Quote:LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Muhammad Ali was many things during his life, but above all else he was a Muslim.

This isn't my opinion. This was Ali's belief.

"Everything I do now, I do to please Allah," he once said. "I conquered the world, and it didn't bring me happiness. The only true satisfaction comes from honoring and worshipping God. ... Being a true Muslim is the most important thing in the world to me. It means more to me than being black or being American."

There are some fans, particularly in the United States, who will look past his faith when showering Ali with praise and enumerating his accomplishments as they remember his life. Perhaps they've learned to love him despite his faith, or maybe they've simply chosen to ignore it. But to ignore Muhammad Ali as a Muslim is to ignore Muhammad Ali as a man. The two are intertwined. Ali's name meant more to him than it does for those who had no choice in the matter. It represented his faith, symbolized his commitment to Islam and made him a household name across the world in places that had never had an American hero.