5 things you probably didn’t know about RETRIBUTION leader Mustafa Ali

Mustafa Ali
Mustafa Ali

#3 A promoter wanted Mustafa Ali to play an extremist character

While living in the United States, Mustafa Ali has come across many individuals who’ve stereotyped him. While most haven’t affected the WWE Superstar much, there was a time when a promoter wanted him to play a religious extremist character on screen.

This came soon after Ali used to wear a mask while wrestling in order to hide his face and nationality.

“That was actually the idea of a promoter who wanted me to play a terrorist type of a character. I was never really a fan of portraying that, so I portrayed a character that could not escape racial discrimination in America.
“I’m a proud Muslim. I’m proud to have a Pakistani origin. And I want this country to accept me. I want to bring to light the fact that we are all the same.”

Ali fought off stereotypes and continued to work towards his goal of becoming a professional wrestler. He managed to rise above and proved that anything is possible if one tries hard enough.

“I want the next 16-year-old kid who looks like me to know he’s not automatically the bad guy. Hopefully that kid can look at Mustafa Ali and say, ‘Hey, he’s not the bad guy, and I don’t have to be, either.’ Everyone in the world, regardless if they’re Muslim or not, does not have to adhere to the label society slaps on you. No one defines you but you, and that’s what I’m fighting for.”

In 2009, a documentary focusing on issues faced by Muslim wrestlers was filmed with Ali as the subject.

Meet the man who called CM Punk the softest man alive HERE

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