The Funeral of Muhammad Ali

:00:00. > :00:11.A final farewell to one of the greatest sporting

:00:12. > :00:13.icons of all time - Muhammad Ali's memorial

:00:14. > :00:24.is being attended by world leaders, friends and relatives.

:00:25. > :00:27.Tens of thousands of mourners have lined the route of his final

:00:28. > :00:34.procession to pay their respects to the boxing legend.

:00:35. > :00:41.the UDC lives in Kentucky when the former president Bill Clinton will

:00:42. > :00:44.And I'm Laura Trevelyan in Louisville, Kentucky,

:00:45. > :00:53.where the memorial service is due to start in around an hour.

:00:54. > :00:56.A service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral marks

:00:57. > :01:04.the start of the Queen's official 90th birthday Celebrations.

:01:05. > :01:10.Also in the next hour: Euro 2016 gets under way in France.

:01:11. > :01:15.The disturbances took place at Marseille's old port just ahead of

:01:16. > :01:20.tomorrow night's game against Russia at 2016.

:01:21. > :01:23.I knew how much expectation there would be and I did not want to let

:01:24. > :01:27.And JK Rowling on the pressure for her play about that

:01:28. > :01:48.Good evening and welcome to BBC News.

:01:49. > :01:50.Let's join our correspondent, Laura Trevelyan, who's

:01:51. > :02:09.Just a few blocks from me is the KFC young centre where 15,000 people

:02:10. > :02:13.have gathered. The memorial service is due to begin shortly and it is a

:02:14. > :02:18.star-studded cast. Bill Clinton will be delivering one of the eulogies,

:02:19. > :02:25.the actor Billy Crystal will deliver another, the president of Turkey is

:02:26. > :02:29.present there as well. This will be an Interfaith Memorial service and

:02:30. > :02:33.it follows this morning where there was a final procession for Muhammad

:02:34. > :02:37.Ali as his casket was carried through the streets. Past his

:02:38. > :02:39.childhood home, as the places where he learned to box and the streets

:02:40. > :02:44.were thronged with people who had were thronged with people who had

:02:45. > :02:50.The man they called the Louisville Lip on his final lap.

:02:51. > :02:52.At the funeral parlour, family members and pallbearers

:02:53. > :03:00.gather - like former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson -

:03:01. > :03:09.as his coffin is loaded into the hearse.

:03:10. > :03:12.A final journey that will take in the streets where he grew up,

:03:13. > :03:15.around the city that was home, but where he also fought

:03:16. > :03:16.the segregation of 1960s America.

:03:17. > :03:24.And along the way, the streets are literally echoing to his name.

:03:25. > :03:31.Lining the route, those whose lives he touched and the people

:03:32. > :03:48.When you leave Ali, I have always thought, hmm,

:03:49. > :03:51.as he always had something to say on wisdom.

:03:52. > :03:57.But he left a legacy that will keep going.

:03:58. > :04:04.But he is still here, he lives in all of us.

:04:05. > :04:06.Since his death was announced, the Muhammad Ali Centre has

:04:07. > :04:08.become a makeshift shrine, a place where people

:04:09. > :04:13.I spoke to his friend and fellow civil rights activist,

:04:14. > :04:19.It is a sad day and a glad day, glad because the world

:04:20. > :04:21.acknowledges the special genius and greatness of Muhammad Ali

:04:22. > :04:26.Sad because we miss him, we miss him already,

:04:27. > :04:36.but his life and legacy and his music, as it were, lives on.

:04:37. > :04:39.It may be over 50 years since he fought battles on race

:04:40. > :04:42.and the Vietnam War, and 50 years since he became world

:04:43. > :04:45.champion, but this is someone whose significance went way beyond sport

:04:46. > :04:50.and politics and he transcends the generations.

:04:51. > :04:52.There are young and old on the streets today,

:04:53. > :04:56.and to modern America, his fight against injustice,

:04:57. > :04:58.intolerance, his pitch that anyone can achieve

:04:59. > :05:04.He is a cultural icon, to those on the streets,

:05:05. > :05:22.he was and still remains the greatest.

:05:23. > :05:28.That memorial service for Muhammad Ali is due to start very shortly. It

:05:29. > :05:35.is being held dust they block or so away from me here. What has happened

:05:36. > :05:41.there is that family members of Muhammad Ali are just going in to

:05:42. > :05:49.the auditorium and the 15,000 guests who were there, people from

:05:50. > :05:55.everywhere, everyone has been asked to rise to honour the family. This

:05:56. > :05:59.is going to be an Interfaith Memorial service. Muhammad Ali

:06:00. > :06:05.wanted the presents tips from all the religions. Will be Mormons,

:06:06. > :06:08.Buddhist, Catholics as well as Islamic scholars who will be

:06:09. > :06:11.speaking. Family members have said that this is because it is

:06:12. > :06:16.representing more hammered Ali's vision of an inclusive world, and

:06:17. > :06:21.the unity that he wanted to see in the world. We will see this memorial

:06:22. > :06:27.service beginning with their recitation from the Koran and an

:06:28. > :06:29.English translation and representatives from all the

:06:30. > :06:36.religions. That will be around 40 minutes and then family members will

:06:37. > :06:41.speak. His wife will speak, his daughter will speak and another

:06:42. > :06:45.daughter will speak. We will hear a reading from the daughter of Malcolm

:06:46. > :06:56.by, the founder of the nation of Islam that was such an influential

:06:57. > :06:59.movement for more Ali himself. He converted back in 1963. He was

:07:00. > :07:03.raised a Baptist. The first of the raised a Baptist. The first of the

:07:04. > :07:07.Interfaith speakers to speak will be from a Baptist church here in

:07:08. > :07:14.Louisville and that the religion that he started his live with. Then,

:07:15. > :07:22.after the family members who will speak we will hear from friends,

:07:23. > :07:29.from Billy Crystal the actor and comedian as well as a sportscaster

:07:30. > :07:34.and the final eulogy will be delivered by President Bill Clinton.

