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MINISTER LOUIS FARRAKHAN Sets The Record Straight About His Relationship With MALCOLM X - Interview
Jet, June 5, 2000 by Clarence Waldron
Minister Louis Farrakhan loves to talk about his great friend and mentor, the late leader Malcolm X.
They shared a very close friendship that became complicated as the years went by.
The subject of their relationship remains one of the most talked-about and misunderstood relationships in modern Black history.
And Farrakhan believes a recent joint interview he did with Malcolm X's eldest daughter, Attallah Shabazz, on "60 Minutes" has renewed that misunderstanding and added fuel to that fire.
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Farrakhan and many of his supporters believe the interview was edited in such a way to give viewers the impression that Farrakhan had a role in Malcolm's death by words he wrote in the Nation of Islam's newspaper, Muhammad Speaks, years ago. In fact, some newspapers ran stories about the "60 Minutes" interview with headlines like "Farrakhan Admits Role In Malcolm's Death."
Malcolm X was gunned down by three members of the Nation of Islam as he gave a speech at Harlem's Audubon Ballroom on Feb. 21, 1965. The three men were convicted in the slaying.
On a recent morning, Farrakhan opened up his Chicago home--and his heart--as he talked passionately to JET about Malcolm X and set the record straight about their relationship.
Farrakhan was frank and candid throughout the interview. What was supposed to have been the standard 30-minute interview easily lasted more than an hour. It was a no-holds-barred interview. Farrakhan did not hold back and was forthright in all of his answers. He answered all questions--no matter how painful, no matter how personal.
"He was my mentor, my teacher, a marvelous example to me of what a man should be,' Farrakhan says of Malcolm X.
"He was straightforward," he continues. "Honest, disciplined, courageous, all those wonderful things that I thought I would like to see in myself and in others."
Farrakhan, the head of the Nation of Islam, says his love for Malcolm X stemmed from Malcolm's love and care for the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, former leader of the Nation of Islam.
"I loved Elijah Muhammad with a love that I can't adequately describe. Because as a youngster I longed to see the Black man free and I longed to see anyone stand up for us. When I saw and heard Elijah Muhammad, I saw the man that my soul had longed for. So I fell in love with Malcolm because to me, he was the greatest helper of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. He was the most articulate, he was the best organizer. He was the most disciplined advocate. So I loved him for that. And I was willing to give my life at any time to protect the life of a man who I felt and believed was so important to the message and the mission of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad."
Farrakhan's friendship with Malcolm X changed when Malcolm X revealed to the national press that the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, then the leader of the Nation of Islam, had extramarital affairs. Farrakhan says what angered him was that Malcolm did not stand by Muhammad and "refused to defend his teacher, but opened him up to slander and ridicule."
Farrakhan was angry with Malcolm for revealing such allegations about Muhammad's personal life and a bitter feud ensued.
The "60 Minutes" interview was four hours long, but less than 10 minutes was shown, Farrakhan says. Farrakhan believes if the public is ever given a chance to see the entire four hours, they would understand his position.
He said the joint interview with Ms. Shabazz was an effort to form a public reconciliation with Malcolm's family. Shabazz is a friend of "60 Minutes" co-host Mike Wallace and asked Farrakhan to join her on the news show.
Shabazz's mother, Dr. Betty Shabazz, who died in 1997, had publicly accused Farrakhan of a role in Malcolm X's murder. She reconciled with him after her daughter Qubilah was charged in 1994 with plotting to hire a hitman to kill him. The charges were later dropped.
After Farrakhan saw the "60 Minutes" piece he came to believe that "60 Minutes" co-host Mike Wallace's "aim was not to foster the process of atonement and reconciliation started by Dr. Betty Shabazz and myself." He feels the show's intent was "to show Farrakhan as the instigator behind the tragic assassination of Brother Malcolm and that was what disturbed me about the whole piece. The way they edited our words, not Ms. Shabazz's words, so much, but mine."
He adds, "It seemed to me that he (Wallace) wanted the American public and the world public to see me in my remorse over words that I had written or spoken that might have contributed to the atmosphere or did contribute to the atmosphere that may have caused his (Malcolm's) untimely demise. Not that I regret saying what I believed to be the truth, but I regret anything that I might have written or spoken that could have been used in a way to help to foster that atmosphere out of which came the loss of life of Brother Malcolm."
He maintains, "So I believed Mr. Wallace wanted to use that posture of mine to indicate to his audience that I felt guilt for the murder of Brother Malcolm and I thought this was pretty vicious."
