NEW YORK — The New York City Council on Thursday approved a plan to name a Harlem block in honor of Elijah Muhammad, the controversial late leader of the Nation of Islam.
The bid to name the intersection of West 127th Street and Malcolm X Boulevard as “The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad Way” proved the most contentious element of a City Council bill drawn up to tag honorary names on 129 public spaces in the city.
Muhammad, a Chicago religious leader who described white people as “devils,” is seen by some Americans as an inspirational figure for his work championing Black empowerment. But critics view him as a voice of racism and antisemitism. Muhammad died in 1975.
