Muhammad Alis Emotional Impact towards White People Due to Religious Switch - Case Study Example

MUHAMMAD ALI’S EMOTIONAL IMPACT TOWARDS WHITE PEOPLE DUE TO RELIGIOUS SWITCH AND BOYCOTT OF THE VIETNAM WAR Writer’s name History Professor xyz March 29, 2015 Mohammad Ali, originally named as Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. by his Baptist mother and Methodist father, was born in January 17 1942.He is a former African American professional boxer and is world renowned to be one of the best heavyweights in sporting history. His early life and career, albeit all the fame was surrounded by controversy primarily due to what the iconic Ali represented both in and out of the ring: freedom of religion and a racist free America just to mention a few. Mohammad Ali began his training as a boxer at the tender age of twelve and by the time he was 22 years old, he managed to garner the world heavyweight championship against Sonny Liston. A win that was against all odds and a moment that Ali himself admits as the only time he was scared in the ring. At the time he won the title in 1964, he had not yet changed his name to Ali and was still addressed as Cassius Clay. Being founded in Detroit, Michigan by Wallace D. Fard Muhammad the Nation of Islam is a movement Islamic in nature that Ali joined which contributed to most of the controversy the bloke faced. Nation of Islam has been presumed to be a black supremacist group for a long time by critics since its inception. The Southern Poverty Law Center even deems it fit to call it a hate group. Approximately twelve years after joining Nation of Islam and changing his name from Clay to Ali, he became Muslim in 1975.Ali’s decision to join the Nation of Islam perturbed the boxing commission especially because this he did at a time NOI (Nation of Islam) was not popular in USA. Mohammad Ali had abhorrence towards the war in Vietnam and when approached to join the military in 1967, Ali refused the induction with the excuse that he was an Islamic religious leader. Consequently the New York State Athletic commission stripped Ali of his boxing license and his heavyweight title. Nevertheless Ali faced a conviction of draft evasion which led to five year prison sentence, a 10,000 dollar fine and a three year boxing ban. He was lucky to stay out of prison following an appeal to his case and managed to bounce back onto the ring in 26th October 1970.This comeback was a success as he won by knockout in round three against Jerry Quarry in Georgia, Atlanta. There were political undertones back at home that suggested Latinos, the poor and the blacks were put in the front line in Vietnam; a clear indicator that they were expendable as opposed to whites. A lot of white folk were both worried and angered by Mohammad Ali’s approach and perspective in life. This is because they were accustomed to the notion that African Americans were silent and reserved sportsmen. Ali defied the norm since he was brash and outspoken. His ways were very parallel to tradition. Undoubtedly, a very important pointer in Ali’s life when he switched religions was the popularity, influence and perhaps even moral grounding it gained him in his consequent defiance to join the US military mission in the east against the Vietcong. In the year 1966, when America was faced by an epoch of political quagmire, racism, quarrels and an unforgiving war that devastatingly caused the demise of thousands of men killed in action, Ali chose to become exclusive to anything and everything that had to do with the army on the basis of his Islamic convictions. A teenage Mohammad Ali began a tireless quest for explanations concerning what was transpiring politically in America. He got lucky and started getting answers when he heard Malcolm X address a gathering of the Nation of Islam (NOI). This is what Malcolm X said, ”You might see these Negroes who believe in nonviolence and mistake us for one of them and put your hands on us thinking that we are going to turn the other cheek-and we’ll put you to death just like that.”1 The budding Mohammad Ali had many similar political convictions same as Malcolm X and this was one reason that led to their friendship. Malcolm X chose to offer Ali moral support when he was training for his fight against Sonny Liston. Seeing the close proximity that these two black men were developing made many think that Mohammed Ali was contemplating joining the Nation of Islam. The media kept bugging Mohammed Ali with questions on whether he had intentions to join the Nation of Islam. At some point Ali was so angry that he told them he might join the group all whites loved to hate. There was no knowing that a young contender of Sonny Liston’s Title, albeit a rookie had any chance of clinching the heavyweight Championship. Many a folk were of the notion that Mohammed Ali had very little chance if any in winning the title. Malcolm X , amongst a very few others begged to differ The 1960s was an epoch dominated by racism and for the whites to even think that the sole epitome of boxing at the time, Mohammad Ali was contemplating joining the Nation of Islam was very disturbing. Such an action would be deemed unorthodox because white people regarded the nation of Islam a hate group. This was because the Nation of Islam referred to whites as devils. Mohammad Ali was able to beat Sonny Liston and won the title .Soon after winning the title Mohammad joined the nation of Islam. When asked whether he had any political reasons to do this, he said that his was a purely religious conviction towards the group. Noble a cause as it may seem, some blacks were not very happy with this. One of them was Elijah Mohammad, a man Mohammad Ali believed to be a holy prophet. Elijah wanted Ali to be one of them, a reformist like them. To him Ali was oblivious of the fight that was mass black freedom struggles happening throughout the country Mohammed Ali, who was Cassius Clay earlier, chose the name that Elijah Gave him over that of Cassius X. This was seen as a betrayal by Malcolm and his close friends especially because at the time Malcolm and Elijah had taken time apart due to irreconcilable differences. This is because for sometime he was briefly known as Cassius X. Mohammed Ali later regretted the fact that he chose Elijah’s name over Malcolm’s and later termed it as the greatest mistake of his life. All this happened because of internal politics in the Nation of Islam. However the media did not see Mohammed Ali’s action to change his name this way, to them it was like Ali had extended his arrogance and was rubbing it in their face. Case in point , THE New York Times referred to Muhammad Ali as Clay for a very long time after he changed his name. This was a clear portrayal of how Ali’s actions were a defiance of traditionalism. He was one of the few black men who dared speak his mind without giving any two cents of what the people around him would think. In the 1960s most black folk preferred to talk to whites only when spoken to ,the never went to clubs alone and the men never took photos with a white woman. The idea was to turn the other cheek and avoid any quarrels whatsoever with the whites. Ali was different and seemed to have the courage to face all that came his way. Even after his title and license were revoked he seemed to have a piece of mind. The blacks wanted power to change racism and Ali would make a great symbol of political development and self actualization. Inspired by Ali, The Student Non Violent Coordinating Committee chose their slogan as “We are the greatest.” 