The Soul Of A Butterfly (16 page)

the

OLYMPIC FLAME

THE SECOND TIME AROUND

IN 1996, I
lit the flame that opened the Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta. I was honored to be the final carrier of the torch that had traveled across America, to be such an important part of the opening ceremonies. It brought back a lot of memories of my early boxing days, and I count it among the most memorable moments of my life.

It had been a long time since I had heard the roar of a stadium crowd. On the evening of the opening ceremonies, I waited in hiding behind the scenes as the events unfolded. Evander Holyfield carried the Olympic torch into the stadium, and he passed it on to the great swimmer Janet Evans. The whole process took only a few minutes, but it seemed to take forever. I had flown to Atlanta secretly a week before to do a practice run and work out the details, but I was still nervous. Who wouldn’t have been nervous? Three billion people were watching around the world.
Three billion!

When Janet carried her torch up the ramp inside the stadium, the whole world thought she would light the cauldron. Only a select few people knew that I would be the one. Part of the thrill of the experience was that element of surprise. When I stepped out of the shadows on the platform, into the bright lights, the crowd went wild and erupted in applause, gasps, shouts, and screams of joy as soon as they realized it was me, Muhammad Ali. Janet passed the flame to my torch, and then I carried it to a wick that sent the flame into the cauldron, high above the stadium. I could feel the waves of emotion running through that Olympic crowd as the flame took hold.

Watching the flame grow reminded me of my 1960 Olympic experience in Rome, where I won all four fights and defeated the European champion, Zbigniew Pietrzvkowski, and won the gold medal. Shortly after I returned to America I had briefly lost the wonder and honor I had felt as I first put on the gold medal, because I was still treated as a second-class citizen in my own hometown. Now the joy of the win came flooding back to me, and I thought about all that had happened in the thirty-six years between the two Olympic Games that have become important milestones in my life. I became a Muslim. I won three heavyweight championships. I refused to go to Vietnam. I
traveled
the world as an ambassador of peace. I had nine wonderful children. Everything flashed before me in an instant.

The Centennial Olympics reintroduced me to a generation of people who had grown up following my boxing career. Those Olympics gave me a renewed visibility; a whole new generation became interested in my life story. I had finally come full circle: In 1960, I shocked the world and won the gold medal in boxing at the Rome Olympics. In 1996, I showed the world that Parkinson’s disease hadn’t defeated me. I showed them that I was still The Greatest of All Time.

When the ceremony was over, I was given the torch to take home. Later that night, back in my hotel room, I couldn’t sleep. I just sat there holding the torch in my hand until dawn. I couldn’t put it down; it meant so much to me. Today it hangs on a wall in my office, so I can see it every day.

Lighting the Olympic flame was a major turning point in my life. Even today, people still come up to me and talk about their experiences of watching the opening ceremony and how they were moved by it. The love and emotion I get from these people gives me inspiration and energy to continue my mission of spreading peace and respect throughout the world.

ISLAM

and

SEPTEMBER 11

MOST AMERICANS DIDN’T
understand Islam before September 11, and unfortunately, the tragic events of that day—and those who committed the unspeakable acts that caused them—have become the face of Islam for many in the United States. On September 12, 2001, I released a statement that said, in part:

As an American Muslim, I want to express my deep sadness and anguish at the tremendous loss of life that occurred on Tuesday.

Islam is a religion of peace. Islam does not promote terrorism or the killing of people.

I cannot sit by and let the world think that Islam is a killing religion. It hurts me to see what radical people are doing in the name of
Islam.
These radicals are doing things that God is against. Muslims do not believe in violence.

If the culprits are Muslim, they have twisted the teachings of Islam. Whoever performed, or is behind, the terrorist attacks in the United States of America does not represent Islam. God is not behind assassins. Anyone involved in this must pay for their evil.

I believe these words as much today as I did when I wrote them. Some people blame Islam as a whole for the actions of a few people who claim to follow it. But they are mistaken in thinking this way.

Islam has two meanings: Surrender your will to God, and obtain peace in your soul. This does not mean that Muslims sit around and wait for God to do things: We, as Muslims, believe in doing good deeds, and that good deeds are true characteristics of our faith. Islam is more than just a religion; it is a way of life. We don’t depend on doing good works in order to get into heaven; submitting our will to God is all we need for salvation. I believe that every time we do something good or bad, it is recorded and will be reviewed when God evaluates us on Judgment Day. Doing good work is one way that we achieve peace in our souls. We pray five times a day, which reminds us that God is truly the greatest and helps keep us focused on Him. We offer
the
greeting
al-salaam alaikum
to people when we meet them, which means “God’s peace be upon you.”

I do not claim to be an Islamic scholar, but I know that there is no room in Islam for those who would kill or terrorize innocent people. In fact, killing and terrorism are completely opposite to the peace that is so central to our faith. People who do terrible things in the name of Islam hurt not only the victims of their actions but also all Believers by damaging the true dignity and goodness of our faith.

As a Sunni Muslim, I look to the example of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, who respected and interacted with peoples of other faiths in his time. Muslims and people of other faiths have, despite some wars and conflicts in the past, enjoyed hundreds of years of exchange and interfaith discussions. The Prophet himself participated in such discussions when he was alive. The Holy Quran encourages Muslims to have meetings and exchanges of ideas with people from other religious traditions.

