![]() ![]() (Photo via an article titled “A True Friend: The Honorable Elijah Muhammad”, Minister Farrakhan writes: Muhammad Ali at Saviours’ Day 1965 with The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan and Wali Muhammad. officials, all of whom were guests of Jamaican Prime Minister Michael Manley. Jam Muhammad, the younger brother of the Hon. Ali was a distinguished member of a Nation of Islam delegation on a month-long tour of Jamaica. The Muslim, “Champion of Conscience,” who won back his title in the ring from Champion George Foreman in the thrilling 1974 “Rumble in the Jungle,” was popular throughout Africa, the Caribbean and the Islamic world. ![]() Ali was frequently assigned to represent Mr. Ali was always known affectionately as the “People’s Champion.”Īs a Nation of Islam Minister, Mr. Even when he began his boxing comeback, when he lost a unanimous decision to Heavyweight Champion Joe Frazier in his first attempt to regain the crown, Mr. Ali, the unflinching loyalty of people all around the world. His courage and his commitment to the principles taught by the Hon. His training camp always featured the cooking of Sister Lana Shabazz, one of Mr. He met, courted and married a sister who had grown up in the Nation. His manner, and his “being” positively reflected the Nation of Islam. He was a role model and magnet for young men uncertain about whether or not to fight in Vietnam. He was being sanctioned during the athletic prime of his career.ĭuring that period he continued to speak out around the country as a Muslim Minister and in opposition to the war. Ali was stripped of his championship, his passport, and was unable to get a license to box, or earn a living. Supreme Court overturned his conviction, Mr. military.įrom Mawhen he was convicted for refusing military induction, until Oct. “The Viet Cong never called me a n-r,” he said, declaring that he was a conscientious objector and that he would not serve in the U.S. Ali was re-classified “1-A”–draft-eligible–by officials angry at him for becoming a Muslim. ![]() ![]() Although he had been disqualified, “4-F” Mr. His Selective Service medical records were re-opened. As Heavyweight Champ, he confounded the hostile reporters and sports figures who surrounded him, and he won the hearts of the public, and the hatred of America’s authorities. Ali was immersed in the teaching of the Hon. Abdul Rahman Muhammad, of Atlanta-had already become the Champ’s bodyguard and companion. Brother Malcolm X was seen at the Clay training camp, and Bro. Ali–then known as Cassius Clay–first won the Heavyweight Boxing Championship, Muslims had become familiar members of his entourage. Army.īefore his February 1964 fight against Charles “Sonny” Liston, in which Mr. Ali was prepared, and he became a “Model Champion.” Then, with the drama of the Vietnam War and Black resistance to fighting in it dominating national attention, he literally became a cultural icon when he refused to be drafted into the U.S. Ali was able to persevere not only because he was guided personally by the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, but because he was a “citizen” of the Nation of Islam in Chicago, and he was a member of the Fruit of Islam (F.O.I.). There was a time when race-haters, segregationists and Muslim-haters, conspired to stymie the career and popularity of Heavyweight Boxing Champion Muhammad Ali, the “Greatest of all Time.” Mr. In a past article in The Final Call Newspaper on Muhammad Ali, Senior Editor Askia Muhammad writes: HEAD BACK TO THE BLACKAMERICAWEB.The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, Muhammad Ali and The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan Though nothing was ever proven, Evanzz concluded that Lomax’s untimely death might have been connected to the documentary. He was 47.Īuthor and former Washington Post staffer Karl Evanzz wrote in his 1992 book The Judas Factor: The Plot To Kill Malcolm X that Lomax was set to work on a documentary detailing the FBI’s alleged involvement in the leader’s assassination. Lomax lost control of his vehicle in the state of New Mexico and was declared dead at the scene. On July 30, 1970, Lomax was driving back to New York after completing a West Coast swing of lectures. Lomax was the recipient of a $15,000 Esso Foundation grant and was working on a three-volume series centered on Black history when tragedy interrupted his goals. Much of Lomax’s writings centered on the Civil Rights Movement, Black nationalism and other related matters.įrom 1964 to 1968, Lomax hosted his own talk show series on KTTV in Los Angeles. Lomax became a freelance writer and author for a time, establishing himself with books like The Reluctant African and The Negro Revolt. ![]()
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