At the peak of his dominant reign as the heavyweight boxing champion in the 1960s, Muhammad Ali made the controversial decision to join the Nation of Islam. The man formerly known as Cassius Clay never shied away from making strong political statements during his career, and he won’t stop now. He issued a few comments to USA Today in the wake of Donald Trump’s unwarranted anti-Muslim rhetoric from the past few weeks:
“I am a Muslim, and there is nothing Islamic about killing innocent people in Paris, San Bernardino, or anywhere else in the world,” Ali said. “True Muslims know the ruthless violence of so-called Islamic Jihadists goes against the very tenets of our religion.
“We, as Muslims, have to stand up to those who use Islam to advance their own personal agenda. They have alienated many from learning about Islam. True Muslims know or should know that it goes against our religion to try and force Islam on anybody.”
Trump’s anti-Muslim rhetoric included an indirect jab at Ali when the Republican Presidential nominee dismissed President Obama’s statement about some of America’s sports heroes practicing Islam. Ali is the quintessential sports hero, and he’s using his platform to combat harmful characterizations of Muslims in America. In the latter portion of his statement, he issued a challenge to America’s political leaders to fight the stigmas that terrorism has placed upon the Muslim community.
Ali’s political statements were not received with open arms during his career, but they’re needed more than ever now.