8/4/2024
Though B. R. Ambedkar and Malcolm X belonged to different time periods and their fields of work were separate, one could find many similarities between the two leaders. Keeping in view the profundity of their work and the legacy they left behind, it might not be an easy task to compare the two great leaders in a blog post. I, nevertheless, make an attempt in this blog to draw similarities in their worldviews and methods of action.
Both were firebrand leaders, and both believed in radical action to address inequalities and oppression in their societies. They did not believe in quiet acquiescence to the oppressive systems – rigid and exploitative caste system in case of Ambedkar, and racial injustice in case of Malcolm X – and fought valiantly, against the dominant systems prevalent in their times. Both of them were leaders of the masses, and they believed in a radical mass movement. None of them believed in slow, gradual, change, but the transformation of their societies through mass agitation, rallying equal minded people against the dominant system of inequality and oppression.
Both locked horns with some of the popular leaders of their times. Ambedkar questioned Gandhi’s method of social reform. Gandhi believed in the relevance of Varnashrama, a hierarchical Hindu social order, and made a case that it could operate well in the society without its rigid and exploitative nature. His movements for removal of untouchability, the ideal of Harijan, and his tours all over India to fight exploitative caste system had, undoubtedly, adherents, but Ambedkar questioned the Gandhian ontology on caste. Gandhi essentially believed that in the Varnashrama hierarchy Brahmins are the top, and then comes Kshatriyas and so on, and Ambedkar questioned this very hierarchy. If I remember correctly, in the movie Ambedkar, there is a scene in which Ambedkar shows his four fingers in a reverse order, implying why the lower caste in Gandhi’s scheme could not be at the top of the hierarchy. Here, Ambedkar made perfect sense as there could not be any refutation to this on a logical ground. His book ‘Annihilation of Caste’ made a forceful argument against the caste system. Ambedkar also termed Gandhian eagerness to build rapprochement between Hindus and Muslims as ‘tenacious quest for Hindu-Muslim unity.’ Gandhi was willing to go the extra mile to be the ‘best cement’ between Hindus and Muslims.
Like Ambedkar, Malcolm X was against Martin Luther King, Jr.’s civil rights movement, which was inspired by Gandhian nonviolence, and based on the belief that mutual understanding and peaceful protests could bring desired results. It is no secret that King, Jr. was an admirer of Gandhi and even had visited Gandhi’s Ashram in India to draw inspiration. Like Gandhi, King, Jr. believed that the struggle for civil rights could be successful through peaceful protests. His marches in Selma, Montgomery and ‘I have a dream’ speech in Washington D. C. reflected his approach to racial injustice in the United States of America. But Malcolm X was a strong critic of King, Jr. and even taunted his collaboration with white Americans, criticizing how King, Jr. was financially supported by the White people. For Malcolm X, King, Jr. ‘s advocacy of nonviolence for black Americans is equivalent to making them ‘defenseless’. In contrast to King, Jr., Malcolm X believed only a violent revolution could change the exploitative system and bring equality, whether civic or political, to the black people in the United States. He was known for these famous words: “There will be no skulduggery, no flim-flam. No compromise, no sell out, no controlled show.”
Both at the height of their frustration at the exploitative system, and the lack of desired reform in the system, decided to change their religions. Interestingly, both decided to stay within their larger religious traditions – Ambedkar within the Dharmic religious tradition and Malcolm X within the Abrahamic religious tradition. Before changing his religion, Ambedkar explored various options including the option of Islam, but finally opted for Buddhism. Buddhism emerged in the ancient India and questioned the socioreligious practices of that time. Though Buddha himself was a prince and enjoyed all royal pomp he decided to leave everything to lead social reform. Ambedkar concluded that only Buddhism could provide true answer to the exploitative caste system, and following this conviction he along with a large section of his followers embraced Buddhism. Malcolm X had a similar reasoning. He believed that Christianity despite great teachings is actually not helping much to address the racial inequality in America. In one of his interviews he argued that Christianity preaches brotherhood but it does not practice it, whereas Islam preaches and practices brotherhood. Like Ambedkar who believed in the transformative power of Buddhism, Malcolm X believed in the transformative power of Islam and thought that only via Islam the racial inequality in America could be addressed.
Both Ambedkar and Malcolm X were profound leaders. They shaped politics and society of their times. Not only that, one could see the impact of their vision and work in our contemporary times. The recent debates in the current Indian politics about caste census, or the rise of assertive movements against the vestiges of casteism, could be traced to Ambedkar. Similarly, the rise of protest movements in America, particularly during and after the George Floyd incident, could be, at least partly, traced to Malcolm X.
