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                   Intercity Sports Review
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WHAT'S IN A NAME?


(C) 1967, 1995 by Stan Daniels


    Coinciding with the 20th
Anniversary of the formal launching
of one of the most effective of
several ICA youth sports programs
was the opening of the Centennial
Olympics in Atlanta on July 19,
1996. The selection of Muhammad Ali
to ignite the flame of the Olympic
cauldron with the Olympic torch is
viewed by many as poetic vindication
of several decades of community
service by many concerned persons
around the planet. To commemorate
this historic event we reprint an
article originally published in
1967. Written by the current
Executive Editor of "INTERCITY
SPORTS REVIEW" and excerpted from
"HUMAN RIGHTS & HUMAN WRONGS," it
was originally published in "NITE
LIFE" in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
      Muhammad Ali has sacrificed
and contributed much towards peace,
brotherhood, love and understanding
among the entire human family. With
this reprint, we merely attempt in
a small way to say "thanks!"





WHAT'S IN A NAME?


(C) 1967, 1995 by Stan Daniels


     One of the most abused men in
the United States today is the World
Heavyweight Boxing Champion Muhammad
Ali. If he had been a Jew, changed
his name to "Sammy" and refused to
eat pork, none of America's good
citizens would have objected to him
holding the championship -- as long
as he could fight. If he was a
Catholic priest, and had refused to
marry either Sonji or his new bride
-- no one would have minded. But, in
this "land of religious freedom,"
the top heavyweight boxer in the
country had the NERVE to embrace
Islam, under the pastorship of the
Honorable Elijah Muhammad!
     Not only did this black man
become a Muslim -- but he became one
of his religion's ministers.
Moreover, he stayed in the ring and
retained the championship! All this
was upsetting enough, but the real
earthquake hit when the World's
Heavyweight Champion refused to
enter the U.S. Army -- he claimed
that his religion forbids him to
take part in such military activity,
and besides he is a minister of that
religion. "Blasphemy!" screamed the
sportswriters and other "experts" on
religion. Like snarling dogs, the
living defenders of the "God is
dead" movement leaped at the
Champion's throat!
     How could he "fight" in the
ring and not in Vietnam? Why was he
so "disloyal to his country?" Why
did he change his name? Aren't the
Muslims' teachings different than
the teachings of "Christians?" All
kinds of idiotic, stupid questions
by people who were either ignorant,
or hate-filled, or both.
     Of course the Muslim teachings
are different than many of those of
so-called "Christianity." So are the
teachings of the Jews. And, by the
way, which of the "Christians" have
the "true-way" -- Catholics, or one
of the hundreds of Protestant
denominations?
     Thousands of people change
their names each year in this "land
of the free" and nobody lifts an
eyebrow. A man named "Geltvasser"
ran for President of the United
States under the name of Goldwater,
yet no-one complained about his
name. In spite of the fact that
Muhammad Ali's RELIGION changed his
name, ignoramuses and bigots
continue to deny his name and call
him "Cassius Clay" when the KNOW
BETTER!!"
     Is he "disloyal" to "his  
country?" Well, in America we hear
repetitions and variations of the
slogan, "God and country." Not
"country and God," but "God and
country." Even the Declaration of
Independence -- that document that
"justified" the American revolution
-- speaks of the "Laws of Nature and
Nature's GOD" and that all men "are
endowed by their CREATOR with
certain unalienable rights." Mr. 
Muhammad is the human HEAD of the
religion to which Muhammad Ali
belongs. Mr Muhammad has appointed
Muhammad Ali as a MINISTER of that
religion. Anyone outside that faith
has as much right in deciding
Muhammad Ali's fitness for the
ministry as a Jew has in telling the
Pope who to appoint as a Bishop or
Cardinal. Those outsiders who
criticize Muhammad Ali's religion
are about as intelligent as the
Atheist who tells a Rabbi how to
conduct services in a Synagogue.
     The draft laws of the United
States provide an exemption for a
MINISTER of a religious faith. The
law is not supposed to "play
favorites." Whether or not Muhammad
Ali is "disloyal to 'his' country"
should be obvious to the THINKING
person!
     Some others say, "if he can
'fight' in the ring he can 'fight'
in Viet-Nam." How BLIND can some
people get? Since when did the
Viet-Cong "fight" a war with BOXING
GLOVES? Who is the knockdown
TIMEKEEPER in the swamps of
Viet-Nam? And, somebody PLEASE tell
me where the REFEREE has gone
because somebody is cheating over
there --they're using bullets, bombs
and flame-throwers instead of
leather!  By what RULES is the
Viet-Nam war being fought, and where
is the ATHLETIC COMMISSION that
supplies the JUDGES to decide the
"winners?"
     America -- (which gives lip
service to "religious freedom") --
tells its residents that they are
free to choose their own religion as
long as they choose the "right"
ones. Don't embrace and practice an
"unpopular" religion, or you may
lose your "friends," home, job,
education or WORLD'S HEAVYWEIGHT
CHAMPIONSHIP!
     What's in a name? If that name
is Muhammad Ali, it is the
determination of a man to be a man
in a land where all Negroes are
considered to be "boys" and "girls."
Jesus, himself, would be crucified
all over again if he came to America
and said and did the SAME things
that he did "the last time." If you
don't believe me, you try it!
      
------------------------------
 
    Coinciding with the 20th
Anniversary of the formal launching
of one of the most effective of
several ICA youth sports programs
was the opening of the Centennial
Olympics in Atlanta on July 19,
1996. The selection of Muhammad Ali
to ignite the flame of the Olympic
cauldron with the Olympic torch is
viewed by many as poetic vindication
of several decades of community
service by many concerned persons
around the planet. To commemorate
this historic event we reprint an
article originally published in
1967. Written by the current
Executive Editor of "INTERCITY
SPORTS REVIEW" and excerpted from
"HUMAN RIGHTS & HUMAN WRONGS," it
was originally published in "NITE
LIFE" in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
      Muhammad Ali has sacrificed
and contributed much towards peace,
brotherhood, love and understanding
among the entire human family. With
this reprint, we merely attempt in
a small way to say "thanks!"

You may contact us either on the Internet by E-mail at

intercity_sports_review@juno.com

or by writing to

Intercity Sports Review,

P.O. Box 9041,

Jersey City, NJ 07309-9041.

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