December 7, 2015

Donald Trump, Here Are a Few Muslim American Sports Stars You May Have Heard Of

<a href=http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/AP-S-AZ-USA-Muhammad-Ali-Fight-Night/77b29c22cc634f9fa938cf4989858841/3/0>Jeff Chiu</a>/AP

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After President Barack Obama’s address to the nation on Sunday night, GOP front-runner Donald Trump criticized Obama for calling Muslim Americans “our sports heroes.“

Given his history, Trump should have known better. Muhammad Ali, Shaquille O’Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Bernard Hopkins are a few athletes who should come to mind when discussing Muslim American sports heroes. On several occasions in the past, Trump pointed to his friendship with boxing legend Ali.

#TBT With my friend Muhammad Ali

Posted by Donald J. Trump on Thursday, May 7, 2015

He even received an award from Ali in 2007.

Trump is also chums with boxer Mike Tyson, another Muslim American athlete. In fact, the two were so friendly that Trump even tried to help Tyson avoid prison after the boxer was convicted of rape.

During his time in prison, which ended in March of 1995, Tyson converted to Islam. Trump’s friendship with the boxer predated his conversion. But even later, when Tyson was defeated by Evander Holyfield in 1996, Trump claimed that he and Tyson were friends.

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Managing an independent, nonprofit newsroom is staggeringly hard. There’s no cushion in our budget—no backup revenue, no corporate safety net. We can’t afford to fall short, and we can’t rely on corporations or deep-pocketed interests to fund the fierce, investigative journalism Mother Jones exists to do. That’s why we need you right now. Please chip in to help close the gap.

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