"UNITY -- NOT VENGEANCE," SAYS COMPANION OF MALCOLM X
In an interview published in the March 8 issue of the New York socialist weekly The Militant, James Shabazz, personal secretary of Malcolm X, indignantly scored the charge that members of the martyred leader's organization were seeking revenge for their leader's death.
"Intelligent people," he said, "realize that the tremendous power structure that exists in the United States and throughout the world came into being by dividing people, who had just grievances,
one against the other so the forces of oppression could control both. Thus we understand why the power structure would utilize any opportunity to try to give the impression that we are..fighting one another instead of our common enemy.
"But Brother Malcolm died for the concept of unity of Afro- Americans and other peoples of African descent. We are concerned with furthering the concept for which he died -- a unity of Afro- American peoples and people of African origin in other parts of the world, and a unity of American Muslims with Muslims throughout the world -- not with fighting, black militant against black militant, while our oppressor stands by laughing.”
Asked about the charges in the press that supporters of Male colm X were responsible for the burning of the Nation of Islam Mosque in Harlem, James Shabazz offered the following comment:
"This is reminiscent of the Reichstag Fire incident in Germany where the Nazis burned down the Reichstag themselves in order | to justify oppressing peonle later on. The power structure is trying to create pretexts now that will justify oppressive measures which they already plan to put into force against all the militant elements in the struggle for liberation in this country.
"Therefore, it doesn't surprise us, after the journalistically created 'blood-brothers' hoax and the Statue-of-Liberty fiasco, that the power structure is again attempting to create a basis to justify further oppressive measures which it has been planning to use against the militant people who are seeking freedom from oppression,"
While Shabazz spoke personally and not in an official capacity for either the Muslim Mosque, Inc., or the Organization of Afro- American Unity, he vigorously emphasized the views of the founder of the two organizations, citing a tape recording made by Malcolm X shortly before his death in which the militant leader said he was certain his followers would not seek retaliation. (The tape record-~ ing has been repeated on radio programs. )
"Brother Malcolm died teaching a concept of a unity of oppressed people. Oppressed people cannot achieve unity by fighting against one another while the real culprit, who pits them one against the other, stands back and smiles. Brother Malcolm's assassination must be viewed in terms of the forces that ordered it rather than in terms of the tools that perpetrated the act.
"It was not simply coincidental that he was assassinated after having been refused admittance to France and after an attempt had been made to prevent him from re-entering England, two countries which -- like the United States -- are world powers that have tremendous populations of peoples of African origin and Muslims, all of whom are oppressed -- truly a thorn in the side of a power structure determined to go to war in Asia against other non-white peoples,"
on Gon
The correctness of the appeal made by James Shabazz for unity in face of the sinister forces that stand.to gain by pitting sectors of Afro-Americans and Muslims against each other, is being underlined by the strange way the police have proceeded in investigating the assassination of Malcolm X.
When James Shabazz and Francis Reuben, another of Malcolm X's closest associates, went to police headquarters in response to a re-_ quest to explain why they thought they did not need police protection, both of them were detained and then Francis Reuben was arrested. Although he was unarmed he was charged with "felonious assault" and violation of the Sullivan Act (possession of a gun -=- a serious charge in New York). The police claimed that a witness had identified him as a bodyguard of Malcolm X who had shot one of the killers in the leg! Because of this wound, the slayer was captured by the police.
The Militant also reports that three other followers of Malcolm X have been charged under the Sullivan Act. Police broke into an apartment where John 57X, Cyril 2X-and Willie Hilton were visiting. The police claimed. that they found a shotgun in.the apartment and so they arrested the three for being in the "presence" of the firearm,
An appeal has been made’ for financial contributions to help in the legal defense of Reuben Francis. The address is as follows:
Reuben Francis
Organization of Afro-American Unity
Hotel Theresa
2090 Seventh Avenue
New York, N.Y. 10027