Representatives of legendary boxer Muhammad Ali have visited a Leeds mosque to promote community relations - but could the great man himself follow suit?
Members of the Muhammed Ali Centre in Kentucky flew over to Makkah Mosque in Hyde Park for a special event to mark the fifth anniversary of the London bombings yesterday.
Although nothing is confirmed, I understand that the centre's representatives could be looking at bringing the boxing champion to visit Leeds at a future date.
Representatives of the centre - which promotes the legacy and ideals of Muhammad Ali in the form of respect, hope, and understanding - have visited the mosque before and have forged a close relationship with local leaders.
Ali visited the UK last year, visiting charity events in Stoke and Manchester.
At the Communities United – Working Together for a Brighter Future event, Greg Roberts, CEO of the Muhammad Ali Centre in the US, paid tribute to Makkah Mosque. He said:
"Makkah is a world-class example of a modern mosque. The world needs the kind of leadership that can be found here."
He said that there were a number of spiritual links between the Ali centre and the mosque - Ali had denounced the September 11 attackers as not representing Islam, while the Leeds mosque had done the same with the 7/7 bombers.
Both the Ali Centre building and the Makkah Mosque had opened their buildings at similar times.
Roberts said:
"Our headquarters is located in Louisville, Kentucky, a sister city of Leeds, so we are especially excited to be involved in this partnership and to formally recognize the families and loved ones of those whose lives were lost in the 7/7 bombings.
"Our mission embraces the promotion of respect, hope, and understanding among cultures through our outreach and educational initiatives. And the Center's founder, Muhammad Ali, embodies the values that we hope will inspire people around the globe to break down barriers among us and embrace our commonalities in order to bring about true healing in the world. We are proud to be a part of this effort."
Roberts said there were parallels between the issues faced by the youth of today and what Ali faced in the 60s.
He added: "He suffered because of who he was and his religion. But he channelled his anger and turned his life around because of his religious faith."
Brodrick Clarke, Director of Programs for the Muhammad Ali Centre, took part in a youth workshop. The aim of the workshops is to bring people of different backgrounds together to meet, learn and connect around issues of common interest and universal appeal so that inter-community relations are enhanced.
The centre teaches youngsters six core ideals - respect; confidence; conviction; dedication; spirituality and giving.
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