Christians and Jews joined Muslims in mourning the death of Muhammad Ali at a packed mosque in the boxing legend’s hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, on Sunday night, where he was remembered as an ambassador for all humanity.
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Actor Will Smith, who portrayed Muhammad Ali in the movie “Ali”, and former world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis are among eight pallbearers for Ali’s memorial service this week in Louisville.
Mayor Greg Fischer said Ali blazed trails not only in boxing and civic activism, but also in interfaith understanding.
Mr. Ali was so famous (and reviled in some circles) that he could walk down the street of any city or village on the planet and be recognized at the height of his fame. The casket was loaded into a hearse and taken to a local funeral home, where dozens of fans were waiting to show their respect. A Jenazah, a traditional Muslim funeral service, will be held at Freedom Hall in Louisville at noon Thursday, Gunnell said.
Joseph Obiri put on his Muhammad Ali T-shirt, the same one he has worn in tribute since the news of the boxer’s death reached him, and brought his two-year-old son Samuel from their home in Cincinnati. “People mistook it for Alzheimer’s or ALS, and didn’t realize that you could potentially live a long happy life with Parkinson’s disease with the right cocktail of medicines, therapies and good expert care”.
“There will be people coming from all over”.
The Republican presidential candidate said he would temporarily ban all Muslims from entering the United States, a proposition Ali used one of his last public statements to rebuke. Ali, the magnificent heavyweight champion whose fast fists and irrepressible personality transcended sports and captivated the world, died Friday at the age of 74.
Lyndon Bilal, commander of the Muslim American Veterans Association, said through his “love, character and courage”, Ali had “always been a friend of soldiers and America”.
Ali’s daughter Hana tweeted, “Our hearts are literally hurting”.
When I chose to make my own documentary about this period of Ali’s life, my first move was to meet with Muhammad and his wife, Lonnie, in hopes of getting their blessing.
“Every time the bus would stop to pick up kids, he would pass us up”, she recalled.
“The message that we’ll be sending out is not our message – this was really designed by the champ himself”, said Timothy Gianotti, as Islamic studies scholar who helped for years to plan the services.
As a colourful boxer, no other boxer could match him, both inside and outside the ring.
But we will understand that the struggles of Ali were far bigger and on a completely different level, and then we will realise the shallowness of our admiration for the stars of today.
The evening’s presenter, Rob Riggle, discussed why Ali’s presence in and out the ring impacted people not just on a national level, but on a global scale.
Ali’s career stretched from 1960 to 1981 and he retired with a record of 56-5, including such historic bouts as the “Rumble in the Jungle” against George Foreman in 1974 in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire). “He looked at me, said, ‘Let me tell you something”.
“I don’t know why, he just picked me up!”
Muhammad Ali had some of his most memorable fights with Joe Frazier (left). He was a terror in the ring and a first-rate humanitarian outside of it. He had extraordinary speed, agility and reflexes: “He’d float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”.
Ali was catapulted into this world, born as an African American in the heydays of the struggle against inequality and injustice.
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In addition to being widely regarded as the best boxer in history, Ali was outspoken in his fight for social justice, becoming a key figure in the civil rights movement and a leading voice against the USA war in Vietnam.