:07:35. > :07:39.A close friend of Muhammad Ali and who was with them when the centre

:07:40. > :07:44.was opened in 2005. A long time supporter. That memorial service

:07:45. > :07:55.will be getting underway very shortly.

:07:56. > :08:01.And one person who could not be here today was President Obama, because

:08:02. > :08:21.his daughter is graduating from high school. He did pay tribute today.

:08:22. > :08:25.I have had to slug it out little bit here in Washington and there have

:08:26. > :08:27.been times where I've been the underdog, just like the Champ.

:08:28. > :08:30.There have been times where I got beat up a little bit,

:08:31. > :08:32.and had to come back, and that sense of resilience,

:08:33. > :08:34.that's what these boxing gloves represent to me.

:08:35. > :08:38.So I just want to say, not just to all the fans around

:08:39. > :08:40.the world who drew such inspiration from Muhammad Ali, but most

:08:41. > :08:43.importantly to his family, to Lonnie and the kids and everybody

:08:44. > :08:46.who I know is celebrating a life during this week, you know,

:08:47. > :08:48.it is very rare where a figure captures the imagination

:08:49. > :08:53.of the entire world, and it is even rarer when that

:08:54. > :08:56.figure does so by being open and funny, and generous, and courageous.

:08:57. > :08:59.He was one-of-a-kind and in my book he will always be the greatest.

:09:00. > :09:15.He was one-of-a-kind and in my book he will always be the greatest.

:09:16. > :09:27.President Obama who keeps a pair of Muhammad Ali's boxing gloves in his

:09:28. > :09:32.private study just off the west wing of the Oval Office. He also has an

:09:33. > :09:36.iconic photograph of Muhammad Ali after winning a seminal fight in his

:09:37. > :09:41.private study as well. President Obama one of so many people from

:09:42. > :09:44.around the world paying tribute to Muhammad Ali and shortly has

:09:45. > :09:51.memorial service is going to begin here in Kentucky just short way away

:09:52. > :09:54.from where I am talking to you now. There were 15,000 tickets given out

:09:55. > :09:57.for this service. People were told to start queueing in the morning and

:09:58. > :10:03.the Jews were so long that they are to start giving the tickets out

:10:04. > :10:07.earlier because there were worries about the effect of the heat on

:10:08. > :10:11.people. All 15,000 tickets were given out within one hour, so many

:10:12. > :10:16.people wanted to be here for what they know will be an extremely

:10:17. > :10:20.special event. This is going to begin, it is due to be about two

:10:21. > :10:34.hours long, with a recitation from the Koran. That'll be from an arm

:10:35. > :10:39.and Muslim scholar. -- in. This event was carefully planned by

:10:40. > :10:44.Muhammad Ali and one of the speakers today, who is an Islamic scholar at

:10:45. > :10:49.the University of Waterloo in Canada, he planned the service very

:10:50. > :10:53.carefully with Muhammad Ali and he is one of the people who performed

:10:54. > :11:04.hammered -- Muslim burial ritual on hammered -- Muslim burial ritual on

:11:05. > :11:12.Muhammad Ali. Bill Clinton is coming in. He will be delivering one of the

:11:13. > :11:16.eulogies. A close personal friend of Muhammad Ali. Someone who has paid

:11:17. > :11:22.tribute to his activism, to his role as a global humanitarian, to

:11:23. > :11:26.speaking out against injustice and racism. He is supportive of the

:11:27. > :11:31.centre that I am standing in front of which was opened in 2000 and

:11:32. > :11:35.five. President Clinton was here for the opening of that and he will be

:11:36. > :11:42.the final speaker today. He will wrap up what will be an extremely

:11:43. > :11:47.moving occasion and on occasion just as Muhammad Ali wanted it to be. He

:11:48. > :11:51.knew this would be his farewell to the world. He spent ten years

:11:52. > :11:57.planning this with his wife and with helpers. Being a performer, a

:11:58. > :12:09.showman, a wit, he wanted to showcase his life and we can listen

:12:10. > :12:16.in now. In accordance with Muslim tradition

:12:17. > :12:22.and consistent with the wishes of Muhammad Ali, may God have mercy on

:12:23. > :12:36.him. We begin this programme with a brief recitation from the Koran, the

:12:37. > :12:42.Scripture of the Muslims. He is a young Imam. He is spearheading a

:12:43. > :12:53.blighted areas in Memphis. It is one blighted areas in Memphis. It is one

:12:54. > :12:55.of the few African American graduates. He will share with us a

:12:56. > :17:28.few verses from the Koran. now, with the translation of those

:17:29. > :17:37.verses, we would like to bring to the stage someone who is a second

:17:38. > :17:41.immigrants, an excellent student. In immigrants, an excellent student. In

:17:42. > :17:48.her spare time in recent years she raises money to provide medical

:17:49. > :17:59.supplies, surgical instruments, and other forms of medical assistance

:18:00. > :18:03.for Syrian refugees fleeing from the horror of the current conflict in

:18:04. > :18:12.that land. We pray that Almighty God brings it to a cessation soon.

