Muhammad Ali writes letter to people of Norway
(AP) - Ali expressed his sadness about the bombing and massacre in Norway, saying he is heartbroken by the senseless deaths and the reasoning of the man behind them...
Muhammad Ali expressed his sadness about the bombing and massacre in Norway, saying he is heartbroken by the senseless deaths and the reasoning of the man behind them.
In a letter to the people of Norway written under his name, the boxing great says his “heart goes out to each of you as you deal with the unimaginable grief of your loss.”
Ali wrote that the richness of diversity is something that makes the world a better place and that no one should fear multiculturalism. People, he said, have the same ideals no matter what religion or race they are.
“I see the same wishes for our children to have happy, healthy lives; I see the same concerns for others less fortunate than ourselves; I see the same desire for peace and dignity,” Ali said.
The man who confessed to carrying out the massacre, Anders Behring Breivik, has said the attacks were part of a plan to start a cultural revolution and purge Europe of Muslims while also punishing politicians who have embraced multiculturalism.
Ali, a Muslim, said those who commit unspeakable acts in the name of race and religion “fail to understand that we share far more with our fellow beings than those aspects that set us apart.”
He went on to say that the best way to honor the victims in Norway is to reach out and embrace others in a celebration of common human values and aspirations.
“The collective power of such individual proactive acts can have a tremendous aggregate impact and provide a lasting honor to those who are no longer able to take such action themselves,” Ali wrote.
Ali’s spokesman, Craig Bankey, said the former heavyweight champion, who suffers from Parkinson’s, communicated his thoughts in the letter to his wife.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.
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