I wonder what Malcolm X himself would think of his own framing as an American icon. A thoroughly international-minded leader, he would likely wince at the ongoing association of the term “Black Muslims” with the U.S.-based Muslims such as himself and Muhammad Ali… Today, the descendants of African Muslim ancestors in Asia, Europe, and the Americas have been joined by more recent African immigrants to create a diaspora of millions of black Muslims living outside of Africa. Though their lives are often marred by anti-black racism, their practice of Islamic religion is far more diverse than any focus on Nation of Islam and its heirs might suggest.

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