Two days of ceremonies bidding a poignant last farewell to Muhammad Ali got underway Thursday in his American hometown with thousands set to attend a Muslim prayer service for the late boxing legend.
Ali's native city of Louisville in Kentucky is hosting a series of interfaith tributes bringing together VIPs and huge crowds of ordinary fans in remembering one of the indelible figures of the 20th century.
The three-time heavyweight world champion, adored for both his remarkable boxing career and his bold civil rights activism, died last week at age 74 after a decades-long battle with Parkinson's disease.
Born Cassius Clay at a time of racial segregation in the American south, the boxer converted to Islam in 1964, changing his name to Muhammad Ali and shocking America.
Thursday's 30-minute prayer service will be held at Louisville's Freedom Hall arena, the site of Ali's last fight in his hometown, where he defeated Willi Besmanoff on November 29, 1961.
Muslims in attendance will be asked to remain standing during the service, held in presence of Ali's casket, and expected to draw at least 16,000 people.
"The service is a traditional Muslim funeral," said Imam Zaid Shakir, who helped organize it.
- 'Live his legacy' -
"Muhammad Ali has a very very special significance for the Muslim community," he said.
"This is about... sending him off in the very best of fashion, and honor his memory, live his legacy and love each other as he would wish."
For millions of Muslims around the world, Ali symbolized the true face of Islam, promoting peace and tolerance.
On Friday morning, a funeral procession will wind through the city of 600,000, passing sites that were important to Ali: his childhood home, the Ali Center, the Center for African American Heritage -- which focuses on the lives of blacks in Kentucky -- and, of course, along Muhammad Ali Boulevard before arriving at the cemetery for a private burial.
Actor Will Smith -- who earned an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Ali on the silver screen -- and former heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis will be among the pallbearers.
An anonymous individual has pledged to cover the path to the grave with red rose petals.
The Ali family asked news media not to film the burial from helicopters.
"Please use discretion and we will encourage you not to film the burial service from afar, from your helicopters flying over the cemetery," family spokesman Bob Gunnell told a press conference Thursday.
On Friday afternoon, Ali will be honored at an interfaith memorial service at a large sports arena that will bring together heads of state, VIPs and fans alike. More than 15,000 people are expected to attend.
Former president Bill Clinton and comedian Billy Crystal will eulogize Ali, while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be in attendance.
Ali visited Istanbul in 1976 and met with Erdogan's long time mentor, then-deputy prime minister Necmettin Erbakan. During that visit Ali announced his retirement from the ring to focus on propagating the Muslim faith, but he ended up fighting for a few more years.
"Muhammad Ali was not just a champion athlete or a boxing legend. He was also a freedom fighter who threw his punches for all the oppressed people in the world," said Erdogan, according to the state-run Anatolia news agency.
"Every punch Muhammad Ali threw, every word he said, every victory he won gave hope and strength to billions of oppressed people from Asia to Africa," he said at Ankara airport late Wednesday before leaving for the United States.
The free tickets to the memorial service were given out in half an hour and a black market for the coveted tickets soon sprouted online.
"Anyone selling or buying tickets online at Craigslist, eBay or any of the other sites that have those sales up will be reported to law enforcement," Gunnell said, calling the activity "despicable."
Two days of ceremonies bidding a poignant last farewell to Muhammad Ali got underway Thursday in his American hometown with thousands set to attend a Muslim prayer service for the late boxing legend.
Ali’s native city of Louisville in Kentucky is hosting a series of interfaith tributes bringing together VIPs and huge crowds of ordinary fans in remembering one of the indelible figures of the 20th century.
The three-time heavyweight world champion, adored for both his remarkable boxing career and his bold civil rights activism, died last week at age 74 after a decades-long battle with Parkinson’s disease.
Born Cassius Clay at a time of racial segregation in the American south, the boxer converted to Islam in 1964, changing his name to Muhammad Ali and shocking America.
Thursday’s 30-minute prayer service will be held at Louisville’s Freedom Hall arena, the site of Ali’s last fight in his hometown, where he defeated Willi Besmanoff on November 29, 1961.
Muslims in attendance will be asked to remain standing during the service, held in presence of Ali’s casket, and expected to draw at least 16,000 people.
“The service is a traditional Muslim funeral,” said Imam Zaid Shakir, who helped organize it.
– ‘Live his legacy’ –
“Muhammad Ali has a very very special significance for the Muslim community,” he said.
“This is about… sending him off in the very best of fashion, and honor his memory, live his legacy and love each other as he would wish.”
For millions of Muslims around the world, Ali symbolized the true face of Islam, promoting peace and tolerance.
On Friday morning, a funeral procession will wind through the city of 600,000, passing sites that were important to Ali: his childhood home, the Ali Center, the Center for African American Heritage — which focuses on the lives of blacks in Kentucky — and, of course, along Muhammad Ali Boulevard before arriving at the cemetery for a private burial.
Actor Will Smith — who earned an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Ali on the silver screen — and former heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis will be among the pallbearers.
An anonymous individual has pledged to cover the path to the grave with red rose petals.
The Ali family asked news media not to film the burial from helicopters.
“Please use discretion and we will encourage you not to film the burial service from afar, from your helicopters flying over the cemetery,” family spokesman Bob Gunnell told a press conference Thursday.
On Friday afternoon, Ali will be honored at an interfaith memorial service at a large sports arena that will bring together heads of state, VIPs and fans alike. More than 15,000 people are expected to attend.
Former president Bill Clinton and comedian Billy Crystal will eulogize Ali, while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be in attendance.
Ali visited Istanbul in 1976 and met with Erdogan’s long time mentor, then-deputy prime minister Necmettin Erbakan. During that visit Ali announced his retirement from the ring to focus on propagating the Muslim faith, but he ended up fighting for a few more years.
“Muhammad Ali was not just a champion athlete or a boxing legend. He was also a freedom fighter who threw his punches for all the oppressed people in the world,” said Erdogan, according to the state-run Anatolia news agency.
“Every punch Muhammad Ali threw, every word he said, every victory he won gave hope and strength to billions of oppressed people from Asia to Africa,” he said at Ankara airport late Wednesday before leaving for the United States.
The free tickets to the memorial service were given out in half an hour and a black market for the coveted tickets soon sprouted online.
“Anyone selling or buying tickets online at Craigslist, eBay or any of the other sites that have those sales up will be reported to law enforcement,” Gunnell said, calling the activity “despicable.”
