OSLO — Legendary boxer Muhammed Ali has spoken of his devastation over the deadly attacks in Norway on July 22, in an open letter published Tuesday, rejecting the fears of multiculturalism that lay behind the massacre.
"I am heartbroken, not only due to the senseless deaths of so many innocent victims, including many young people, but also because of the alleged reasoning behind these heinous acts," the American sporting icon wrote in a letter published by the VG daily.
"Fears of multiculturalism demonstrate a lack of understanding of the commonality that exists among people across ethnic, racial and religious lines," added the former three-time world heavyweight champion.
Muhammad Ali, now 69 and suffering from Parkinson's disease, is himself a convert to Islam, the religion reviled by Anders Behring Breivik, who has confessed to carrying out the attacks which he called part of a "crusade" against a "Muslim invasion" of Europe.
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment