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Chapter Seventeen  

Frankfurt; Cairo; Mecca. Malcolm had wanted to make a pilgrimage to Mecca for a long time. Being sincere in considering himself a Muslim, he wanted learn about true Islam. Malcolm had be told by many to meet and talk with Dr. Mahmoud Youssef Shawarbi. Mr. Shawarbi was a United Nations advisor, and the Director of the Federation of Islamic Associations in the U.S. and Canada. Malcolm met Mr. Shawarbi when he was applying for a visa to go to Mecca.
Mr. Shawarbih approved of the trip and gave Malcolm a book: 'The Eternal Message of Muhammad' by Adb-ar-Rahman Azzam. To Malcolm's surprise, Mr. Shawarbi informed him that Mr. Azzam had been closely following him in the press. Mr. Azzam was an international statesman, and one of the closest advisors to Prince Faisal, the ruler of Arabia. As Malcolm was leaving, Mr. Shawarbi gave him the telephone number of his son-Muhammad Shawarbi who was a student in Cario. He also gave him Mr. Azzam's sons telephone number Mr. Azzam's son-Omar Azzam who lived in Jedda.
On the way to Cairo, Malcolm's plane stopped at Frankfurt. At Frankfurt, he had a few hours before his plane would leave for Cairo. So he and his seatmate, a fellow Muslim, decided to go sight seeing. When Malcolm and his 'Muslim brother' came back to the Airport, they saw throngs of people, all Muslims setting off for the pilgrimage. These people were of various different colors. For the first time Malcolm realized that there was no color problem here. The feeling of friendship and warmth that prevailed between the Muslims of various nationalities made Malcolm feel free. Free from the prison-like atmosphere he was living in back home.
Malcolm arrived in Cairo and decided to stay a few days before he proceeded to Saudi. In Cairo, Malcolm was really impressed and surprised to see that Cairo was highly industrialized and modern. Malcolm also met Mr. Shawarbi's son Muhammad Shawarbi, who was studying Economics and Political Science at the University of Cairo. The other people he met in Cairo were surprised to learn that he was a Muslim-from America.
From Cairo he joined a party of English speaking people who were going to Mecca. This group of people were contacted by the Muslim Malcolm befriended in the journey from the U.S. to Frankfurt. The manner in which people turned up to help Malcolm on his way to Mecca, truly astonished him. At Jeddah, when Malcolm was detained at the Airport because his status as a Muslim was not clear, he was helped by Mr. Azzam, and his son.
From there Malcolm arrives at Mecca for the pilgrimage. Completing the various ceremonies over the next few days. The days spent at Mecca really shaped his new thought process. At Mecca all the Muslims were treated the same. Race was not an issue. He learned how kind a white man could being, causing to release whites where not evil. It was America that was the problem.
At the end of the pilgrimage, he wrote to all his friends who had helped him in his journey to the Holy Land of Mecca. He also wrote an open letter to be distributed to the press in the U.S. The letter speaks about the experiences he had on the way to Mecca and the conclusion he had come to. He states in the letter that, for the past eleven days, he had eaten, drunk, and prayed along with his fellow Muslims-Muslims whose eyes were blue and whose hair. was blonde and whose skin was white. Yet, he was treated one among them praying to the one and the same God-Allah. He adds that their belief in one God had 'removed the 'white' from their minds the 'white' from their behavior, and the 'white' from their attitude.'