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“Playboy - May, 1963 PLAYBOY «IMTERVIEW: MALCOLM X a candid conversati(, ‘with the militant major-damo £° he black muslins "Within the past five years, the militant American Negro has become an increasing- ly active combatant in the struggle for civil rights. Espousing the goale of unquali- fied equality and integration, wany of these outspoken insurgents have participated is freedom rides and protest marches against their segregationist foes. Today, they face opposition from not one, but two inimical exponents of racism and segregation: the white supremacists and the Black Muslins. A relatively unknown and insignificant rad- ical religious Negro cult until a few years ago, the Musiims have grown into & Gedica- ted, diaciplined nationwide movement which runs its own echool, publishes its own news- paper, owns stores and resteurants in four major cities, buys broatcast tise on 50 radio stations throughout the country, stages mass rallies attended by partisan crowds of 10,000 and more, and maintains ita own police force of judo-treined athletes called the Fruit of Islam. Predicated on the proposition that the black man is morally, spiritually and in- tellectually superior to the white man, who is called a "devil," Muslim doctrine dooms him to extermination in an imminent Armageddon - along with Christianity itself, which is denounced as an opiate designed to lull Negroes ~ with the promise of heaven - into passive acceptance of inferior social status. Amalgamating elerents of Christianity and Mohammedanism (both of which officially and unequivocally disown it) and spiked with a black-supremacy version of Hitler's Aryan raciel theories, Muslimism vas founded in 1931 by Elijah Poole, 2 Georgie-bhorn ax-factory worker who today commands uncuas- tioning obedience from thousands of followers as the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, Mass- enger of Allah, At the right hand of God's Messenger stands 36-year-old Melcola Littia, a lanky onetime dining-car steward, bootlegger, pimp and dope pusher who left prison in 1952 co heed Muhammad's message, abandoned his “slave name," Little, for the sywbel- ic "XK" (meaning identity unknown), and took an oath to abstain thereafter from smoking, drinking, gambling, cursing, dancing and sexual promiscuity - as required of every Muslim. The ambitious young man rose swiftly to become the Messenger's most ardent and erudite disciple, and today wields all but absolute authority over the movement ar, trouble shooter, prime minister 25) eee eS SSeS eS and fte mamhaeshin ae Miuhkammadta hiuadnase mana ES BS Eee ee aS ayscieeaeaee RY Bee Be and heir apparent. In the belief thet knowledge and awareness are necessary and effective antitoxins against the venom of hate, PLAYBOY asked Malcolm X to submit toa cross-examination on the means and ends of his organization. The ensuing interview was conducted at # se- cluded table in a Harlem restaurant owned by the Muslims. Interrupting his replies occasionally with a sip of black African coffee and whispered asides to deferential aides, the dark-suited minister of Harlem's Muslim Temple Number Seven spoke with can- dor and ~ except for momenta of impassioned execration of all whites - the ersonal tans af «= seltwaccived caorvonvarion executive ay oe a to. st fe ta St PL of ex LONE OL B&B 814 “45SE5UT CU CULpPUratiuon SACLULLVEs | aa ea €F ) Oe ett ee lel a Many will be shocked by what he has to say; g-will be“outraged, Our own view is that this interview is both an eloquent atatbhménd Fafing A, f e ANS TNT of one noxious facet of rampant racism. As suchy Fa Reldtve r | yun i fA ida cipal NEL and reading. Merk set 1S PiAIO) AC oirie rik PLAYBOY: What is the ambition of the Balck Muslims}; j TY; £2 BY», HF MALCOIM X: Freedom, justice and equality are our principal anbditto Ard fo. fully serve and follow the Honorable Elijah Muhammad is the guiding g Al of eves Muslim. Mr. Muhammad teaches us the knowledge of our own selves, and of olx own-peopje. He cleans us up ~ morally, mentally and spiritually - and he reforms us of the vices that have blinded us here in the Western eociety. He stops black men from getting drunk, stops their dope addiction if they had it, stops nicotine, gambling, stealing, letas ehastina faenticatian aduttarw prostitution, juvenile delinquency. I think SJ MQ _ SEEMS, SV ewe, SSeS #8 wr t= esc of this whenever somebody talks about someone investigating us, Why investigate the Honorable Elijah Muhammad? They should subsidize him. He's cleaning up the mess that white men have made. He's saving the Coverment millions of dollars, taking black men off of velfare, showing them how to do something for themselves, And Mr. Muhammad teaches us love for our own kind, The white man has taught the biack people in tais ENCLOSURE ~~ . —