It is my prayer that Muslims and all people who seek peace come together and work to make our world a better place for ourselves and our children.

AFGHANISTAN

A MISSION OF PEACE

IN 1998 I
was named the United Nations Messenger of Peace; it was a title that meant a lot to me. Many people would be surprised to know that I have always been uncomfortable with violence of any kind. Being a boxer that may seem ironic, but it’s true. I don’t even like arguing in my home life, and when I was fighting I never tried to hurt my opponent. So when I heard the news, I was honored. I remember saying to myself, you’re just an old man who left the sports page for the front page. But even so, it was another title that I could use to help make a difference in the world.

In November 2002 I visited Afghanistan on a three-day mission for the United Nations with the hope of raising awareness of the needs of the people of Afghanistan as well as the problems the country still faced following the fall of the Taliban regime. I had a chance to put my new title to good use. I was accompanied by my friend Howard Bingham; a business associate, Al Hassas; and my attorney, Ron DiNicola.

When we arrived I felt an instant connection with the country and the people. It is a Muslim country, and in spite of the danger and the destitute surroundings, I felt at home. These were my people, my brothers and sisters. On the first day of my mission, I met with President Hamid Karzai at the presidential palace in Kabul. An attempt had been made on Karzai’s life only
two
months before our arrival. Someone had shot four rounds through his car window.

We walked into a beautiful room with a high ceiling, long, flowing curtains, and elegant chandeliers. News cameras were everywhere, along with dozens of security guards. President Karzai strode in with open arms and a huge smile on his face. He wore a long red robe suited for a king. Karzai made his way across the hall and hugged me. He thanked me for coming, and I told him we were happy to be there with press coverage so that the people of the world wouldn’t forget Afghanistan and what was going on there.

President Karzai told me that he saw strength in me still … and that he wished I could stay with them there forever.

When I met with members of the former royal family of Afghanistan, I mentioned that I was thinking of buying land in Afghanistan. They said it wasn’t necessary, that I could live with them and that they would give me the land.

I remember thinking about all the places I have gone, all the countries, all the events, all the towns and cities where people have offered me food and gifts because they loved and respected me. I’ve often thought if everyone in the world would try to love and help one another the way that they love me, the world would be a much better place.

The following day I visited a girls’ school in the capital city, where the children had to meet in little white tents for their lessons, due to the reconstruction needs of Afghanistan. Under the Taliban, girls were banned from school and women were forbidden to work. I heard stories about how they had been stopped in the streets by Taliban police and turned away from school, unable to attend class. I thought about America and how spoiled we can be—how much we take our blessings for granted and how many of us squander them, like the kids who cut classes, create hardships in the classroom, and hassle their teachers. Most of them are unaware that there are people in developing countries risking their lives just trying to get to class. People and places like Afghanistan make me think about what’s important.

I enjoyed hugging and kissing all the kids. They seemed to be entertained by the magic tricks I showed them. When I was through I showed them how I performed them. Islam teaches that we should not deceive people, and all those little children might have believed I was really making a scarf disappear if I hadn’t shown them I was tucking it into a fake thumb.

It was hard for me to pull myself away from the kids. They were all so pure and innocent. I prayed that they would be able to hold onto that innocence in their war-shattered country. I hoped their future would be brighter and more promising than their past.

One of the highlights of the trip for me was a surprise visit to the mud-walled boxing club in Kabul. The club had two framed vintage photos of me as a young fighter in the ring. I handed out gifts of gloves and jump ropes. I was getting tired after shaking the hands of more than a dozen young boxers, but I found the strength to pound a red-and-blue punching bag for a few minutes as a small crowd cheered me on.

Several young men were sparring in a makeshift boxing ring, so I donned a pair of red gloves and stepped in myself to throw a few punches. I think I impressed them.

There are people taking stands around the world every day, but we don’t always hear about them because what they do doesn’t always make world news. So, I would like to share what I can to keep people mindful that there are unsung heroes out there who are fighting to survive. They continue to endure and carry on, proving that all things are possible when our will is at work. Upon my departure from Afghanistan I prepared a letter for the children and people there:

I want to share some of my feelings with you about how bright your future is. My life and my success were built upon the preparation that I practiced when I was a young person growing up in a poor place in America, and I know that you will succeed just like me if you can always keep these three things in mind:

Have faith and be a good Muslim. Your faith will help you through the most difficult days. Prepare your mind for the challenges of life.

Your education will be an important part of your life. You must study hard, respect your teachers, and follow their guidance. Prepare your body by practicing physical activity and sports, because sports build fellowship, character, and independence.

I know that for many of you, it may be difficult to participate in athletic activities because you may not have all the opportunities now, but we must all work together to create more opportunities.

It has been an honor and a pleasure to spend these last three days in your beautiful country. There has been much that has been achieved so far in Afghanistan by the humanitarian community working together with the Afghan government and people.

Above all, I believe I have seen in the young people like you not just the Afghanistan of
today,
but the Afghanistan of tomorrow. That tomorrow will be your tomorrow, and the world must not fail you. This is where the adults of the world can make a difference to your lives by continuing their good work for the rebuilding of your country. I want to thank you, my young friends, for showing me how strong you are in spite of the hardships your country still faces.

You must keep the strength.

You must continue the hope for a brighter tomorrow. You are the life and soul of Afghanistan.