At the end of a roundtable discussion about Islam and fighting religious stereotypes, 51 professor Omid Safi stood next to former heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali and recited the evening prayers with him.
It was a moment that Safi says will stay with him forever, and which reaffirmed his warm feelings for the man many consider the most well-known Muslim in America.
Safi spoke at the forum sponsored by the Muhammad Ali Center in Ali’s hometown of Louisville, Ky. Participants in the April 20 event included American Muslims and Christians as well as visiting scholars from nations such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh.
Safi talked about “progressive Islam,” a movement by American Muslims to develop an understanding and practice of Islam in a way that is spiritually Muslim and culturally American.
Growing up in Iran in the 1970s, Safi said Ali was the only non-Iranian Muslim he knew about. Ali’s boxing success had made him a worldwide celebrity.
But Safi said for many Muslims, Ali’s refusal to fight in the Vietnam War led to an outpouring of “adoration and love” for the boxer, who was seen as standing up for “oppressed people of the world.”
Safi presented Ali with a copy of his book – “Progressive Muslims” – in which Safi had written that Ali’s work as an ambassador of good will and compassion is a great example of what it means to be spiritually Muslim and socially progressive.
Ali, who has Parkinson’s disease and has difficulty talking, did not speak during the event, though he responded to some comments with gestures, performed magic tricks involving a disappearing napkin, and posed for pictures with the guests, according to The (Louisville) Courier-Journal.
At one point, moderator Jack Shaheen paid tribute to Ali, saying he didn’t react with anger when, returning home with an Olympic medal in 1960, he was barred from restaurants in the South because he was black.
The former champ drew chuckles from the crowd by mimicking a punch, indicating he did get angry.
Ali himself made a plea for tolerance at the forum.
‘Rivers, ponds, lakes and streams — they all are unique, but they all contain water,’ just as religions ‘all contain truth,’ Ali wrote in a statement, which was read at the discussion by Michael Fox, president of the Ali Center.
Safi said the forum’s goals were to come up with more effective ways of promoting understanding and pluralism at a global level, and to come up with tangible ways of dealing with religious hatred and stereotypes.
He said he has committed to staying involved with the Muhammad Ali Center, and to participate in the next round of meetings that will involve global media leaders talking about representations of Islam.
Last week’s conference, though, has already left an indelible mark on Safi.
“I got to stand right next to (Ali) for the evening prayers, which was very meaningful to me,” he said.
“To stand shoulder to shoulder with this giant of a man whose body is broken but whose spirit continues to find ways of bringing people together filled me with a great sense of the awesome responsibility that all of us have, and the difference that any one of us can make.”
Tim O’Keeffe
Office of University Communications
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