|
 At an emotional memorial service at a Louisville sports
arena, former U.S. President Bill Clinton, comedian Billy
Crystal, Ali's wife Lonnie and leaders of many of the world's
religious traditions delivered powerful tributes to the man who
Clinton called a "universal soldier for our common humanity."
"He decided at a very young age to write his own life story,"
the former president said. "He decided he would never be
disempowered."
Earlier in the day, an estimated 100,000 people came out to
honor Ali on a hot and sunny day, chanting his name and throwing
flowers along the 23-mile (37-km) funeral procession. At the end
of the route, he was laid to rest in a private burial, one week
after he died at the age of 74.
At the interfaith service, A-list celebrities and sports stars
converged with thousands of ordinary people to hear Ali
remembered as a man who went from Olympic gold medal winner in
1960 to three-time world heavyweight champion to an elder
statesman suffering from Parkinson's disease.
Ali, who was once scorned for converting to Islam and lost three
years of his boxing career for refusing U.S. military service
during the Vietnam War, ended up becoming one of the most
celebrated Americans in modern history, at home and abroad.
"What does it say of a man, any man, that he can go from being
viewed as one of his country's most polarizing figures to
arguably its most beloved?" sportscaster Bryant Gumbel told the
service, which was led by Iman Abdul Shakir, one of Ali's
spiritual mentors.
One of his enduring contributions was to restore pride in
African Americans after centuries of being denied a sense of
"somebody-ness," said Rev. Kevin Cosby, senior pastor of St.
Stephen Church in Louisville.
"Before James Brown said, 'I'm black and I'm proud,' Muhammad
Ali said, 'I'm black and I'm pretty,' Cosby said, comparing the
boastful boxer to the "Godfather of Soul." Ali "dared to love
black people at a time when black people had a problem loving
themselves."
The event proved to be a rare combination of politics, sports,
entertainment and religion, a testimony of Ali's impact on so
many aspects of life.
At times, it took on a decidedly political tone.
The crowd cheered when Rabbi Michael Lerner, editor of the
Jewish interfaith magazine Tikkun, made a rousing reference to
Hillary Clinton, Bill's wife and the presumptive Democratic
presidential nominee.
Lerner also took a swipe at Donald Trump, the presumptive
Republican presidential nominee, who has called for a temporary
ban on foreign Muslims entering the country.
"We will not tolerate politicians or anyone else putting down
Muslims and blaming Muslims for a few people," said Lerner.
[to top of second column] |
'TREMENDOUS BOLT OF LIGHTNING'
Ali had laid out the plans for his own funeral many years before.
Boxers, actors, old friends and even Jordan's King Abdullah came to
Louisville, while Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan attended the
Muslim funeral on Thursday and did not stay for the Friday event, as
had been planned.
Adding levity to the service was Crystal, who reprised bits of his
trademark comedy routine in which he imitates Ali and sportscaster
Howard Cosell, an important early supporter of Ali during his most
polarizing years.
“He was funny, he was beautiful, he was the most perfect athlete
that you ever saw … and those were his own words,” said Crystal, a
longtime pal who Ali called "my little brother."
But Crystal also highlighted Ali's significance as a cultural force,
a conscience of the country at a time of sweeping social change.
"He was a tremendous bolt of lightning created by Mother Nature out
of thin air," he said. "Muhammad Ali struck us in the middle of
America’s darkest night. Ali forced us to take a look at ourselves."
Hours before the indoor ceremony, some 1,500 people gathered outside
Ali's boyhood home in a traditionally African-American section of
town, awaiting the procession. As Ali's hearse arrived, police
standing shoulder-to-shoulder cleared a path, much like a fighter's
entourage clears his way to the ring.
The hearse stopped at the pink house as the people, many of whom
waited in the sun for more than three hours, chanted his name.
"It was important for me to be here," said Matt Alexander, 63, who
traveled from Florida. "I cried like a baby when I heard he'd died.
I just didn't want to believe it because I wanted him to live
forever."
(Writing by Daniel Trotta and Frank McGurty; Editing by Mary
Milliken)
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
