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Today the late and great Muhammad Ali,

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the champion of the world forever was

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laid to rest. He was a very great man

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and not just because he was the supreme

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athlete in the ring. Nobody ever saw

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anything like Muhammad Ali in the ring

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and they never will because it's

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extremely unlikely that any person will

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combine within one body and one mind the

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kind of grace and perfection of his

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athletic

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prowess. He would have been remembered

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in any case. But what has made him a

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global icon and caused billions of

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people around the world over the last

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few days to mourn his passing was not

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his prowess in the ring. It was the size

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of his conscience, the size of his

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intellect, his wonderful peerless

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articulence, the fact that he stood when

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tested and did not flinch. You see, it's

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difficult now to remember, but when

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Muhammad Ali announced to the world that

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he was a Muslim, when he announced to

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the world that he would not fight for

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the United States of America in Vietnam,

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when he said that I won't fight and kill

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the Vietnamese people because none of

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them ever called me none of them

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ever lynched me, none of them ever set

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dogs on me, none of them called me names

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and denied me my rights. When Muhammad

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Ali said those things, America was a

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very very powerful beast indeed. And he

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was not just in amongst it. He was the

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champion of the world. And he knew that

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the consequences that he would face

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could scarcely be more severe. He was

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stripped of his title. He was deprived

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of almost four years of earning ability.

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The the years that would have been the

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most lucrative of his career. He was

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forced to take to the campuses and the

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uh radio stations and world travel to

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occupy himself when he should have been

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in the ring defending his title. He knew

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that he would face this powerful enemy,

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but he did not flinch. And that's a

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measure of the man. most people would

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have quietly put aside their objections

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to the war in Vietnam and gotten about

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the business of making money. But

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because Muhammad Muhammad Ali had a

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moral character uh almost without

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comparison in the uh comparative uh

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among sportsmen and amongst others

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because Ali was a giant and not just

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physically but morally. He stood that

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test and he has stood the test of time

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and he will be remembered 100, 200, 500

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years from now. And that is something to

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be. Being the champion of the world is

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one thing. Being the champion of the

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world's hearts and conscience, something

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even better. So, Muhammad Ali, may God

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have mercy upon your soul. May you rest

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in peace.