Quanell X

To many, it seems at odds that a devout Muslim such as Quanell is always working alongside Christian pastors. But not to Quanell. To him it's a natural marriage.

"I am a Muslim leader who loves Jesus Christ," he says. "I am a Muslim who understands that at the end of time, Muhammad, peace be upon him, is not coming back. So I am a Muslim leader who is looking for the return of Jesus."

Daniel Kramer

Seldom without a crowd, Quanell X keeps his bodyguards close while praying at the Islamic Da'wah Center.

Revolutionary Muslim and teacher Khalid Abdul Muhammad of the Nation of Islam trained an impressionable Quanell X how to stir a crowd with hateful statements.

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Pastor Chris Wright has been at Quanell's side for more than a decade. He says he sees a major change for the better in his friend.

"In 2003 I told the Houston Chronicle that 70 percent of the things I was involved in, I was not doing with conviction but was doing as a stepping stone for personal reasons," says Wright. "I believe that [in 2003] it was the same as with him. I have noticed that there appears to be a total conviction in him now."

Berry doesn't think Quanell has changed that much, but still, he thinks the man has changed.

"It's not anywhere near 50-50, but it's certainly better than it was," he says. "He has the opportunity to make change more than almost anyone in our community. Certainly more than any elected official. The question is how he uses that, and some days it's for good, more days it's not."

Getting hold of Quanell is not as easy as one might think. There is an informal phone tree of lawyers, pastors and old friends who have his direct line and funnel calls and complaints to him.

"People know I cut his hair," says barber Eddie Broussard, "and I get thousands of people calling to get in contact with him. I relay them to [Quanell] and he chooses."

Older, more experienced, Quanell picks his battles differently than he used to. In the past, he says, he'd stand and fight if the cause simply sounded good to him. No longer.

Quanell got burned in 2006 when he publicly supported a 15-year-old girl who claimed she was kidnapped in broad daylight and raped by a trio of men. It turned out the girl was lying.

Today, Quanell has investigators look into complaints and even performs polygraph tests on people seeking his help before agreeing to take up their cause.

"I'm going to be honest with you, at least 40 to 45 percent of all complaints I get about racism have nothing to do with racism," he says. "The person's behavior plays a significant role in the problem. You'd be surprised by the number of ­African-Americans who come to us lying but want us to bully and frighten people."

Whether Quanell's evolution is wholly real remains to be seen. He certainly believes it, and many others do too. Even if people don't buy into it completely, critics see more potential for him than ever.

"I think he's smarter now and understands his shelf life was limited as a rabid hatemonger," says Berry. "I also think Quanell recognizes that the opinion of Americans and Houstonians on race has changed since he first became a public figure. And I think he's realized that he's far more bankable and influential if he's more thoughtful about his actions. If Quanell would apply himself to making our community a better place and not jumping at every headline, he could not only change people's minds, he could change policy. The possibilities are limitless."

chris.vogel@houstonpress.com