Athletes and Public Figures
Muhammad Ali
From an imposed name to an identity he chose
1964
Cassius Clay entered Islam through the Nation of Islam and announced the name Muhammad Ali after winning the world championship in 1964. His religious understanding later underwent an important change when he, along with many of the movement's followers, moved toward Sunni Islam and increasingly devoted himself to humanitarian work. His story should therefore not be reduced to the moment of changing his name but understood as an extended process of revision. His statements, the Muhammad Ali Center, and historical press document its stages.