minorities did.
Recordings of Mr. Muhammad's speeches were now regularly being broadcast across America
over small radio stations. In Detroit and Chicago, school-age Muslim children attended our two
Universities of Islam-through high school in Chicago, and through junior high in Detroit. Starting
from kindergarten, they learned of the black man's glorious history and from the third grade they
studied the black man's original language, Arabic.
Mr. Muhammad's eight children now were all deeply involved in key capacities in the Nation of
Islam. I took a deep personal pride in having had something to do with that-at least in some
cases, years before. When Mr. Muhammad had sent me out in his service as a minister, I began
to feel it was a shame that his children worked as some of them then did for the white man, in
factories, construction work, driving taxis, things like that. I felt that I should work for Mr.
Muhammad's family as sincerely as I worked for him. I urged Mr. Muhammad to let me put on a
special drive within our few small mosques, to raise funds which would enable those of his
children working for the white man to be instead employed within our Nation. Mr. Muhammad
agreed, the special fund drive did prove successful, and his children gradually did begin working
for the Nation. Emanuel, the oldest, today runs the dry-cleaning plant. Sister Ethel (Muhammad)
Sharrieff is the Muslim Sisters' Supreme Instructor. (Her husband, Raymond Sharrieff, is
Supreme Captain of the Fruit of Islam.) Sister Lottie Muhammad supervises the two Universities
of Islam. Nathaniel Muhammad assists Emanuel in the dry-cleaning plant. Herbert Muhammad
now publishes Muhammad Speaks, the Nation's newspaper that I began. Elijah Muhammad,
Jr., is the Fruit of Islam Assistant Supreme Captain. Wallace Muhammad was the Philadelphia
Mosque Minister, until finally he was suspended from the Nation along with me-for reasons I will
go into. The youngest child, Akbar Muhammad, the family student, attends the University of Cairo
at El-Azhar. Akbar also has broken with his father.
I believe that it was too strenuous a marathon of long speeches that Mr. Muhammad made at our
big rallies which, abruptly, badly aggravated his long-bothersome bronchial asthmatic condition.
Just in conversation, Mr. Muhammad would suddenly begin coughing, and the coughing tempo
would increase until it racked his slight body.
Mr. Muhammad almost doubled up sometimes. Soon, he had to take to his bed. As hard as he
tried not to, as deeply as it grieved him, he had to cancel several long-scheduled appearances at
big-city rallies. Thousands were disappointed to have to hear me instead, or other poor
substitutes for Mr. Muhammad in person.
Members of the Nation were deeply concerned. Doctors recommended a dry climate. The Nation
bought Mr. Muhammad a home in Phoenix, Arizona. One of the first times I visited Mr.
Muhammad there, I stepped off a plane into flashing and whirring cameras until I wondered who
was behind me. Then I saw the cameramen's guns; they were from the Arizona Intelligence
Division.
The wire of our Nation of Islam brought all Muslims the joyful news that the Arizona climate did
vastly relieve the Messenger's suffering. Since then he has spent most of each year in Phoenix.
Despite the fact that Mr. Muhammad, convalescing, could no longer work the daily long hours he
had previously worked in Chicago, he was now more than ever burdened with heavy decisionmaking
and administrative duties. In every respect, the Nation was expanded both internally and
externally. Mr. Muhammad simply could no longer allot as much time as previously to considering
and deciding which public-speaking, radio, and television requests he felt I should accept-as well
as to some organizational matters which I had always brought to him for advice or decision.
Mr. Muhammad evidenced the depth of his trust in me. In those areas I've described, he told me
to make the decisions myself. He said that my guideline should be whatever I felt was wisewhatever
was in the general good interests of our Nation of Islam.
"Brother Malcolm, I want you to become well known," Mr. Muhammad told me one day. "Because
if you are well known, it will make me better known," he went on.
"But, Brother Malcolm, there is something you need to know. You will grow to be hated when you
become well known. Because usually people get jealous of public figures."
Nothing that Mr. Muhammad ever said to me was more prophetic.
darsice
(darsice)
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