Ali’s statement did not identify Mr Trump by name, but was directed at “presidential candidates proposing to ban Muslim immigration to the United States”.
Advertisement
With Donald Trump’s continued strength in presidential polls, some Republicans have openly anxious about what happens to Republicans if the real estate billionaire wins the nomination.
After Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump called for a ban on Muslims entering the United States many criticized the idea and on Wednesday, boxing legend Muhammad Ali weighed in on that and the Islamic religion.
While Republican voters were most likely to say they were excited (24 percent) or optimistic (41 percent), a full one-third of Republicans say they are concerned or scared about Trump.
Trump has also questioned the accuracy of President Barack Obama’s statement Sunday night that some of “our sports heroes” are Muslim.
On Twitter early Monday, Trump asked, “What sport is he talking about, and who?” – even though Trump has met Ali several times, and even received an award named after the former heavyweight champion in 2007. “True Muslims know or should know that it goes against our religion to try and force Islam on anybody”, adds Ali, who changed his name from Cassius Clay when he embraced the Islam faith in 1965.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a six-time National Basketball Association champion who is also Muslim, directly referred to Trump, comparing his rhetoric to that of Islamic State in a scathing essay published on Time.com on Thursday: “Trump is ISIS’s greatest triumph: the ideal Manchurian Candidate who, instead of offering specific and realistic policies, preys on the fears of the public, doing ISIS’s job for them”. “And like those villains, he is doomed to failure”.
Advertisement
Earnest said he also imagines Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has let out a sigh of relief. Majorities of Trump and Clinton supporters say their decision is firm.
