I'm saying you talking about me about some draft and all of you white boys are breaking your neck
to get to Switzerland and Canada and London. I'm not going to help nobody get something my
Negroes don't have. If I'm going to die, I'll die now, right here fighting you. If I'm going to die,
you my enemy. My enemy is the white people, not Vietcongs or Chinese or Japanese. You my
poser when I want freedom. You my poser when I want justice. You my poser when I want equality.
You won't even stand up for me in America for my religious beliefs, and you want me to go
somewhere and fight, but you won't even stand up for me here at home. First of all, I would like
to thank the student governing body for inviting me here to speak at this beautiful and worthy
occasion tonight. And I would also like to congratulate them on the great splendid stand
to stand.
To stop the bloody war that's now going on in Vietnam.
And as a Muslim minister, my own outlook.
As a Muslim minister, my own outlook on war and violence is well
known by now. And I would like to say that the number one greeting in my faith is peace and
that is eatsalamalakum. transparent
dialogue. Which means, which means may peace, which means may peace be unto you. There have been many questions put to me
be why I refuse to be inducted into the United States Army, especially, as some have pointed
out, many have pointed out, when not taking the step, I will lose so much. And I would
like to say to those of the press and those of the people who think that I lost so much
by not taking the step, I would like to say that I did not lose a thing up until this
very moment. I haven't lost one thing.
I have gained a lot.
Number one
Number one, I feel like I lost a lot.
have gained a peace of mind. I have gained a peace of heart. I now know that I'm in content
with Almighty God Himself, whose proper name is Allah. I have also gained the respect of
everyone here today. I have not only gained the respect of everyone here today, but worldwide,
I have gained the respect of people all over the world. And by taking the
step may have satisfied a few people who are pushing the war, even if the wealth of
America was given to me for taking the step. The wealth of America and the friendship of
all of the people who support the war, this will still be nothing if I am not content
internally and if I'm not in court with the will of Almighty Allah.
Thank you.
As you read the newspapers and the press now you see that I am now in court. I am
in court, seeking justice, under the laws to the land. In this country, the United States
of America, ministers are exempt from the armed services.
Okay.
And?
.
If they choose, I am a Muslim minister and a teacher of the religion of Islam.
It has been said that I have two alternatives, either go to jail or go to the army.
But I would like to say that there is another alternative, and that alternative is justice.
And if justice prevails, I will neither go to the army nor will I go to jail.
Thank you.
They say that actually every time that I enter the ring, in a way, I'm going to war.
They say to me daily, you are a prize fighter, what's the difference?
And I like to say to those critics of the press and to the others that there is one
hell of a lot of difference in fighting in the ring and going to war in Vietnam.
Boxing is nothing like going to war with machine guns.
Bazookas, hand grenades, bomber airplanes.
My intention is to box, to win a clean fight.
But in war, the intention is to kill, kill, kill, kill, and continue killing innocent
people.
That's what, of course, is in war.
I would like to hear this from you, and I want the world and the cameras to hear, who's
the heavyweight champion of the world?
And I'm very pleased and thankful for being here.
And that's all I would like to say.
Thank you very much.
My conscience won't let me go shoot my brother or some darker people or some poor, hungry
people in the mud for big, powerful America, and shoot them for what?
They never called me *.
They never lynched me.
They didn't put no dogs on me.
They didn't rob me of my nationality.
I don't know.


I was raped and killed by my mother and father.
What I'm going to do?
Shoot them for what?
How am I going to shoot them?
Them little poor little black people and little babies and children and women.
How can I shoot them poor people?
They'll just take me to jail.