The death of Ali, a black Muslim giant who symbolized so much to so many, manifested that even the transcendence of this beloved figure did not deliver the empowerment of the very people he represented, gave voice to, and fought for. Too often, the harmonized identity that inspired his commitment to racial justice was vilified, obfuscated, and dismembered. People took what they wanted from Ali, not the entirety of the man, appropriating his image or a quote, his blackness or his Muslim identity, without championing the whole of who he was: a black Muslim committed to radical structural reform.

XREF: Connects to broader discussions about commodification and selective appropriation of historical figures' legacies (e.g., MLK, Malcolm X). SEED: Angle: how selective memorialization of activists neutralizes their radical politics while preserving their imagery.

Khaled A. Beydoun, American Islamophobia_ Unde…, loc. 416