People who feel they have nothing will seek out anything, and that is precisely what occurred in the late 1960s and early 70s in the United States as whole communities of Black Americans shifted their beliefs to the teachings of Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam: a radical and racially charged Afro-centric religious movement that drew from Islam but differed from global orthodoxies, borne out of American racial struggle. For many Black Americans who did not feel safe or accepted in the rigid and white dominated structures of the United States, the Nation of Islam was an outlet for community and self-empowerment. As the social concept of black empowerment was spreading in the United States, the racial framing of Islam as a path to power and self-determination was incredibly attractive, profoundly contributing to the rise of the Nation of Islam. As the main mouthpiece for the Nation, Malcolm X preached the teachings of Elijah Muhammad, and contributed to the conflation of Islam with the Nation, presenting Islam through a radicalized and politically charged lens. Although this presentation did not reflect the global faith of Islam, it contributed significantly to the association of Islam in the United States with insurgency, racial tensions, and radicalism; a legacy that echoes into todayβs world.
Writing Question: Is the tone of the essay too strong or appropriate given the subject?
