he came to a better understanding of what Islam was and he decided that he needed to modify some of his earlier statements and positions.

He was in the process of clarifying his position when he was killed. Some say that it was because of his change in position that he was killed by people within the N.O.I. Others say that he was killed by the government.

Anyway, Malcolm X, before his hajj, believed in black self-reliance and did not consider the use of violence in the struggle for equality as something out of bounds. He is normally contrasted with MLK on that point. Malcolm X saw that the use of violence could be justified in the struggle for civil rights, while MLK rejected violence.

After his hajj, he was less intolerent of white assistance in the struggle and less likely to advocate violence.

Answer 4

http://search.eb.com/blackhistory/article-9050305