Infographic: Muhammad Ali’s life in numbers
Last week it emerged that among the many people affected by the Trump administration’s travel ban was Muhammad Ali Jr, son of the late boxing legend, who was detained and questioned for two hours at a Florida airport. Immigration agents reportedly asked him, “Are you a Muslim?” and, “Where did your name come from?”
As our infographic celebrating Muhammad Sr’s life shows, he had his own run-ins with officialdom in his time – but among his many honours was the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States’ highest civilian award. Enough to get him through US border security at the height of the 2017 travel ban? We’ll never know, but certainly he could have helped the officers with their queries regarding the origin of his son’s name. In a 2001 interview with Oprah Winfrey, the boxer told the talkshow host: “When I joined the Nation of Islam and became a Muslim, they gave me the most famous name because I was the champ.”
This infographic was published in DG #23. Pick up a copy in our online shop or take out an annual subscription with promotion code ‘SOCIAL20’ and you’ll get the issue for free.