:18:13. > :18:30.APPLAUSE In the name of God, the most

:18:31. > :18:39.those who say our Lord is gods, and those who say our Lord is gods, and

:18:40. > :18:46.are upright, the angels will descend upon them saying, have neither fear

:18:47. > :18:51.nor sadness. But rather rejoice in this paradise that you have been

:18:52. > :18:58.promised. We are your allies in this lower life and the life after you

:18:59. > :19:04.will have your heart's desire and you will have whatever ask for. As

:19:05. > :19:11.bitterly, from the one most forgiving, most merciful. --

:19:12. > :19:16.hospitably. Who is more beautiful in speech than the one who invites to

:19:17. > :19:24.God and us righteous works, saying, truly I am submitted to God? For

:19:25. > :19:31.good and evil are not equal. Repel ugliness with beauty and behold the

:19:32. > :19:38.one between Jew and whom there was enmity is transformed into a warm

:19:39. > :19:47.friend. But no one arrives at the station without great patience and

:19:48. > :19:51.immense fortune. Prostration, chapter 41, versus 30 - 35. Thank

:19:52. > :20:09.you. I forgot to mention that she is from

:20:10. > :20:16.Louisville, a proud resident of the city.

:20:17. > :20:24.O God, bless this day of hours. You O God, bless this day of hours. You

:20:25. > :20:31.are our protector. What an excellent protector. What an excellent helper.

:20:32. > :20:34.Honourable president Bill, William J Clinton, distinguished guests,

:20:35. > :20:41.viewing audience, on behalf of the viewing audience, on behalf of the

:20:42. > :20:46.family and the city of Louisville, Kentucky, the home of the People's

:20:47. > :21:09.Champ... APPLAUSE

:21:10. > :21:34.Ali! Louisville, Kentucky, admirably led by Meier Greg Fisher, I would

:21:35. > :21:37.like to welcome you -- Mayor. I would like to welcome you to this

:21:38. > :21:46.memorial service for the People's Champ, Muhammad Ali. At this time we

:21:47. > :22:05.would like to introduce our first speaker, Doctor Kevin Cosby.

:22:06. > :22:21.Time does not permit us to cheer. He has served as senior pastor and

:22:22. > :22:25.congregation has grown exponentially congregation has grown exponentially

:22:26. > :22:31.over the long years of his ministry. Reverend Cosby combines passion, wit

:22:32. > :22:36.and intellect as the foundation of the inspirational and inspirational

:22:37. > :22:40.ministry that has transformed the lives of thousands of individuals.

:22:41. > :22:49.Reverend Cosby. APPLAUSE

:22:50. > :22:51.Thank you. I looked in the dictionary for the

:22:52. > :23:17.word fidelity. It had two words. Lonnie Ali. In 1967, nine months

:23:18. > :23:26.prior to his assassination and martyrdom, Doctor Martin Luther King

:23:27. > :23:34.Jr. Was interviewed. The interviewer asked Doctor King a relevant

:23:35. > :23:40.question. He said, Doctor King, what has been the greatest effect and

:23:41. > :23:47.impact that the civil rights struggle has had on the Montenegro?

:23:48. > :23:56.Doctor King paused and said, besides the dismantling of barriers that

:23:57. > :24:02.prohibited the Montenegro from free access, the greatest and most

:24:03. > :24:08.profound effect that the civil rights struggle had was that it in

:24:09. > :24:22.fused something that we needed all along. And that was a sense of

:24:23. > :24:33.somebody nests. You will never be able to PCH what Doctor King meant

:24:34. > :24:40.when he said we needed the sense of somebody ness. Until you understand

:24:41. > :24:50.the 350 years of nobody ness, that was infused into the psyche of

:24:51. > :24:56.people of colour. Every sake -- every sacred document in our

:24:57. > :25:02.history, every hallowed institution conspired to convince the African in

:25:03. > :25:09.America that when God made the African that God was guilty of

:25:10. > :25:14.creative malfeasance. All of sacrosanct documents from the

:25:15. > :25:21.constitution, said that you are not ready. The Constitution said that we

:25:22. > :25:28.were three fifths of a person. Decisions by the Supreme Court said

:25:29. > :25:37.to the African that you have no rights, that whites were bound to

:25:38. > :25:45.respect. And even Francis Scott Key, in his writing of the Star-Spangled

:25:46. > :25:56.Banner, we sing verse one, but in verse three he celebrates slavery by

:25:57. > :26:01.from the sorrow of night or the from the sorrow of night or the

:26:02. > :26:09.death of the grave. Every institution from religion to

:26:10. > :26:14.to Jane and styles and, in fused in to Jane and styles and, in fused in

:26:15. > :26:22.the Cyclery of the African that he was inferior. But something happened

:26:23. > :26:26.to the depression generation and the World War II generation of African

:26:27. > :26:34.Americans. Jackie Robinson picked up his bat and hit a ball and the

