In the ring

44 years ago, Muhammad Ali stepped into the ring in the state of Maine in the US to defend his heavyweight boxing crown in the rematch title fight against Sonny Liston (a convicted criminal). Ali - who had won a boxing gold medal for the US in the Rome Olympics of 1960 - was booed by a hostile crowd because he had publicly proclaimed himself as a Muslim and was for the first time fighting under the name of Muhammad Ali in lieu of his birth name, Cassius Clay. The commentator in that fight, which lasted 1 round, insisted, however, in referring to Ali as Cassius Clay.

44 years later, the only hurdle in the path of Barack Hussein Obama from becoming the 44th president of the United States is a carefully orchestrated campaign to stir up xenophobic prejudice among American voters by depicting Obama as a Muslim operating under the camouflage of Christianity.

28 million free copies have been distributed in America of an inflammatory DVD en-captioned Obsession which seeks to exploit fears and incite hatred against Muslims, according to a report in The Washington Post of October 26.

An estimated $50 million were spent on this project by a New York-based organisation. The Washington Post story further revealed that this so-called 'educational' documentary was produced by Israeli filmmaker Raphael Shore. The 1-hour DVD appears timed to coincide with the US presidential race. A follow-up DVD called The Third Jihad has also been made.