3 ways Muhammad Ali was also a political icon

To say that Mohammed Ali was just a boxing legend is to limit a man who wowed the world with his boxing skills and wisdom.

Ali, who died on Friday (United States time) after battling Parkinson’s disease for many years, was a political figure and a champion prizefighter who dared to be what his society didn’t want him to be.

He was his own man and so assertive that he defied the system and often times, went against the norm.

Ali was a political icon who who

1) Refusal to join the American war against Vietnam

In 1966, when the USA was at war with Vietnam, Ali condemned the war and even refused to be inducted into the USA armed forces when he was drafted, saying that the real enemies of African-Americans were in the United states and not abroad.

For refusing to join the military Ali was stripped off his boxing title, banned from fighting, arrested, prosecuted and sentenced to five years in prison.

His conviction was, however, overturned by the US Supreme Court in 1970.

2) Conversion to Islam

Ali converted to Islam early in his career, dropping his birth name “Cassius Clay” and adopting the name “Mohammed Ali.” He soon joined the Nation of Islam (NOI), a group that was viewed as racist and violent. Overtime he met with civil rights activist Malcolm X, who later became his spiritual and political mentor.

Following refusal by most Ali was to later declare that: “Cassius Clay is my slave name.”

3) Civil rights movement

Ali was vocal in his condemnation of white supremacy and was a prominent member of the Civil Rights Movement. He traveled to schools and universities across the USA giving speeches on black movement.

At Howard College, Ali gave his popular “Black Is Best” speech to 4,000 charged crowd of students and academics.

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