:26:35. > :26:41.Brooklyn Dodgers one. Joe Lewis dismantled the pride of Arian

:26:42. > :26:48.supremacy by knocking out his opponents in 124 seconds. Jesse

:26:49. > :26:59.Lewis runs an ambulatory speed and winds for gold medals. Rosa Park

:27:00. > :27:04.sits down in a bus in December 1955 and a young seminary student from

:27:05. > :27:11.Boston University takes the complex ideas and tips on chocolate --

:27:12. > :27:17.dipped it in chocolate. APPLAUSE

:27:18. > :27:31.And then from Louisville,... APPLAUSE

:27:32. > :27:40.Emerged the silver tongued poet who took the ethos of somebody nests to

:27:41. > :27:47.unheard-of heights. Before James Brown said, I am black and I am

:27:48. > :27:54.proud, Muhammad Ali said, I am black and I am pretty.

:27:55. > :28:03.APPLAUSE Black and pretty was an oxymoron.

:28:04. > :28:10.Blacks did not say pretty. The first black millionaire in this country

:28:11. > :28:18.was not Oprah, but Madame CJ Walker. Who made products in order to help

:28:19. > :28:25.black people escape their African ancestry. Mahmood Ali said, I am

:28:26. > :28:33.proud. I am pretty. I am glad of who I am. And when he said that, that

:28:34. > :28:39.infused in Africans a sense of somebody ness. To extrapolate

:28:40. > :28:48.Muhammad Ali from the times in which he lived is what is called history.

:28:49. > :28:51.It is to talk about George Washington and not talk about the

:28:52. > :28:56.revolution. It is to talk about Abraham Lincoln and not the Civil

:28:57. > :29:06.War. Roosevelt and not talk about the depression. And World War II.

:29:07. > :29:09.Our brother, Muhammad Ali, was a product of a difficult time. And he

:29:10. > :29:46.dead to love. -- he dead to love. He dared to love America's most unloved

:29:47. > :29:54.race. And he loved us all and we loved him because we knew he loved

:29:55. > :29:57.us. He loved us all. Whether you lived in the suburbs of whether you

:29:58. > :30:02.lived in the slumps. Whether you lived on the Avenue of whether you

:30:03. > :30:06.lived in an alley. Whether you came from the penthouse of whether you

:30:07. > :30:16.lived in the projects. Whether you came from more house of whether you

:30:17. > :30:23.had no house. Whether you were hot yellow or not black, Muhammad Ali

:30:24. > :30:29.loved you. Aber city is known for two things. It is no one for

:30:30. > :30:34.Muhammad Ali and it is known for the Kentucky Derby debris. We hope you

:30:35. > :30:38.will come back and visit our city the first Saturday in May. We hope

:30:39. > :30:43.you will place a bet on one of the horses. But if you do, please know

:30:44. > :30:47.the rules. What will happen is the horses. In the starting gate and

:30:48. > :30:53.then the signal will be given and they will run in the mud for two

:30:54. > :30:57.minutes. Add the winner will then be led to the winner's circle where a

:30:58. > :31:02.read of roses will be played around the force's neck. We want you to

:31:03. > :31:09.make a bet but please know the rules. You cannot bet for the horse

:31:10. > :31:16.once it is in the winner's circle. You have to bet for the horse while

:31:17. > :31:23.it is still in the mud. APPLAUSE

:31:24. > :31:28.And there are a lot of people, there are a lot of people who have bet on

:31:29. > :31:33.Muhammad Ali when he was in the winner's circle. But the masses bet

:31:34. > :31:45.on him while he was still in the mud.

:31:46. > :31:49.Some people stood with him while he was in the mud.

:31:50. > :32:07.APPLAUSE Please don't mishear me. I'm not

:32:08. > :32:15.saying that Muhammad Ali is the property of black people. He is the

:32:16. > :32:21.property of all people. APPLAUSE

:32:22. > :32:27.But while he is the property of all people, let us never forget that he

:32:28. > :32:35.is the product of black people in their struggle to be free.

:32:36. > :32:44.APPLAUSE I went looking for Jesus on a poor

:32:45. > :32:50.street, thinking that I would find him as he walked around with men and

:32:51. > :32:56.women with stumbling feet. People who had their heads bowed low

:32:57. > :33:00.because they were broke and had nowhere to go. But then I went

:33:01. > :33:04.looking for Jesus way in the sky thinking he would wear a robe that

:33:05. > :33:09.would dazzle my eye. When certainly Jesus came walking by with stumbling

:33:10. > :33:12.feet because he had been hanging with the poor on a west street.

:33:13. > :33:29.APPLAUSE The Muhammad Ali of my childhood had

:33:30. > :33:33.a shuffle but as he grew older he what with shuffling feet, and I

:33:34. > :33:37.submit to you that he walked with shuffling feet not because of

:33:38. > :33:47.Parkinson's disease, but he walked with shuffling feet because he hung

:33:48. > :33:51.out with the folk in Louisville who had shuffling feet. Peace, and God

:33:52. > :34:21.bless you. APPLAUSE

:34:22. > :34:26.Yes, yes. Do not give a teenager a telephone and do not get a preacher

:34:27. > :34:35.and microphone! LAUGHTER

:34:36. > :34:47.We would like to bring the Senator to the stage. Now in his seventh

:34:48. > :34:52.term as the Utah Senator, one of Utah's senators. The most senior

:34:53. > :34:57.Republican in the Senate, author of some of the most far reaching

:34:58. > :35:01.legislation we have had in decades. Senator Orrin Hatch is a

:35:02. > :35:13.distinguished public servant and we are deeply honoured by his presence

:35:14. > :35:23.today. Well, Reverend, that was really good. Difficult for this poor

:35:24. > :35:37.old Senator to try to follow that! Well, ahead of the first fight

:35:38. > :35:47.with sunny Liston Muhammad Ali stood before a pack of reporters and said

:35:48. > :35:55.who he was, "I am the greatest". That is who he was -- Sonny Liston.

