The Political Theology of Malcolm X

Malcolm X’s (or El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz) life, political and social activism, religion, and their various impacts on the Civil Rights movement in the U.S. and beyond are attracting renewed scholarly attention, more then a half a century after his assassination. His political message has reached a wide variety of audiences inspiring numerous social activist groups across the globe. A large part of this message included his repeated calls for freedom, justice and equality of the dispossessed. Malcolm X’s political heritage is therefore much wider and varied than the American cultural and race politics. Marginalized groups around the world – from Sir Lanka, South Africa, Turkey and Egypt to the UK, Brazil, Malaysia and Sweden – are inspired by his radical critique of power structures and his ability to articulate their common grievances.