Compare And Contrast Malcolm X And Mahatma Gandhi

Most people think of Gandhi and Malcolm as huge cultural leaders. But they really don’t know how their ambitions were heard. Since they both had religious views this helped their words be spread throughout the country. Gandhi first started out as a Hindu who wanted to learn more about his culture. He decided to visit India and that is when major changes started. He was known as the father of India who freed India from the British. On the other hand Malcolm ‘s story started out with his childhood. His childhood home was burnt down by The KKK. In an article it states “When Malcolm was 6 years old, his father's body was found lying across the town's trolley tracks. The death was ruled accidental, but Malcolm believed his father had been killed

by white supremacists”(PBS, God in America). Even from the start Malcolm was learning more and more about racism. Just by this story he said in many speakings as a minister, he started to get several followers. Gandhi’s and Malcolm’s religious beliefs helped others follow their ambitions to change their views on racial equality because they reached crowds of followers.
Gandhi used nonviolent resistance to pursue his followers through religion.
He freed India from the British by using nonviolent resistance (was also called Pacifism), which is a faith that resists violence.

“...pacifists object to the unreasonable and destructive elements of war” (Chatfield, Pacifism). Pacifism was meant to establish a change in society. It also changed others views on the U.S. during World War one.“Pacifist groups opposed United States participation in World War I and supported conscientious objectors—people whose consciences do not let them take up arms during warfare” (Chatfield, Pacifism). Gandhi used pacifism during the time when he was trying to get India independent from the UK. A quote from an article states that “...he organized nonviolent disobedience to British laws that he believed were unfair” (Chatfield, Pacifism). This shows how he used pacifism at that time. The reason why he used pacifism was because it ”has been associated with such major religions as Buddhism, Hinduism, and Christianity” (Chatfield, Pacifism). His method was also used by Martin Luther King when he was trying to get equality for all African Americans in the U.S. It seems like everyone wants peace on earth. Since Pacifism is believed in his religion it help many Hindus follow

him.
Gandhi used a method called Satyagraha to attract more followers through religion.

While struggling for Independence, Gandhi use Satyagraha to fight back. He was trying to end the fight between Hindus and Muslims. The reason why was because, “He believed truth could be known only through tolerance and concern for others and that finding a truthful way to solutions required constant testing” (Sinha, Gandhi). “Gandhi developed a method of direct social action, based upon principles of courage, nonviolence, and truth, which he called Satyagraha” (Sinha, Gandhi). To show how he did this , “On Jan. 13, 1948, at the age of 78, Gandhi began his last fast. His purpose was to end the bloodshed among Hindu, Muslim, and other groups” (Sinha, Gandhi). Gandhi used religion by fasting to help other religious groups realize why they were fighting. He was trying to prove a point. By using his method he was trying to fight back peacefully using logic. His method was found in his religious views which helped him gain

followers.
Since Malcolm was an African American it helped him follow the religion Islam. When Malcolm told his life story, he became a speaker for the black Muslims. The religion Islam, he studied was followed by most African Americans. Malcolm was known as an “African American civil rights Activist” (Aleph, Malcolm X: the Religious Rebel). The concept that lead him to his career was, “While he was imprisoned he converted to Islam, and after receiving his conditional freedom he actively participated in the religion’s American ministry” (Aleph, Malcolm X: the Religious Rebel). His freedom helped him basically give him the power to do something that he was very passionate int. Malcolm was also somewhat sucked into religion. An article states, “The Nation of Islam attracted many followers, especially in prisons, where lost African Americans most looked for guidance”(Independence Hall Association, Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam). Malcolm first came to religion by being desperate to belong somewhere while in prison. Since Islam attracted African Americans in prisons he was bound to be apart of a religious group. Which helped him learn more about religion since there wasn’t much to do in prison. These concepts helped him gain more followers through religion.
When Malcolm became a religious speaker it helped him gain followers. Malcolm spread to African Americans that whites couldn’t be trusted. Malcolm promoted that the African Americans should create their own communities without the help of whites. He also aired on Our World Today and talked about slavery. Malcolm wants white people to understand that their views on African Americans can change the world forever. And turn everyone against each other which will ruin the “peace on earth” saying. Malcolm did this by saying, “Violence was not the only answer, but violence was justified in self-defense. Blacks should achieve what was rightfully theirs”("by any means necessary") (Independence Hall Association, Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam). “His philosophy laid the groundwork for later black pride movements, including the Black Panther Party”(PBS, God in America). If Malcolm didn’t become a minister he probably wouldn’t have as many followers. This is because religious groups make up a wide majority of the population. So he would then have less followers due to popularity in speaking.
Gandhi and Malcolm both used different types of violence. Gandhi approached violence as pacifism and Malcolm used violence in his method. There differences are compared through this quote, “Unlike Gandhi, for example, Malcolm X believed that Afro-American populations had to employ force to keep their freedom; despite these radical statements, his philosophy was based on the recognition of civil rights for everybody, as well as the freedom to practice any religion”(Aleph, Malcolm X: the Religious Rebel). The most interesting thing about them both is that they came to religion through their ethnic backgrounds. If Malcolm never have went to prison for burglary he probably wouldn’t have ever learned anything about Islam. The same thing goes for Gandhi, if he never visited the country of India he wouldn’t have tried to make the changes he did. But they couldn’t of spread their views without speaking through religion to gain more followers.