MORE RELEVANT THAN EVER

But Ali opened his mouth, evoking mostly hate at first. The love came later. Africa and Asia welcomed him with open arms; in his native America, it was a delayed, mostly grudging acceptance. As a social force, what he represented for the African-American and his embracing Islam during the Civil Rights Movement makes him the eternal hero.

But we live in strange times. Police atrocities against Blacks in the US are among the highest ever. Islamophobia sweeps the world. In death, is Ali more relevant than ever? "Don't judge those running for office by the eloquence of their tributes to Ali, but how they'd treat a 20-year-old version of him now," Tom Fletcher , former UK Ambassador to Lebanon, said in response to Donald Trump's `tribute' to Ali's passing. "Muhammad Ali is dead at 74! A truly great champion and a wonderful guy. He will be missed by all.”

Fletcher was underlining the establishment's historical suspicion of Ali and the growing intolerance in the current times.

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