You might expect the man who changed his name from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali as a rejection of slavery would be a fan of the demonstrations and the acts of property destruction and violence that were triggered by the wrongful death of George Floyd.
As was described in published accounts:
Ali had already made a name for himself as Clay, winning several fights under the name, and few journalists accepted the his new name initially.
Later, Ali announced: “Cassius Clay is a slave name. I didn’t choose it and I don’t want it. I am Muhammad Ali, a free name – it means beloved of God, and I insist people use it when people speak to me.” —Independent
After all, he was affiliated with the Nation of Islam, whose own leader has openly made public appeals to racial violence.
But you would be wrong. For one thing, Ali had broken with NOI, and converted to a more mainstream and socially-agreeable branch of Islam.
Ali’s son had some strong words about how the great boxer would have felt about the BLM movement.
On the fourth anniversary of his death, Muhammad Ali’s only biological son says that his father would be against Black Lives Matter, calling the movement “racist” and the protesters “devils.”
The legendary boxer and activist stood up against racism throughout his life, but Muhammad Ali Jr. says his dad would have been sickened by how the protests have turned to violence and looting after the death of George Floyd.
“Don’t bust up s–t, don’t trash the place,” he told The Post. “You can peacefully protest.
‘‘My father would have said, ‘They ain’t nothing but devils.’ My father said, ‘all lives matter.’ I don’t think he’d agree.
Of the BLM movement, Ali Jr., a Muslim like his father, said: “I think it’s racist.”
“It’s not just black lives matter, white lives matter, Chinese lives matter, all lives matter, everybody’s life matters. God loves everyone — he never singled anyone out. Killing is wrong no matter who it is,” Ali said during an hour-long interview with The Post.
On police brutality, Ali defended law enforcement in general.
“Police don’t wake up and think, ‘I’m going to kill a n—-r today or kill a white man,’” he said. “They’re just trying to make it back home to their family in one piece. – NYPost
That probably wasn’t even the most controversial point in the interview.
That honor would probably go to the point where he compared Antifa to Muslim Jihadis.
“They’re no different from Muslim terrorists. They should all get what they deserve. They’re f–king up businesses, beating up innocent people in the neighborhood, smashing up police stations and shops. They’re terrorists – they’re terrorizing the community. I agree with the peaceful protests, but the Antifa, they need to kill everyone in that thing.
“Black Lives Matter is not a peaceful protest. Antifa never wanted it peaceful. I would take them all out.” NYPost
Did you hear that CNN? Go ahead and try to call him a right-wing bigot for daring to say that the entirety of human lives, regardless of their ethnicity, have value.