:35:56. > :36:02.He was not Muhammad Ali, the prizefighter, or even Muhammad Ali,

:36:03. > :36:12.the world champion. He was Muhammad Ali, the greatest. All these

:36:13. > :36:17.doubters dismissed that declamation as bravado but he was not talking

:36:18. > :36:20.trash, he was speaking truth. And he was, in the world of boxing, he

:36:21. > :36:34.truly was the greatest. APPLAUSE

:36:35. > :36:42.With the cut-throat quickness of a street fighter, and the simple grace

:36:43. > :36:50.of a ballerina, he moved with agility and punched with Herculean

:36:51. > :36:53.strength, but to assure that Ali's greatness stemmed purely from his

:36:54. > :36:59.athletic prowess is to see only half the man. Ali was great, not only as

:37:00. > :37:06.an extraordinary fighter, but he was a committed civil rights leader, an

:37:07. > :37:16.international diplomat, an advocate of religious freedom, and effective

:37:17. > :37:23.for Islam. He was something. He was caring as a father, husband, brother

:37:24. > :37:27.and a friend. Indeed, it is as a personal friend that I witnessed

:37:28. > :37:35.Ali's greatness for myself. I first met Muhammad Ali 28 years ago,

:37:36. > :37:37.almost to the day, to this day. I was in my Senate office and an

:37:38. > :37:44.assistant called and said, you have a visitor outside. I was really

:37:45. > :37:49.surprised that it was none other than the champion himself. The

:37:50. > :37:52.friendship we developed, I think, was puzzling to many people,

:37:53. > :38:06.especially to those who saw only our differences. And I would say that

:38:07. > :38:11.where others saw difference, Ali and I saw kinship. We were both

:38:12. > :38:21.dedicated to our families, and deeply devoted to our faiths. He

:38:22. > :38:25.took Islam and I to the church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints.

:38:26. > :38:31.We were both products of humble backgrounds and hard youths. Ali

:38:32. > :38:35.grew up poor here in Louisville and I grew up poor in Pittsburgh. True,

:38:36. > :38:42.we were different in some ways but that fortified our friendship. They

:38:43. > :38:47.did not define it. I saw greatness in Ali's ability to look beyond the

:38:48. > :38:55.horizon. And our differences. To find common ground. This shared

:38:56. > :39:00.sensibility was the foundation of a rich and meaningful relationship.

:39:01. > :39:10.And I will forever treasure it. One of my fondest memories of our

:39:11. > :39:17.friendship was when Ali joined me in the Salt Lake to listen to the Salt

:39:18. > :39:26.Lake Quire. I have to say it was the Mormon Quire -- choir. Ali love

:39:27. > :39:30.music and he enjoyed the choir's performance but he seemed more

:39:31. > :39:34.pleased to share his particular religious beliefs with those who

:39:35. > :39:39.came to hear the Christian hens. He attracted big crowds, as he always

:39:40. > :39:45.did, and eagerly gave everyone autographed pamphlet explaining his

:39:46. > :39:49.Muslim beliefs -- Christian hymn. Hundreds of Mormons lined up to grab

:39:50. > :39:53.his pamphlets and of course I took one for myself. I was begging his

:39:54. > :40:01.deeply held convictions just as he respected mine. -- I respected his

:40:02. > :40:04.deeply held convictions. Our friendship was anchored by a

:40:05. > :40:08.different faiths. He was open to goodness in all of its realities and

:40:09. > :40:15.the righties. On another occasion I took him to Primary Children's

:40:16. > :40:23.Hospital in Salt Lake City. We visited downtrodden children who

:40:24. > :40:25.perhaps had never smiled a day in their lifetimes, until Ali showed

:40:26. > :40:33.up. He held those kids and look into their eyes. They would grin from ear

:40:34. > :40:37.to ear. These were kids that never smiled, they were so pained. The

:40:38. > :40:43.nurses were astounded. Never before had they seen someone who had

:40:44. > :40:48.connected so immediately and profoundly with these sick children.

:40:49. > :40:56.Ali had a special way with kids, as we all know. He may have been a

:40:57. > :41:00.tough and tenacious man in the ring but he was compassionate and tender

:41:01. > :41:06.around those he loved. For all of this ferocity as a fighter, Ali was

:41:07. > :41:12.also a peacemaker. A particular radio host in Utah berated me

:41:13. > :41:19.constantly on the airwaves. Week after week, the host asked, if I

:41:20. > :41:25.would arrange for Ali to meet Utah's former middleweight champion for a

:41:26. > :41:30.joint interview. Ali agreed, knowing the appearance could help me build

:41:31. > :41:33.some goodwill, but he was also very interested in meeting him as well.

