“We all have the same God, we just serve him differently. Rivers, lakes, ponds, streams, oceans all have different names, but they all contain water. So do religions have different names, and they all contain truth, expressed in different ways forms and times. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a Muslim, a Christian, or a Jew. When you believe in God, you should believe that all people are part of one family. If you love God, you can’t love only some of his children”
Muhammad Ali, previously known as Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr was am African American boxer during the civil rights movements. He went from becoming the greatest boxer in history to getting involved with political matters. His courage, sometimes stubbornness made him an exceptional leader because of everything he did for society.
Three key moments:
-Ali threw his Olympic gold medal into the lake. After participating in the Olympics and winning the gold medal for America, Ali came home to face segregation and discrimination. He went to a restaurant to get food but was refused service because of his skin color. Ali was so shocked and disappointed that he threw his medal into the river. “I went all the way to Italy to represent my country, won a gold medal, and now I come back to America and can’t even get served at a five-and-dime store. I went to a bridge, tore the medal off my neck and threw it into the river. That gold medal didn’t mean a thing to me if my black brothers and sisters were treated wrong in a country I was supposed to represent.” He felt that he basically went and fought for his country in a sporting event that is all about unity but he is facing this at home
-Ali converts to Islam. This was a major step in Ali’s life because almost everything he has done is because of his faith. He devoted his life to Islam after hearing people like Malcolm X and Elijah Muhammad speak. What really made him great was the fact that he would learn about and accept every religion. like he said “We have the same god, we just worship him differently.” Islam was the fastest growing religion among the black community especially and Ali became an even bigger influence.In this following interview Ali talks about his views on religion
–Ali refuses to be drafted for the Vietnam War. This was probably the biggest stand Ali ever took in his life especially since it was a crime to refuse. Islam did not believe in war so neither did he. He believed that since the “Vietcongs” never did anything to him why should he go over there to fight them. He felt that he is actually being oppressed in America so should he just start fighting everyone here too? He gained a lot of hate especially from elected officials but he didn’t care. he believed there was an injustice so he stood up for it.
Criticism
Ali sometimes came off as too cocky and stubborn. He would make fun of his opponents in live interviews. He would always say he is the best boxer ever. And showed his stubbornness during the war.
Leadership Skill
Ali believed in dissident citizenship. He believed that you should stand up for your beliefs even if you have to go to extremes no matter what the consequence. He showed this by throwing away his gold medal and refusing to join the army.
References
Gale Cengage Learning, “Black History Month, Muhammad Ali.” Accessed December 2, 2012. http://www.gale.cengage.com/free_resources/bhm/bio/ali_m.htm.
Stravinsky, John. 1997. “The long reach of Muhammad Ali.” Biography 1, no. 12: 50. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed November 9, 2012).
Wikiquote. s.v. “Muhammad Ali.” http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Muhammad_Ali (accessed December 8, 2012).