Existing comment:
Muhammad Ali Defies the Draft
Charismatic and outspoken heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali was drafted into the US Army in April 1967, but he refused to enlist. A Muslim, he cited religious reasons for seeking conscientious objector status. Ali was denounced as unpatriotic, convicted of draft evasion, banned form boxing and stripped of his boxing titles. He became an anti-war spokesman whose impassioned stand resonated with many. The Supreme Court overturned his conviction in 1971. |