Quote Originally Posted by Dark Lord Al View Post
Question for the Americans.

It always puzzles me that a guy who chose a religion over fighting for his country , can be an American hero.
Some say it was against his NEW beliefs , many would find it hard not to think he was a coward.
I mean the guy chose the muslim faith which he wasnt even born into , then turned his back on his country.
The stuff of Hero's ?
No not for me , Joe Louis was a hero.
For me he will always be Cassius Clay.
Im interested in your views guys.
What became the USA was largely initially populated by religious outcasts from Europe, the Pilgrims most famously, but also Roger Williams, William Penn etc. who all chose faiths other than those they were born into. So it was no surprise that the first clause of the Bill of Rights speaks to freedom of religion. From there springs a long American tradition of "conscientious objection." That is that people who seriously examined the issue of war and found on religious grounds they couldn't justify war could be exempted from military service. Such exemptions began during the American Revolution and have continued since. To give just one example of how widespread and accepted this tradition is in the USA, even during WWII over 10,000 men were exempted from service on grounds of conscience. So Ali was standing firmly in an American tradition when he did this. Now many believe he was merely a robot for the thuggish Black Muslims, but I'm convinced he was sincere. His ongoing search for the right branch of Islam for him through his adult life has convinced me.

But many people do think he betrayed the nation. I am not one of them. While I disagreed with his decision? The way he conducted himself throughout the process was exemplary in my view.

Sorry for the long-windedness.