Even the fight to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a national holiday took 15 years from the first bill introduced by Rep. John Conyers and Sen. Edward Brooke to passage and enactment of a revised bill authored by Rep. Katie Hall, the first Black woman elected to represent Indiana in Congress. Yet even after President Ronald Reagan signed the bill into law in 1983, the holiday was not recognized in all 50 states until 2000.
Similarly, Rep. Julia Carson, the second Black woman from Indiana elected to serve in Congress, introduced a bill in 2006 to award the Congressional Gold Medal to Muhammad Ali. Despite her efforts, that bill never received a committee hearing, let alone a floor vote. Since her death and my election to Congress, I have taken up this mantle, reintroducing the bill eight times—from the 111th Congress in 2009 to the current 118th Congress. Despite widespread support from groups across the country, the bill has still not made it to a vote.
Muhammad Ali, “The Greatest,” was a true American hero. After winning a gold medal for the United States at the 1960 Summer Olympics, Ali converted to Islam in 1961 and soon became the world heavyweight champion at the age of 22. In 1964, he rejected his birth name, Cassius Clay, which he called his “slave name,” and formally adopted the name Muhammad Ali.
In 1967, as a conscientious objector, Ali refused to be drafted into the military because of his religious and moral opposition to the Vietnam War. Convicted of draft evasion, he appealed his case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which overturned the conviction in 1971. After reclaiming his world heavyweight title, Ali dedicated his post-boxing career to serving as a global ambassador for peace, civil rights, human rights, and fairness for everyone.
Ali has long held a special place in the hearts of Indiana Hoosiers, especially mine. He first visited the Indiana Black Expo’s Summer Celebration in 1987 as an activist and returned in 1996 to support my grandmother, Julia Carson, in her first run for Congress, which she won. In 2003, Ali returned to Indianapolis when he served as grand marshal of the Indy 500 before a crowd of 300,000 cheering fans.
My grandmother and Muhammad Ali inspired me early in life to become civically active and stand up for my beliefs. Both were born in Louisville, Kentucky, from humble beginnings and used the prejudice they faced as motivation to succeed. They fought tirelessly to accomplish their goals and became champions in their respective fields—Ali in the boxing ring and my grandmother in the halls of Congress. They shared a passion for defending their beliefs and were never afraid to fight for what was right.
Muhammad Ali deserves a Congressional Gold Medal, yet despite all his contributions, we have not been able to secure the 290 cosponsors needed to get a vote on my current bill, H.R. 709. So far, we have just 91.
Why is it that someone as universally beloved as Ali, a man whose life and legacy have inspired so many around the globe, has yet to receive the recognition he deserves from Congress? Is it because this recognition is going to a Muslim man? Or because a Muslim man is offering it?
As the longest-serving Muslim member of Congress and the dean of our small but mighty Muslim caucus, I have asked these questions many times. Some point to Ali’s draft evasion, labeling him as controversial. But the Supreme Court overturned that conviction. Others suggest race might be a factor. Yet, there are many other Black recipients of the Congressional Gold Medal, including Nelson Mandela, General Colin Powell, Roy Wilkins, and Rosa Parks.
Since 1776, only 184 Congressional Gold Medals have been awarded. It is an interesting list, including individuals like George Washington, Charles Lindbergh, Howard Hughes, Robert Frost, Bob Hope, Walt Disney, Winston Churchill, Frank Sinatra, and Billy Graham, plus iconic athletes like Jesse Owens, Jackie Robinson, and Larry Doby. Given this roster of distinguished Americans, why not add Muhammad Ali, a man who represents the very best of our country?
Could it be that my colleagues are reluctant to honor a principled Muslim man who lived his faith with deep conviction and practiced Islam every day despite the attacks he endured? Even after his passing, Muhammad Ali continues to inspire generations around the world more than 60 years after winning an Olympic gold medal for the United States.
Islamophobia, like racism, antisemitism, and homophobia, is a pernicious poison that can infect people without their realizing it. It can manifest itself with discomfort or outright resistance to honoring someone like Ali based on fear, ignorance, or flawed and unfair procedures.
For example, the current procedures established by the Republican majority make it extremely difficult to pass a Gold Medal bill. Before the committee of jurisdiction can hold a hearing or a markup, 290 cosponsors are required. In practice, most bills passed by either chamber do not need hundreds of cosponsors for consideration. Additionally, only five Gold Medal bills can be considered per session under these restrictions. The “quiet part” is that while few would want to vote against Ali on the floor, most have not cosponsored the bill, blocking it.
How could it have been easier for Muhammad Ali to win an Olympic gold medal at age 18 than be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for his lifetime of service to civil rights and humanitarian causes? Is it Islamophobia?
Few will admit to Islamophobia, but actions speak volumes. In this session alone, two of the three members of our Muslim caucus were sanctioned by votes on the House floor. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), the only Palestinian-American to ever serve in Congress, was censured by a vote of 234 to 188 for speaking up for Palestinian rights. She was wrongfully accused of promoting a false narrative about the suffering in Gaza, even though over 40,000 innocent Palestinians, mostly women and children, have already been killed. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), the first Somali-American elected to Congress, was stripped of her seat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee by a vote of 218 to 211 for similarly speaking up for Palestinian rights. These votes did not grab the headlines they should have, but they revealed a disturbing reality: two-thirds of Muslim members of Congress were sanctioned for standing up for their communities. This is a dangerous trend.
Unlike systemic disenfranchisement and discrimination against racial minorities and immigrants, Islamophobia is particularly painful because it persecutes an individual’s religion. Our faith is so personal and, for many of us, very private. So, being subjected to this irrational hatred because of our religion is hard, especially in a country founded on religious freedom.
Globally, we are witnessing hijab bans, oppression of Muslims, and fear-based politics that fuel violence, with incidents increasing at an alarming rate. This hits close to home when tragic events, like the stabbing of a six-year-old Muslim boy in Illinois last year, remind us of the consequences of ignorance, hatred, and violence. My heart broke when this child was killed by his neighbor, who was angry at Palestinians over the Israel-Gaza war.
We must call out Islamophobia—whether it is blatant, like the Muslim Ban under the Trump administration, or subtle, like the opposition to legislative recognition of Muhammad Ali. We must not be silent. We must be vigilant in stopping this irrational fear from blocking progress and fairness. Only then can we build political consensus and experience the dream our Founders envisioned, where life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are available to every American, not just some.
There are some encouraging legislative developments: This past summer, we opened the first-ever Interfaith Staff Prayer Room in the Capitol Complex under the auspices of the House Chaplain’s Office. ItThe addition of the prayer room was the result of legislation I authored and was enacted as an amendment to the FY2022 Legislative Branch Appropriations Bill. It provides dedicated physical space for congressional staff and interns of all faiths to pray and meditate at work.
While there has always been a small interfaith place for members of Congress to use, there was nothing available for staff working in crowded cubicles with no privacy. This legislative change has made a positive difference, especially for Muslim staffers, who now have a private place for daily prayers. This small victory shows that progress is possible—we just have to keep running the race together and never give up.
Please note: The views expressed herein have not been approved by the House of Delegates, the Board of Governors, the Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice or the Human Rights Editorial Board of the American Bar Association and, accordingly, should not be construed as representing the policy of the American Bar Association. They are the views of the individual authors themselves in their personal capacities.