:41:34. > :41:40.It was an unforgettable experience. There were two champions,

:41:41. > :41:45.face-to-face, reminiscing about some of the best fights the world has

:41:46. > :42:02.ever seen, and I have to say that in the process, Ali charm the radio

:42:03. > :42:06.host so much on my behalf, gently transforming an antagonist into a

:42:07. > :42:10.sparring partner, so dedicated was he to our friendship that he joined

:42:11. > :42:19.me on the campaign trail, during several election cycles. He came to

:42:20. > :42:22.Utah year after year to raise funds for charity benefiting needy women,

:42:23. > :42:32.women in jeopardy and families in our state. Ali did not look at life

:42:33. > :42:39.through the binary lens of the Republican and Democrat so common

:42:40. > :42:43.today. He is worthy causes and shared humanity. His willingness to

:42:44. > :42:50.put principles ahead of partnership helped show us all the path to

:42:51. > :42:55.greatness and I will never forget that greatness and nor will I ever

:42:56. > :42:59.forget him. APPLAUSE

:43:00. > :43:07.There were many faces to Ali's greatness. His abilities as a boxer,

:43:08. > :43:14.his charisma as a public figure, his Netherlands as a father and as a

:43:15. > :43:17.friend -- his benevolence as a father. All of these made him great

:43:18. > :43:25.but there was something else that made him the greatest. Ali was the

:43:26. > :43:29.greatest because, as debilitated yet unbroken champion in his later

:43:30. > :43:36.years, he pointed us to beyond ourselves. A greatness beyond even

:43:37. > :43:37.Ali. He pointed us to the greatness of God.

:43:38. > :43:51.APPLAUSE God raised up Ali to be the greatest

:43:52. > :43:57.fighter in the world of all-time, yet he allowed Ali to wrestle with

:43:58. > :44:04.Parkinson's disease, and inescapable reminder that we are all mortal and

:44:05. > :44:09.we are all dependent on God's race. Ali believe this himself and he once

:44:10. > :44:15.told me, "God gave me this condition to remind me always that I am human

:44:16. > :44:25.-- God's grace. And that only he is the greatest."

:44:26. > :44:32.Ali was an unsurpassed symbol of our universal dependence on the divine.

:44:33. > :44:39.He was the greatest. Because he reminded us all who truly is the

:44:40. > :44:44.greatest, God, our Creator. I am eternally grateful for my special

:44:45. > :44:49.bond with this special man and for my friendship with his beloved wife,

:44:50. > :44:56.Lonnie, who I loved dearly. She is one of the great women in this

:44:57. > :45:02.world. -- love dearly. APPLAUSE

:45:03. > :45:10.She was dedicated to her companion until the very end and, boy, I know

:45:11. > :45:18.it. I pray he will rest peacefully in the presence of the greatest of

:45:19. > :45:25.all. I can bear testimony that I believe in God. I believe we are

:45:26. > :45:31.here on earth for a reason. I believe that this Earth life is a

:45:32. > :45:37.time for us to do what is right for God, and for our fellow men and

:45:38. > :45:44.women, and I do not know that I have ever met anybody who did it any

:45:45. > :45:46.better than my friend, Muhammad Ali. God bless you and God bless the

:45:47. > :45:55.family. APPLAUSE

:45:56. > :46:19.Next, we would like to welcome Father, the father who was named

:46:20. > :46:27.with the title Monsignor by Pope John Paul II in 1991. His wisdom,

:46:28. > :46:34.scholarship and spiritual guidance is a source of countless guidance

:46:35. > :46:44.for Catholics and members of other faith communities far beyond his

:46:45. > :46:54.Pennsylvania home. Father Crighton... Let us prey. Loving

:46:55. > :46:59.eternal God. As we gather today in prayer, we do so with an abiding

:47:00. > :47:06.sense of gratitude. Our gratitude holds no bones, as we thank you for

:47:07. > :47:13.the gifts of this good and gentlemen -- no bounds. Muhammad Ali opened

:47:14. > :47:17.our eyes to the evil of racism, to the absurdity of war. He should us

:47:18. > :47:30.with incredible patients that a debilitating illness need never

:47:31. > :47:34.diminish joy and love in our lives -- patience. He showed the need to

:47:35. > :47:41.respect one another, to set aside racial differences. The legendary

:47:42. > :47:47.fighter of all time in reality taught us to heal rather than to

:47:48. > :47:54.fight. To embrace rather than to turn away. To include rather than

:47:55. > :47:58.exclude. Whilst proclaiming himself to be the greatest, he should us

:47:59. > :48:02.that his greatness lay in his love and concern for others, both

:48:03. > :48:10.particularly the marginalised, the suffering, the helpless, the

:48:11. > :48:14.hopeless. Your gift of him has enriched us, has made us better

:48:15. > :48:20.people, has created a more gentle world. We dare not return him to you

:48:21. > :48:24.today without expressing our gratitude for the gift of him. Amen.

