Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Of Africans and Israelites

Strangely enough, I recently happened upon seeing the film about Malcolm X (entitled, of course, Malcolm X).

I have always been impressed by X and some other influential members of the NOI (Nation of Islam) organization, but his particular story is not just the story of ‘Homo-Africanus’, or ‘Homo-Sapienus’, but of ‘Homo-Religiosus’ as well. It is the story of inspiration, of disillusionment and of starting anew. So, while I do respect the sincerity of what he and his followers and affiliates preach, I also think it is lamentable that X himself and leaders who follow in a similar spirit to that of Mr. X, such as his opponent Mr. Louis Farrakhan, see the Jew in very much the same light as they see the Anglo-Saxon. It is lamentable that these leaders of the 40's and 50's overlooked even the holocaust as an example of how we are just as downtrodden as they in the eyes of the European Man. X claimed that his nation was mistreated by Anglo-Americans as well as by Jews, but that mistreatment stemmed from a mutual misunderstanding and was relatively recent. In essence the Jew has been very much in the same boat as the African in America. This is also concurrent with the racial theme of the movement, since the hatred of the Aryan towards the Jew is (supposedly) because he is a Semite; someone who comes from the same middle east that the founders of the religions that X so much respected originated from.

So while on the one hand I would rather the African, and for that matter the Arabian saw the Jew as their kin, I’m also happy when the Aryan sees Jewesses like 'Alyssa Silverstone' and say, "perhaps these Jews are not so foreign", but then again, there is nothing 'Jewish' about such people, so what does it help.

Now, it is true that Jews, as part-and-parcel of European and Colonial American society were in charge of slave operations in America and perhaps caused much distress to the Africans brought here, but the Jews were part of every society; African society as well. So it's obviously wrong to lump all Jews together for such past events, and definitely not to lump them with the Europeans.

In regards to the future of the African in America: To me it is clear to me that while the Afro-American in the 21st century is not as concerned about the kinds of things that concerned X, due in part to new migrations of foreigners to this land which have placed the Afro-American in a place of more stability in this land, it seems to me that "the vices that were planted in the hearts of the African by the White Devil" have far from been removed, and he lets the hour of his salvation pass him and be given to others. It is given instead to the Indian and to the Asian, not because the African is discriminated against anymore, but because he has become so accustomed to his downtroddenness that he can no longer remove himself from vice and take advantage of the opportunities afforded the privileged citizens of this land.

2 comments:

Jessica said...

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C said...

Tagged you....