Who is Qubilah Shabazz? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Qubilah Bahiyah Shabazz

Age: 63 Years, 63 Year Old Females

Family:

father: Malcolm X

mother: Betty Shabazz

siblings: Attallah Shabazz, Gamilah Lumumba Shabazz, Ilyasah Shabazz, Malaak Shabazz, Malikah Shabazz

children: Malcolm Shabazz

Family Members American Women

Ancestry: Grenadian American

U.S. State: New Yorkers

More Facts

education: Princeton University, University Of Paris

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Childhood & Early Life

Qubilah Shabazz was born on December 25, 1960, in Queens, New York City, New York, to Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz. After the assassination of her father, Qubilah and her family moved to New York City where she grew up along with her five sisters.

When she was very young, she attended a summer camp called ‘Farm and Wilderness’ which was run by a Quaker. At the age of 11, she converted from Islam to become a Quaker. Thereafter, she joined a social club called ‘Jack and Jill’ where children of well-off African Americans socialized.

During her teenage years, she went to the ‘United Nations International School’ (UNIS) in Manhattan. After graduating from high school, she went to the ‘Princeton University,’ New Jersey. Two semesters later, she dropped out of the ‘Princeton University’ claiming she was mistreated by the white students and that African-American students despised her reluctance to join them in forcing the university to stop investing in South Africa.

After leaving the ‘Princeton University,’ she moved to Paris to study at the ‘University of Paris’ (Sorbonne). Simultaneously, she also worked as a translator to support herself. During her stay in Paris, she started dating an Algerian man with whom she had a son named Malcolm Latif Shabazz. She broke up with her boyfriend when Malcolm was still an infant and moved to Los Angeles along with her child.

In 1986, Shabazz and Malcolm moved to New York City where they kept shifting from one apartment to another. Shabazz took up several odd jobs to support herself and her toddler. She moved from one city to another, working as a waitress, telemarketer, and proof-reader. Slowly, she became an alcoholic and often left her son Malcolm with her mother and sisters, and lived with her friends.

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Murder Plot & Arrest

Qubilah Shabazz witnessed the assassination of her father when she was just four years old. The incident took place on February 21, 1965, when Malcolm X was preparing to address the ‘Organization of Afro-American Unity’ (OAAU) at the ‘Audubon Theatre and Ballroom’ in Manhattan. He was shot in the chest by a man with a sawed-off shotgun before he was attacked by two other men who shot him with semi-automatic handguns.

Shabazz’s mother, Betty, believed that Louis Farrakhan of the 'Nation of Islam' (NOI) was responsible for Malcolm X's assassination. Like her mother, Qubilah Shabazz, too, believed that Louis Farrakhan was behind her father's death. In May 1994, she contacted a friend Michael Fitzpatrick and asked him if he would kill Louis Farrakhan for her. Michael Fitzpatrick was an ‘FBI’ informant so he reported the matter to the ‘FBI.’

In January 1995, Qubilah was indicted on charges of plotting Louis Farrakhan's assassination. She was at the risk of facing a possible sentence of fines in excess of $2 million and 90 years in prison. On May 1, she accepted a plea agreement in connection with the charges. Though she maintained her innocence, she accepted responsibility for her actions. As per the plea agreement, she was required to undergo treatment for drug and alcohol abuse and psychological counseling in order to avoid a prison sentence.

Louis Farrakhan surprised everyone by defending Qubilah Shabazz throughout her legal defense. In fact, he was involved in raising money for her legal defense and was seen shaking Betty Shabazz’s hands at the ‘Apollo Theater’ where they met during an event organized to raise money for Qubilah’s defense.

Family & Personal Life

Qubilah Shabazz’s father, Malcolm X, was a minister and human rights activist. He joined the ‘Nation of Islam’ and went on to become one of its most influential leaders. During the 1960s, he left the ‘Nation of Islam’ and embraced Sunni Islam. His conflict with the ‘NOI’ intensified in 1964, and he was shot dead the following year. His family members believed that the ‘NOI’ and Louis Farrakhan, in particular, were behind his assassination.

Shabazz’s mother, Betty, was an educator and civil rights advocate. She joined the ‘Nation of Islam’ in 1956 and left it in 1964 along with her husband. After her daughter Qubilah's arrest in 1995, she took in her ten-year-old grandson Malcolm and started providing him food and shelter.

Qubilah’s son Malcolm, 12, set Betty's apartment on fire in which Betty suffered burns over 80 percent of her body and passed away on June 23, 1997. Malcolm was sentenced to 18 months in juvenile detention. On May 9, 2013, Malcolm was murdered in Mexico City at the age of 28.

Qubilah Shabazz’s older sister Attallah became an actress and author. In the late 1970s, she collaborated with Martin Luther King Jr.'s daughter Yolanda King and wrote a play titled ‘Stepping into Tomorrow.’ Her younger sister Ilyasah is an author, best known for writing a memoir titled ‘Growing Up X.’ Apart from Attallah and Ilyasah, Qubilah Shabazz has three other siblings, namely Gamilah, Malikah, and Malaak.

Qubilah Shabazz got married in December 1996, but the marriage ended in January 1997. She currently lives in the United States of America and maintains a low profile. She continues to maintain her innocence with regards to the assassination plot to kill Louis Farrakhan.

Qubilah Shabazz Biography