WI Cassius Clay doesn't join NOI

Supposing the Nation of Islam doesn't get national exposure in the late 50's and early 60's, specifically so that one young boxer in particular hasn't heard of them. How does this affect the religious, political, and career development of the man who OTL became Muhammad Ali?

Hard to say. He'll still be politically outspoken and probably end up opposing the Vietnam War (though it's an open question as to whether he'd go as far as he did OTL). As an Olympic Gold Medalist, and probable Heavyweight Champion, he'll definitely get swept up in the Civil Rights movement.
 
I don't see the man who said my favourite quote of all time going to Vietnam.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vd9aIamXjQI

He was very correctly against fighting for a country that had been ruthlessly oppressing him and his for three hundred solid years. And that didn't have a blessed thing to do with Islam.

TBH, I'd agree. The VietCong never lynched his people, or prevented them from marrying who they wanted, or kept them from bettering themselves.

And before people say 'patriotism'...to love your country, your country has to do something for you. To black people of a certain generation, you can't really say that the US was 'their' country. It was just a country that they lived in.
 
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