Clyde X (1931 – February 14, 2009), also known as Clyde Rahman, was a religious leader associated with the Nation of Islam. Most of his work for the NOI was in St. Louis, Missouri and Cleveland, Ohio. He was wounded when a violent factional dispute arose in St. Louis in the 1960s. In the 1970s he became a follower of W. D. Muhammad's Sunni faction of the NOI and established a mosque in Cleveland.
Early life
He was born Clyde Jones in Canton, Mississippi. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War.
NOI activist
While in Detroit, Clyde was first introduced to the Nation of Islam (NOI) through "people talking about it in a poolroom." He became "Clyde X". In 1958 he was sent to St. Louis in the service of the NOI to establish Temple No. 28 at 1434 N. Grand Avenue.
When he arrived in St. Louis the local media described him as "a glowering moon-faced giant... on the fleshy side of 200 pounds... mild mannered, polite, and diplomatic." He adopted an ecumenical approach saying "Our Koran does not even hint that we should take innocent life, and it is a disgrace to Islam for any Muslim to support terrorism."