Muhammad Ali brags about preaching at a KKK convention

[DET. IRONSIDE]

What did Ali ever do?

Muhammad Ali refused to sign up for the draft where he would have been entertaining troops in Vietnam, not fighting. He would have simply been held up as a role model for youth in America to sign up for Nam and be a weapon against the anti-war movement.

He sacrificed his world title for the right to not be drafted and didn't fight for 3 years straight. He had his passport revoked and could only make money by speaking on thje college circuit.

The anti-draft movement of that war resulted in the scrapping of the mandatory draft and Ali sacrificed his boxing prime for that.

Thats what Ali did for civil rights.

[Toney616]

Now for Ali
Wide eyed 22 year old is approached by a millionaire black(How many millionaire blacks existed in the 60's?) , to become Muhammad Ali.[/INDENT].

Thats not even remotely how it happened. Elijah wanted nothing to do with him until he became the hw champion of the world then he realised that he could use his positon to encourage the enrollment of other blacks.

*He refuses, he gets pegged as an enemy along with his friend Malcolm X(dead man walking)..

What are you going on about? They courted him hard to the point where they offered him the privilege of having an Arabic name, which loyal members supposed to get only when Fard came back. He wanted to join anyway he had been secretly going to meetings for years. Malcolm X at that point was still technically a ****** as well, he was serving his 90 days suspension and hoped he would be accepted back into the group after that

*He accepts, possible fortune and fame, supposed lifelong security.

He was technically already a member, but the rest of the organization simply didn't recognize him. The fact that he was willing to turn against his friends and family to join should tell you he was desperate to be full accepted

There were not many safe havens he could escape to if any.

That wasn't even the reason he joined. You are going to have to do better than that. Go and read up on his conversation with Jose Torres where he tells Torres the real reason he joined the NOI. And it has nothing to do with anything you mentioned

[DET. IRONSIDE]

GilKane:

So you think segregated America was an environment a fighter like Ali could grow up in without any animosity towards white people where he could be suckered in and exploited by a cult like the NOI?

Its his anger that caused that to happen. A weakness.

As someone posted earlier:


"A man who views the world the same at fifty as he did at twenty has wasted thirty years of his life." - Muhammad Ali

[Toney616]

Muhammad Ali refused to sign up for the draft where he would have been entertaining troops in Vietnam, not fighting. He would have simply been held up as a role model for youth in America to sign up for Nam and be a weapon against the anti-war movement.

He sacrificed his world title for the right to not be drafted and didn't fight for 3 years straight. He had his passport revoked and could only make money by speaking on thje college circuit.

The anti-draft movement of that war resulted in the scrapping of the mandatory draft and Ali sacrificed his boxing prime for that.

Thats what Ali did for civil rights.

No
Ali was prepared to accept a deal with the draft board which never wanted to sent him to prison. They would even tell him it would be politically ****** for them to send him to prison after the murder of Martin Luther King. Elijah put his foot down and said Ali couldnt go which was why Ali was crying when Sugar Ray Robinson went to visit him.

[Toney616]

GilKane:
So you think segregated America was an environment a fighter like Ali could grow up in without any animosity towards white people where he could be suckered in and exploited by a cult like the NOI?

That wasn't why he joined the nation.

[DET. IRONSIDE]

No
Ali was prepared to accept a deal with the draft board which never wanted to sent him to prison. They would even tell him it would be politically ****** for them to send him to prison after the murder of Martin Luther King. Elijah put his foot down and said Ali couldnt go which was why Ali was crying when Sugar Ray Robinson went to visit him.

So they still stripped him of the title and his license and passport. He had no fights in his PRIME. The time when he could have earned the largest amount of cash. When he could have been even greater and had some great defenses.

That wasnt why he joined the nation.
And he never hated white people anyway

So pray tell why did he join the Nation if he wasn't suckered in and exploited?

Do you believe he had some grand plan?

If so please expand, I'm sure it'll be entertaining.

[joseph5620]

H enever left.
After the death of Elijah Muhammad his son Wallace Muhammad would take over the nation and decide to move it towards Sunni Islam. He would even change the name to the American ****** group or something like that. Farrakhan upset about the new direction would leave the group and start his own Nation of Islam.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elijah_Muhammad

And? Where does that say anything about Ali remaining with the Nation of Islam? Sunni Islam is not in any way affiliated with the Nation of Islam.His wife(Lonnie) says he he left the NOI and their are numerous facts that support it. That's good enough for me.

Ali became a Sunni ****** in 1975, and since then has been one of the most prominent black sports figures and recognizable ******s in American history. He is a three-time World Heavyweight Champion and Olympic Gold medalist.

http://chicagocrescent.com/crescent/...p?newsID=20475

[joseph5620]

What did Ali ever do?
Someone else has answered this point so I wont touch it

No its not.
How can a guy joined to a group which refuses to get involved in the civil rights movement to the point where it forms ties with the Klan qualify as a a civil rights hero?

Now you are twisting my words.
Malcolm X formed the organisation of African American Unity which wanted to work with King and the other civil rights groups to push for voting rights and the end of racial discrimination. He was in ther process of trying to work out and agreement with the other organizations before he was killed. If given the chance he would of played a major role in the movement.

Sacrificed his career, passport, and millions of dollars for his beliefs. And became a target for public scorn. I would say he gave up a lot.

[UmarImranKhalil]

Is the objective of this thread that it should conclude with written acceptance from all who read it/post in it that Ali is a BAD MAN?


Or are we simply being 'educated' about Ali?


I mean, the deal with Ali is pretty simple. It doesn't require all this concerted polemic to figure out the man's ultimate worth.

[DET. IRONSIDE]

So they still stripped him of the title and his license and passport. He had no fights in his PRIME. The time when he could have earned the largest amount of cash. When he could have been even greater and had some great defenses.



So pray tell why did he join the Nation if he wasn't suckered in and exploited?

Do you believe he had some grand plan?

If so please expand, I'm sure it'll be entertaining.

COME ON, GIL! I gotsta hear your theory about Ali's supreme plan.