HAARETZ
Muhammad Ali’s complicated relationship with the Jews
by JTA
June 4, 2016

…His conversion to Islam in 1964 – accompanied by a name change from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali – and his subsequent sympathy for Arab causes made Jews a frequent target of his silver tongue, even as several Jews were among his long-time supporters and admirers. It made for a complex relationship between the boxer and world Jewry…After announcing his retirement from the ring in 1974, Ali lost no time in throwing right hooks at Zionism and embracing the Palestinian cause. Talking to reporters in Beirut, Lebanon, at the start of a tour of the Middle East, Ali said that “the United States is the stronghold of Zionism and imperialism.” READ MORE