:48:25. > :48:32.APPLAUSE Next we will hear a few brief words

:48:33. > :49:04.from Doctor Timothy Gianotti, an expert in

:49:05. > :49:13.Islamic studies in Ontarian, Canada. He is the principal Islamic adviser

:49:14. > :49:20.to the Ali family. He was instrumental in ensuring the last

:49:21. > :49:25.days of Muhammad's life, his shrouding, his burial and funeral

:49:26. > :49:32.today were all in accordance with the Scriptures of Muslim law. I

:49:33. > :49:40.would now like to bring to you the person I affectionately call brother

:49:41. > :50:00.Doctor Imam Timothy person I affectionately call brother

:50:01. > :50:21.Doctor Imam Timothy Gianotti. In the name of God who is the loving

:50:22. > :50:31.nurturer of creation, and the ever compassionate and ever merciful, I

:50:32. > :50:34.would like to share a player today. And this is a pre-adapted from a

:50:35. > :50:53.traditional prayer of the Prophet Muhammad, may peace be upon

:50:54. > :50:57.you. I would like to see to the family, to Lonnie, to everyone here,

:50:58. > :51:10.that serving Muhammad Ali has been one of the greatest privileges of my

:51:11. > :51:20.life. God, you who are the light of the heavens and the earth, Grant our

:51:21. > :51:29.brother Muhammad a light in his heart, a light in his earthly body

:51:30. > :51:38.no -- now restored to the earth. A light in his grave. A light before

:51:39. > :51:48.him as he journeys on to you, a light in all that he has left behind

:51:49. > :51:56.in this world, a light to his right and a light to his left. Oh, God,

:51:57. > :52:06.increase him in light. Grant him late. A light in his deeds in this

:52:07. > :52:11.world and a light in the hereafter -- grant him. A light in the hearts

:52:12. > :52:23.of those whom he loved and a light in the eyes of those who loved him.

:52:24. > :52:33.A light in those whom he knocked down, and a light in those whom he

:52:34. > :52:41.lifted up. A light in his words which echo in our hearts, a light in

:52:42. > :52:52.the lives of all those whom he touched. A light in his children,

:52:53. > :53:02.and a light in their mothers, a light in his grandchildren, and a

:53:03. > :53:09.light in his devoted wife, Lonnie. Lord, increase your servant in

:53:10. > :53:26.light, and give him light. Embrace him in light, and Phil us all with

:53:27. > :53:31.light -- fill us. You who are either light of the heavens and the earth.

:53:32. > :53:38.# Who are the light. You who are the most merciful. Allah.

:53:39. > :54:06.APPLAUSE Next we will hear a few words from

:54:07. > :54:12.the Rabbi who is the editor of a magazine whose name suggests -- as

:54:13. > :54:26.whose name suggests, the dedicated his life to working to repair the

:54:27. > :54:28.world. Rabbi Lerner is never afraid of ruffling a few feathers so we

:54:29. > :54:30.asking to be nice today. LAUGHTER

:54:31. > :54:36.. Rabbi Lerner... APPLAUSE

:54:37. > :54:46.We will see about those feathers. LAUGHTER

:54:47. > :54:57.Master of compassion, God of compassion, send your blessings to

:54:58. > :55:01.Muhammad Ali, and send your blessings to all who mourn for him,

:55:02. > :55:09.and send your blessings for all the millions and millions of people who

:55:10. > :55:13.mourn for him over this planet. I come here speaking as a

:55:14. > :55:17.representative of American Jews and to say that American Jews played an

:55:18. > :55:23.important role of solidarity with the effort in American struggles in

:55:24. > :55:27.this country and that we today stand in solidarity with the Islamic

:55:28. > :55:36.unity, in this country and all around the world.

:55:37. > :55:42.APPLAUSE # With Islamic communities. We will

:55:43. > :55:46.not tolerate politicians or anyone else putting down Muslims and

:55:47. > :56:03.blaming Muslims for a few people. APPLAUSE

:56:04. > :56:09.We know what it is like to be demeaned, to have a few people who

:56:10. > :56:14.act against the highest visions of our tradition, to then be identified

:56:15. > :56:20.as the value of the entire tradition, and one of the reasons

:56:21. > :56:25.that we at our magazine, a magazine of liberal progressive Jews but also

:56:26. > :56:30.an interfaith magazine, have called upon the United States to stand up

:56:31. > :56:36.to the part of the Israeli government that is oppressing

:56:37. > :56:40.Palestinians, is that we, as Jews, understand that our commitment is to

:56:41. > :56:45.recognise that God has created everyone in God's image, and that

:56:46. > :56:49.everyone is equally precious, and that means the Palestinian people as

:56:50. > :56:56.well as all other people on the planet.

:56:57. > :57:01.APPLAUSE I know the people of Louisville have

:57:02. > :57:07.a special relationship to Muhammad Ali and I had a personal

:57:08. > :57:11.relationship in this 60s when both of us were indicted by the federal

:57:12. > :57:21.Government for our stand against the war in Vietnam. I want to say that

:57:22. > :57:26.although he was cheered on as the heavyweight champion of the world,

:57:27. > :57:31.you know, the truth is that all honour to him, but heavyweight

:57:32. > :57:35.champions of the WorldCom and go. Sports heroes come and go. There was

:57:36. > :57:45.something about Muhammad Ali that was different -- of the world come

:57:46. > :57:56.and go. He used that stands to stand up to an immoral war and say, "no, I

:57:57. > :58:01.won't go". It is for that reason that tens of millions of Americans

:58:02. > :58:04.who do not particularly care about boxing do care about Muhammad Ali,

:58:05. > :58:09.because he was a person who was willing to risk a great honour that

:58:10. > :58:15.he got, and the great theme that he got, to stand up for the beliefs

