Muhammad Ali Fights for America to Understand Islam, Not Fear It
Ali with granddaughter, Sydney, in 2012
Washington, 03 Jumadil Awwal 1438/31 January 2017 (MINA) – Muhammad Ali made a goodwill visit to Pakistan, where he visited mosques, shrines, schools, hospitals, orphanages, and government offices in fll 1987.
Ali believed that such visits were an important part of his Muslim faith, that acts of charity were a means of purifying one’s soul and drawing nearer to Allah, theundefeated.com reported.
The former boxing champion distributed thousands of autographed religious pamphlets when he traveled. He lugged them around for hours in oversize briefcases. It kept him strong, he said. But the exercise was only a bonus. Ali said he felt a duty to explain Islam to Americans and to explain America to Muslims.
Everywhere he went, people chanted his name — “Muhammad Ali Clay,” they called him in the Muslim world, using his former last name to differentiate him from the many Muhammad Alis who lived in Muslim countries.
People tossed flowers at his passing car and placed garlands around his neck. Dignitaries presented him with expensive gifts, which Ali would often leave for the hotel cleaning crews.
News media only present bad pictures of Muslims
On his 1987 trip, he spoke one night in a rickety old auditorium in Peshawar. Many of the men in the audience were Afghan fighters who had battled Soviet troops. Ali’s voice was slurred but easily understood.
“Many people in America know nothing about Muslims,” he said.
“Many people in America know nothing about Prophet Muhammad. America is a big country. America is a beautiful country. All peoples, all races, religions are in America, but the power structure and the news media present a bad picture of Muslims.
Whenever Muslims are mentioned, people think about Palestinian guerrillas — whenever Muslims are mentioned, they think about Khomeini, they think about Col. Gadhafi, and whatever he may do that they consider rebellious.
“My fight in the boxing ring was only to make me popular. I never enjoyed boxing. I never enjoyed hurting people, knocking people down. But this world only recognizes power, wealth, and fame … And after hearing the powerful message of Islam, and seeing the beautiful unity in Muslims, after seeing how the children are raised, after seeing the procedures of prayer, after seeing the way we eat, the way we dress, just the whole attitude of Islam, it was so beautiful — I said this is something more people have to know about, this is something more people would accept and join if they really understood.
Whether they be black or white, red, yellow, or brown, Christian, Jew, Hindu, Buddhist or atheist, if he hears Islam, reads the Koran, hears the plain truth about Muhammad, he’ll have to be affected in one way or the other.” (T/RS05/RS01)
Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)
