The Trials of Muhammad Ali Page #3

that would free the minds and

hearts and spirit of our people.

So he became a follower

of the Nation of Islam.

Black people at that time

were tremendously vulnerable.

Remember, we had no... There was really

no advocate for the black community...

other than Martin Luther King

and the civil rights movement.

But we wanted to overcome

yesterday, not someday.

So the whole

civil rights motif...

was not attractive to us.

The overalls and the Southern

agrarian accoutrement...

that they were fond of,

this rubbed us the wrong way.

I mean, we were city guys,

you know.

We wanted to look cool

and urbane.

We didn't want to act as if we

were farm workers, you know.

1962,

I took Cassius Clay to Detroit.

I kind of introduced him

to Malcolm at that time.

It is time for you and me

to stand up for ourselves.

The Honorable Elijah Muhammad

teaches us...

don't let the white man

speak for you...

and don't let the white man

fight for you.

I think Malcolm

X was absolutely critical...

to bringing Ali in

to the Nation of Islam.

He was charismatic and Ali

was equally charismatic.

And Ali was not very

sophisticated politically.

I think Malcolm simply bowled him over

with his wisdom and his eloquence.

Egypt was judged

for enslaving the Hebrews.

God destroyed them.

This was the Judgment Day in their day.

Today, America's faced

with the same thing.

If she doesn't let us go with the Honorable

Elijah Muhammad out of this country,

then America will be destroyed just

as surely as Egypt was destroyed...

and Babylon was destroyed.

I came into the

Nation of Islam in 1950.

The minister

was talking about...

this cross...

that black people

had been nailed to.

Said their hands had been nailed to the

cross where they couldn't use them...

to work for themselves.

Their feet had been nailed

to this cross...

where they couldn't travel

as free men.

A crown of thorns had been

crushed into their brain...

where they were unable

to think for themselves.

And at that moment,

it appeared as though that...

you know,

when you turn a light on...

bling, it clicked on

in my head.

The Nation of Islam will say,

"Well, this is white America.

Why should they include you?

This is their country. Um, don't expect

to be included in their mythology.

Create your own mythology."

One of the reasons why

we could never progress...

is because we had been indoctrinated

by a culture that demeaned us.

Christianity was widely interpreted

to be a slave-making religion.

Islam was seen to be

a slave-breaking religion.

Greetings to you.

I'm Elijah Muhammad, the preacher

of freedom, justice and equality...

for my people who has been lost

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