"We are all children of Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali"
US activist Shaykh Khalid Yasin, one of the symbols of the struggle against racism in the USA and a litigation friend of the world-famous boxer Muhammad Ali, said, "We are all children of Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali."
Yasin, who came to Istanbul to give a conference upon the invitation of the Istanbul Foundation for Science and Culture, answered the questions of the AA correspondent.
Yasin, who describes himself as a senior African-American Muslim activist, has dedicated the last 35 years of his life to dispelling distortions and misconceptions about Islam and Muslims.
During this time, Yasin gave lectures in about 90 countries and was instrumental in the conversion of many people to Islam.
"Malcolm X was like a caterpillar that turned into a butterfly, he only flew for a few months"
When asked about Malcolm X, Yasin replied, "He was one of the most dynamic, impressive, outspoken people who influenced the world in the last four months of his life."
"Watching the film and talking about the person are two different things. Reading his autobiography and talking about him are two different things," Yasin said:
"To the best of my ability, I met Malcolm X, El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, in January 1965, after he had actually become a Muslim. In February he was assassinated. If you ask me to describe his life, Malcolm X was like a caterpillar that turned into a butterfly, he only flew for a few months."
Yasin said that Malcolm X acted as a catalyst for many people like himself to discover Islam and become Muslims.
"Martin Luther King was never a Malcolm X"
Stating that Malcom X dedicated his life to his cause, Yasin said that he was once a criminal, but thanks to his sincerity, he became a very pure person.
Yasin said, "No drinking, no drugs, no dancing, no singing, no smoking. He was a very disciplined, very focussed, very effective, very sincere, very deep thinker, even though he was not a devout worshipper. Malcolm X went on pilgrimage around November 1964, before that he was a different person. From November that year to February 1965, he became a butterfly."
Yasin stated that there are two periods for African Americans as "before Malcolm X" and "after Malcolm X" and said that Martin Luther King could never be a Malcolm X, although he was a very valuable person and more educated than him.
"In his prime he was more popular than the Pope"
Yasin stated that he had the opportunity to meet face to face with Malcolm X only once a few months before his assassination, and that he and Muhammad Ali were very close friends and went on pilgrimage together twice.
Yasin said the following about Muhammad Ali:
"He was two different people in his life. One was the Muhammad Ali of boxing, of show business. The other was Muhammad Ali, who was very humble, very honest, a very good gentleman and a very clever diplomat. In his prime, he was more popular than the Pope. More people in the world knew him than the Pope. As a personality, he was warm, intelligent, principled, a true Muslim. He was not a very sophisticated Muslim, but he was pure-hearted and principled."
Yasin said, "We are all children of Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali. Not directly, but we all have a part of us, a love for Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali, and by 'all of us' I mean all African-Americans. They both impacted the world in a very unique way."
"A criminal can never sleep well"
Yasin, who also evaluated the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, said, "This is an ongoing issue. It is not something that happened yesterday and will not stop until Al-Aqsa Mosque returns to the hands of those who should manage it."
"A criminal can never sleep in peace. A criminal can never sleep in a house that does not belong to him, that he took from someone else." Yasin said that he never applauded what happened and that God does not like killing and that Israel committed a crime by occupying Palestine and entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Yasin said:
"I think the Muslim world is starting to wake up. It is beginning to pull itself together. When Muslims return to themselves, return to obedience, return to the Holy Quran and the love and behaviour of the Prophet, Allah will make many people love them and Allah will give them back their dignity."
"If there is a ship, there is a captain"
Pointing out that the Muslim world needs a state that will be respected and will not be subject to anyone when it sits at the table, Yasin said: "The Muslim world needs a model, a social model. The Muslim world needs a leader who does not need to be perfect or super religious, but a leader who is respected, skilful, outspoken and openly says 'We are Muslims'."
Yasin underlined that discipline, resources and respect are required to react, and that Turkey has had these in recent times, and concluded his remarks as follows:
"If there is an aeroplane, there is a pilot. If there is a ship, there is a captain. If there is a team, there is a coach. When you see something extraordinary happening, you have to look at the person who is in a leadership position and that is not difficult for me at all. I am not Asian, I am not African, I am not Arab, but if there is one person who I believe is almost the strongest and most respected Muslim leader in the world today, it is Mr (President Recep Tayyip) Erdoğan."
