Did Ali fear the Nation of Islam?

[wordisbond]

Does anyone feel that Ali feared the Nation would have him assassinated (in the manner of Malcom X) if he didn't follow their orders to refuse army induction? What are your thoughts, and what have you heard others speculate?

[BillB]

Here's a conversation that Sugar Ray Robinson said he had with Ali. It's taken from The Ghost Of Manila by Mark Kram:

“Elijah Muhammad told me,” Ali said, “that I can’t go.”

Ray said: “You won’t see a gun. Box some exhibitions. It’ll be a
snap. If you don’t, they’ll send you to jail, pick up your license. You
want to blow up your career, all you have, for nothing.”

“Well,” Ali said, “Elijah Muhammad told me.”

“Forget the old man,” Ray said, annoyed now. “Is Elijah going to
go to jail, and all those other Muslims?”

“But I’m afraid, Ray, I’m really afraid.”

“Afraid of what? Of the Muslims if you don’t do what they told
you?”

Sugar pressed for an answer; he never got one.

Years later he recalled: “He never answered. The kid was terrified. I left him with tears in his eyes. If you ask me, he wasn’t afraid of jail. He was scared
of being killed by the Muslims. But I don’t know for sure.”

[ETM]

Yes ofcourse he was. Ali wasnt insane. Youd have to be insane not to be afraid of an extreme group like that.

It wasnt just a matter of what they mightve done to him but the NOI proved that they would savage your family. They killed Hamas`s baby in Washington DC. over a letter he wrote exposing Elijah as a fraud.

Ali`s apartment caught fire the same day that Malcom was killed. Just his apartment nobody else in that building. At one time Malcom and Ali were close. Probably a warning.

There is a great episode of American Gangster the Philly Black Mafia that shows just how violent the NOI was and what they were into.

[Stevie G]

No doubt Ali was at the least very wary about the NOI. not exactly a mystery or groundbreaking to realise this.

[MagnaNasakki]

Of course he was. These folks weren't just ordinary, greedy gangsters. They were extremists, almost rabid with anger. Murderers.

Crossing them was a bad, bad idea.

[ThinBlack]

To a great degree, yes, he did.Muhammad was brave, but not Jim Brown type brave.