Leeds Makkah MasjidServing the Leeds Muslim Communities

CEO of Muhammad Ali Centre visits Makkah Mosque

Administrator on September 3rd, 2009

Boxing legend Muhammad Ali was in the UK at the end of last month, attending various fundraising events across the country to raise money for the Muhammad Ali Center in Kentucky, USA.

The Muhammad Ali Center serves as both a cultural attraction and an international education centre that is inspired by the ideals of its founder, Muhammad Ali. Two and a half levels of interactive exhibits and captivating multimedia presentations introduce Ali’s epic life through the six core values by which he lives: respect, confidence, conviction, dedication, giving, and spirituality. The Center strives to inspire its visitors to pursue their potential and explore the greatness that lies within themselves.

Makkah Mosque shares the Muhammad Ali Center’s mission of encouraging each individual to reach within themselves to fulfill the potential Allah has given them. Like the Center, Makkah Mosque is committed to helping both children and adults achieve the most that they can by encouraging engagement in activities and promoting self belief.

The President of the Muhammad Ali Center, Greg Roberts, was invited to Makkah Masjid during Muhammad Ali’s visit to the UK. Mr Roberts met the Imam of the Mosque, Imam Qari Asim, and discussed the various projects Makkah Mosque is involved in that mirror the aims of the Muhammad Ali Center. These include the promotion of youth engagement, respect for all human kind through interfaith work and communal relations, integration rather than isolation, promoting spirituality and the message that inner peace at an individual level will ultimately lead to peace on a global scale.

Greg Roberts and Imam Asim also had a positive discussion about the possibility of Makkah Masjid and the Muhammad Ali Center working together on various programmes in the future.

Mr Roberts invited Imam Asim to a fund-raising dinner held in Muhammad Ali’s honour at Old Trafford, the home of Manchester United, on 26 August 2009. Imam Qari Asim attended the dinner with a delegation from Leeds and had the good fortune to meet and speak to Muhammad Ali and Mrs Ali . On behalf of the Muslim community of Leeds, Imam Asim along with the some of the members of the delegation from Leeds presented a cheque to Muhammad Ali for the Muhammad Ali Center and the charities that Muhamamd Ali supports. The community of Leeds showed great generosity to the Muhammad Ali Center as a token of their great love, respect and admiration for the boxing hero , a great Muslim icon and a humanatarian.

There are currently proposals for Muhammad Ali to visit the UK again and it would be a great honour to invite the greatest boxing legend Muhammad Ali to Leeds as part his next tour to the UK, insha-Allah.

Muhammad Ali quotes:

1. ” I believe in the religion of Islam. I believe in Allah and peace. ”

2. “I hated every minute of training, but I said, “Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.”

3. He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.”

4. “I wish people would love everybody else the way they love me. It would be a better world.”

5. I’m not the greatest; I’m the double greatest. Not only do I knock ‘em out, I pick the round”

6 “A man who views the world the same at 50 as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life”

7. “I’m so fast that last night I turned off the light switch in my hotel room and was in bed before the room was dark”

8. “Only a man who knows what it is like to be defeated can reach down to the bottom of his soul and come up with the extra ounce of power it takes to win when the match is even.”

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