24 Why did early reject Vietnam? When the US military approached Mohammad Ali IN THE YEAR 1996 and asked to sign him among the men going in Vietnam, Ali surprisingly rejected the offer and said infamously, “Man, I aint got no quarrel with the Vietcong.”27 This was a slap to the governments face especially at a time when the war was still facing minimal opposition. In a feat of denial ,Mohammed Ali was given every opportunity to retract his statements about the war but he still stuck to his guns. Gigs were even arranged so that he could take pictures with the military as a sign of moral support; something that Ali declined. This young man Ali was not ready to fight for a country that did not value African Americans. Black men were dying in Vietnam for a nation that was stereotypical towards their women and children. A poet by the name of Sonia Sanchez once wrote: Its hard now to relay the emotion of that time. This was still a time when hardly any well-known people were resisting the draft. It was a war that was disproportionately killing young black brothers and here was this beautiful , funny poetical young man standing up and saying no.! Imagine it for a moment! The heavyweight champion , a magical man , taking his fight out of the ring and into the arena of politics and standing firm. The message was sent!31 Martin Luther King declares his stand about Vietnam It was in the year 1967 when Luther r King Jr. Came out and declared that he was not supportive of the war in Vietnam. The us government, having won the Second World War had a big ego and wanted to prove to the rest of the world that the situation in Vietnam was under their control. So with black men like Luther King and Ali turning their backs on the war and more so doing it publicly was much uncalled for. Martin Luther King said , “ Like Muhammad Ali puts it, we are all –Black and Brown and poor –victims of the same system of oppression”33.Afterwards Ali and Martin Luther King Jr. became friends although in private. This was a very unwelcome move that angered the Nation of Islam. Only later in 1967 is when Ali and Luther were seen together at a demonstration that advocated for fair housing. Earlier their secret friendship was let out in the open when the FBI tapped wire into their conversation. Muhammad is referred to as “C” for Cassius. MLK spoke to C, they exchanged greetings. C invited MLK to be his guest at the next championship fight.MLK said he would like to attend. C said he is keeping up with MLK and MLK is his brother and he’s with him 100 percent but can’t take any chances, and that MLK should take care of himself and should “watch out for them whities.”34 All about Mohammad Ali’s outrageous sentence Instead of a typical eighteen months sentence Mohammad Ali was given a five year sentence by an all-white jury in Houston. Moreover his passport was confiscated effective immediately. He chose to appeal but to no avail because what followed was his exile from his boxing Career that was to last three and a half years. Various peoples and groups supported Ali. One of them was the congress, Floyd Patterson who was devastated that Ali was attacked for doing what is right. The US congress had an understanding of Mohammed Ali’s plight and this was evident during the day he was to be convicted then they voted to a favor of extending his draft for a period of four years. What transpired after Mohammed Ali’s sentence? Mohammad Ali came out of prison due to a bail in the year 1968.By this time he had been disowned by the Nation of Islam and did not have the heavyweight title. Many a people, both blacks and whites wanted to hear what Ali would say after serving time. This made Mohammed Ali go around campuses and addressing the youth. The number of university campuses he visited were approximately totaling to two hundred. Most of the speeches he made to university students took place in the year 1968.His speeches concerned the plight of the African American struggle to fit in a country that constantly belittled them. Sometime he said he would not be able to have a clear conscience and sleep well at night if he would have gone to fight for the freedom of the non combatant Vietnamese people who were obviously innocent and deserving of peace when his people were not free yet. Mohammed Ali inspires the revolt of the black athletes in the Olympics Many black sportsmen were not happy that they represented America all over the world making people think that it had no racial problems whereas back home blacks were not treated right. Olympic Project for Human Rights emerged with Dr. Harry Edwards as its leader. Their initial agenda was to cause a boycott such that no black athletes represent America the Olympics that were to be held in Mexico City. People like Mohammad Ali and The Black Power movement influenced the boycott plan. One of the groups demand was to restore Mohammad Ali’s title. A demand that also showed the opposition the black people had against the war. Another demand of the Olympic project for human rights was the removal of Avery Brundage ; a rather racist leader of the United States of America’s Olympic Committee with supremacist tendencies. Finally the African Americans desired and solicited for the removal of South Africa and Zimbabwe in the Olympics because they were at the time countries that were faced by Apartheid. The government did not take this well because it meant being exposed to the whole world that racism was a core issue that affected the country. Massive protests albeit non violent and political undertones by African Americans who made public speeches in gatherings were on the rise just months before the Olympics. It was during this time in the year 1968 when a Black revolution was occurring when Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. This was both a tremendous and an unrecoverable loss to the Black Community. An event that caused a somber mood across America and all over the world. Muhammad Ali’s Return to the ring and retirement Mohammad Ali returned to the ring after forty three months in exile. Notes Bibliography Muhammad Ali, Richard Durham, The Greatest: My Own Story, 1975 David Remnick, King of the world (New York :Vintage Books, 1998), p.223 Thomas Hauser, Mohammad Ali in Perspective (New York: Harper Collins, 1996), p.6. Read More