Cassius became part of the Muslim faith and changed his name to Muhammad Ali. He changed his name because he did not want to be called by the title of "a slave name" anymore. When people did not respect this and called him by his original name he got extremely mad. In fact, one time he slapped another boxer during weigh ins for doing so. In 1966 Ali refused to even consider going to Vietnam to fight. When people gave him a hard time about not wanting to fight he would recite:.
"Keep asking me, no matter how long.
On the war in Viet Nam, I sing this song.
I ain't got no quarrel with them Viet Cong.".
Encyclopedia of American Biography quote, Ali, Muhammad pg 29-30.
Such things led some critics to depict Ali and the Black Muslim faith as Anti-American. Although Muhammad had not been charged or arrested for violating the selective service act or much less, convicted, the New York state athletic commission and the world boxing association suspended his boxing license and stripped him of his heavy weight champion title in May of 1967 just minutes after he announced he would not go to war.
Ali said to Sports Illustrated, "I"m giving up my title, my wealth, maybe my future. Many great men have been tested for their religious beliefs. If I pass this test I"ll come out stronger than ever." Eventually Ali was sentenced to five years in prison, he was released on appeal, and his conviction was over turned three years later. In the summer of 1960 after returning to Louisville triumphantly from the Olympics in Rome Ali was totally disgusted at not being an American hero in his hometown. When Ali went in to one of the restaurants, with his golden medal around his neck, the owner refused to give him a seat because he was black. Muhammad got so mad he ran out of the diner and threw his medal into the Ohio River.
The American people for two reasons oppressed Muhammad Ali. One was that he was black and we had a lot of really racist people in the 60's.