Lewis V. Baldwin

Malik El-Shabazz (Malcolm X) and Martin Luther King, Jr. are certainly among the most politically influential religious leaders of the twentieth century and, arguably, among the most misunderstood. This collaborative effort between between two scholars, one Muslim and one Christian, counters the image of Martin as a passive preacher and of Malcolm as a radical extremist, as well as the perception that their thinking was irreconcilably opposed. The essays included in this volume will guide readers to a deeper understanding of the revolutionary significance of Martin's thought and the philsophical seriousness of Malcolm's--and of the convergence of the two in a radical critique of American culture and the racism, classism, and sexism it has spawned. Amiri Al-Hadid is particularly concerned to locate Malcolm in an orthodox Sunni tradition and to illustrate how that tradition informed the radical critique Malcolm was articulating near the end of his life, after his separation from the Nation of Islam. Both Baldwin and Al-Hadid depict Malcolm and Martin as figures whose maturing religious insight and conviction formed and was formed by their political engagement. This is an accessible collection that should reach a broad audience--a good introduction not only to the thought of King and Shabazz but also to Islam and the potentially creative interplay of religion and politics in both Islam and Christianity. Perhaps most important, the collaboration between Baldwin and Al-Hadid is a model of interreligious dialogue--particularly timely in the current climate.… (meer)