Muhammad Ali believes in a religion.
Muhammad Ali . In 1966 , two years after winning the heavyweight title , Ali further antagonized the white establishment by refusing to be drafted into the U.S. military , citing his religious beliefs and opposition to American involvement in the Vietnam War . As a Muslim , Ali was initially affiliated with Elijah Muhammad 's Nation of Islam ( NOI ) and advocated their black separatist ideology . He later disavowed the NOI , adhering initially to Sunni Islam and later to Sufism , and supporting racial integration , like his former mentor Malcolm X.