Mike Tyson

---
name: "Mike Tyson"
relatedPeople:
  - "mickey-rourke"
  - "herman-cain"
  - "floyd-mayweather"
  - "george-foreman"
date: "2012-09-13"
sources:
  - sourceTitle: "Sports of the Times: The Tyson, Olajuwon Connection"
    sourceUrl: "http://www.nytimes.com/1994/11/13/sports/sports-of-the-times-the-tyson-olajuwon-connection.html"
  - sourceTitle: "PHOTO: Mike Tyson at Mecca"
    sourceUrl: "http://blog.beliefnet.com/cityofbrass/2010/07/photo-mike-tyson-at-mecca.html"
  - sourceTitle: "Mike Tyson: 'I doubt my rage will ever be gone.'"
    sourceUrl: "http://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/9264716/Mike-Tyson-I-doubt-my-rage-will-ever-be-gone.html"
  - sourceTitle: "Mike Tyson interview about islam muslim"
    sourceUrl: "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-y6oO1G3NHE"
  - sourceTitle: "Time Covers Mike Tyson's Islam, Not Radical Islamist's Shooting of U.S. Troops"
    sourceUrl: "http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tim-graham/2011/03/10/time-covers-mike-tysons-islam-not-radical-islamists-shooting-us-troops"
  - sourceTitle: "Mike Tyson Thinks That Sarah Palin Needs Harder Sex"
    sourceUrl: "http://withleather.uproxx.com/2011/09/mike-tyson-weighed-in-on-sarah-palins-sex"
  - sourceTitle: "Mike Tyson Spoofs Herman Cain"
    sourceUrl: "http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/video/mike-tyson-spoofs-herman-cain-14925444"
  - sourceTitle: "Mike Tyson: Republican?"
    sourceUrl: "http://offwing.com/2006/10/mike-tyson-republican"
  - sourceTitle: "Pigeon Racing, Mike Tyson and PETA"
    sourceUrl: "http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art66217.asp"
summaries:
  religion: "Tyson converted to Islam in prison, now he's very devout."
  politicalViews: "Tyson seems to be a conservative Republican, despite taking jabs at Republicans on occasion."
---

Mike Tyson was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York.

Tyson's childhood was a tumultuous one. His father left the family when Tyson was two-years-old. And his mother died when he was 16, leaving him in the legal care of his boxing coach. Suffice it to say, religion was likely not a part of his life.

But in 1992, Tyson was convicted of rape and during his three years in prison, he converted to Islam.<a class="source-citation" href="#http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F1994%2F11%2F13%2Fsports%2Fsports-of-the-times-the-tyson-olajuwon-connection.html" title="Sports of the Times: The Tyson, Olajuwon Connection">[1]</a>

Now, Tyson is quite devout, even having made a trip to Mecca<a class="source-citation" href="#http%3A%2F%2Fblog.beliefnet.com%2Fcityofbrass%2F2010%2F07%2Fphoto-mike-tyson-at-mecca.html" title="PHOTO: Mike Tyson at Mecca">[2]</a> as well as marrying the daughter of a Muslim cleric.<a class="source-citation" href="#http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraph.co.uk%2Ffamily%2F9264716%2FMike-Tyson-I-doubt-my-rage-will-ever-be-gone.html" title="Mike Tyson: &apos;I doubt my rage will ever be gone.&apos;">[3]</a> And though Tyson admits that he doesn't follow the Muslim tradition like he should (such as not always praying five times a day),<a class="source-citation" href="#http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D-y6oO1G3NHE" title="Mike Tyson interview about islam muslim">[4]</a> it is undoubtedly a very big part of his life. He said:

>Being a Muslim is who I am as a person. But let's say there wasn't Islam. Just that spirit, just for me to have my everyday [routines] helps. I have to be constantly on the move, or else the machine is going to break. I'm a realist. I deal with the world coming at me. It comes at me fast — faster sometimes than I can say my prayers. God will have to forgive me if I forgot a few things. I hope he does, at least.<a class="source-citation" href="#http%3A%2F%2Fnewsbusters.org%2Fblogs%2Ftim-graham%2F2011%2F03%2F10%2Ftime-covers-mike-tysons-islam-not-radical-islamists-shooting-us-troops" title="Time Covers Mike Tyson&apos;s Islam, Not Radical Islamist&apos;s Shooting of U.S. Troops">[5]</a>

## 

## Politics is like a boxing ring: it's right against left

Mike Tyson's politics can be about as gruesome as his bouts in the ring. Sometimes you wonder if it's even about politics at all, like when he suggested that former Alaska Republican governor and vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin might enjoy finding herself in a compromising sexual position with a horse (or a black guy).<a class="source-citation" href="#http%3A%2F%2Fwithleather.uproxx.com%2F2011%2F09%2Fmike-tyson-weighed-in-on-sarah-palins-sex" title="Mike Tyson Thinks That Sarah Palin Needs Harder Sex">[6]</a>

But sometimes, he's genuinely funny, such as when he spoofed Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain's creepy campaign ad–cheesy smile and all.<a class="source-citation" href="#http%3A%2F%2Fabcnews.go.com%2FPolitics%2Fvideo%2Fmike-tyson-spoofs-herman-cain-14925444" title="Mike Tyson Spoofs Herman Cain">[7]</a>

All of this might lead you to believe that Tyson is a Democrat: disparaging comments toward Republicans and the fact that he once said that black Republicans are "sellouts."<a class="source-citation" href="#http%3A%2F%2Foffwing.com%2F2006%2F10%2Fmike-tyson-republican" title="Mike Tyson: Republican?">[8]</a>

But Tyson is a man of many conversions and his latest is to the Republican Party. He even campaigned on behalf of Maryland Republican Senate candidate Lt. Governor Michael Steele.<a class="source-citation" href="#http%3A%2F%2Foffwing.com%2F2006%2F10%2Fmike-tyson-republican" title="Mike Tyson: Republican?">[9]</a> Plus, he's expressed a few conservative views. He's said that welfare is bad and praised private education over public.<a class="source-citation" href="#http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D-y6oO1G3NHE" title="Mike Tyson interview about islam muslim">[10]</a> Plus, he pissed off PETA when he started holding pigeon racing events.<a class="source-citation" href="#http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bellaonline.com%2Farticles%2Fart66217.asp" title="Pigeon Racing, Mike Tyson and PETA">[11]</a> That's a one-way ticket out of the liberal camp.

What are the views of Mike Tyson on Elections?