My family knew this fellow well. My uncle, Angelo Dundee, was his trainer. “Cassius Clay” was how we knew him. We never quite understood what the attraction was to Islam. He did so well in this country; made a lot of money. He was a better boxer than a man.
Those who remember Ali only for that brief tainted period in our country’s history have likely never been refused service in a restaurant simply because of their skin color.......
Perhaps Islams attraction for Ali was that at the time, this religion served his purposes. Islam was the chosen faith of Malcolm X, who was sort of the Anti-MLK and advocated violence, was done ‘waiting for peace’. Islam also served to keep Ali from having to serve in Vietnam, providing a conscientious objection to war. Apparently, there were very few black Quakers in his area back then.