Muhammad Ali takes swipe at Donald Trump and condemns Islamic State in statement

Muhammad Ali has taken a swipe at Donald Trump and condemned so-called Islamic State, calling the terror group "misguided murderers".

"I am a Muslim and there is nothing Islamic about killing innocent people in Paris, San Bernardino, or anywhere else in the world," the 73-year-old former boxing champion said in a statement to NBC News.

Ali does not mention Trump by name but his statement is titled "Presidential Candidates Proposing to Ban Muslim Immigration to the United States".

In a thinly-veiled dig at the Republican presidential hopeful, Ali said: "I believe that our political leaders should use their position to bring understanding about the religion of Islam and clarify that these misguided murderers have perverted people's views on what Islam really is."

Trump has been criticised for his calls to ban Muslims from entering the US. Credit: Reuters

Muhammad Ali's statement in full