:58:16. > :58:21.that he had, to speak truth to power when the rest of the people around

:58:22. > :58:25.him said, "no, you will lose your championship," and it was taken away

:58:26. > :58:31.from him, but he stood up and was willing to take that kind of a risk

:58:32. > :58:38.because of his moral integrity -- the great fame that he got. So I

:58:39. > :58:44.want to say, how do we honour Muhammad Ali? And the answer is the

:58:45. > :58:51.way to honour Muhammad Ali is to be Muhammad Ali today. That means us,

:58:52. > :58:56.everyone here and everyone listening, it is up to us to

:58:57. > :59:05.continue that ability to speak truth to power. We must speak out, reviews

:59:06. > :59:09.to follow the path of conformity to the game in life. You must refuse to

:59:10. > :59:14.follow the rules of conformity. Tell the 1% to one the 80% of the wealth

:59:15. > :59:17.in this country, it is time to share that well.

:59:18. > :59:22.APPLAUSE Tell the politicians who use

:59:23. > :59:29.violence worldwide and then preach nonviolence to the oppressed, it is

:59:30. > :59:32.time for them to end their drone work there and every other form of

:59:33. > :59:39.warfare, to bring the troops home, to close those bases, to tell those

:59:40. > :59:47.who created mass incarceration it is time for everyone in our society...

:59:48. > :59:52.Tell judges to let out of prison the many African-Americans swept up by

:59:53. > :59:53.racist police and imprisoned by racist judges.

:59:54. > :00:10.APPLAUSE Many of them in prison today for

:00:11. > :00:12.offences like possessing marijuana that white people get away with all

:00:13. > :00:24.the time. APPLAUSE

:00:25. > :00:34.Tell our elected officials to imprison those who approved torture.

:00:35. > :00:48.Till the leaders of tacky to stop killing the Kurdish people. Still

:00:49. > :00:52.the occupation of the West Bank and help create a Palestinian state.

:00:53. > :01:04.Till the next President of the United States

:01:05. > :01:28.CHEERING that she should seek a constitutional amendment to make

:01:29. > :01:31.sure that all sorts of money from corporations and individuals should

:01:32. > :01:41.be banned and that should all come from public funding.

:01:42. > :01:51.Tell her that the way to achieve homeland security is not for us to

:01:52. > :01:58.try new ways of domination. The strategy of domination has been

:01:59. > :02:05.tried for the past 10,000 years and it does not work. We want the United

:02:06. > :02:13.States to become the most generous and giving country in the world, not

:02:14. > :02:18.the most powerful. We can start with the global and domestic Marshall

:02:19. > :02:22.plan to once and for all and global and domestic poverty and

:02:23. > :02:31.homelessness, poor education and inadequate health care. As cheer of

:02:32. > :02:38.the Interfaith network of spiritual messengers, come and join us. I want

:02:39. > :02:43.to affirm our commitment to the well-being of all Muslims on this

:02:44. > :02:54.planet, as well as the people of all faiths. We wish to pay on to the

:02:55. > :03:01.Muslims of the warrant during Ramadan. We want to join and

:03:02. > :03:04.celebrate in the life of Muhammad Ali. Peace be upon him and peace be

:03:05. > :04:11.upon the Prophet Muhammad. Cramming. Tamer is not on our side. After that

:04:12. > :04:20.speech. Sidney Hill was selected 14 years ago as the spiritual leader of

:04:21. > :04:25.his people. He is a leader whose spirituality and passionate pursuit

:04:26. > :04:27.of justice is un-rivalled. We are honoured that he has come here

:04:28. > :06:54.today. The translation was it is my

:06:55. > :07:04.responsibility to speak on behalf of the people of the long house. They

:07:05. > :07:14.want you to be at peace of mind. Though, this great darkness which

:07:15. > :07:27.has happened to us, we must understand that he who has gathered

:07:28. > :07:43.as here, peacefully, will arrive at his land. The land of the Creator.

:07:44. > :08:05.These were the words. To the family, the relatives, of Muhammad Ali. He

:08:06. > :08:11.was a leader. He was a leader of men and a champion of the people.

:08:12. > :08:25.APPLAUSE. He fought for the colour of people

:08:26. > :08:36.-- of his people, but he was a man of peace, a man of compassion. His

:08:37. > :08:53.spirit has a clear path to the Creator.

:08:54. > :09:06.Myself, the faith keeper of the clan, we have journeyed here today

:09:07. > :09:12.to add our voice to this congregation in honour of his work

:09:13. > :09:20.and for the rights and dignity of people of colour and the common man.

:09:21. > :09:38.He was always in support of the indigenous peoples. For our inherent

:09:39. > :09:49.rates, our land rights, or self-determination and identity.

:09:50. > :10:00.These include the natural world. We know what he was up against. Because

:10:01. > :10:05.we have had 524 years survival training ourselves.

:10:06. > :10:21.In 1978, a Congressman from Washington Bridge built into

:10:22. > :10:27.Congress to terminate our treaties with the United States. The Indian

:10:28. > :10:35.nations walked from California to Washington in protest. Muhammad Ali

:10:36. > :10:55.Marched into Washington with us. He was a free, independent spirit.

:10:56. > :11:03.He stood his ground with great courage and conviction. And he peed

:11:04. > :11:14.a place. What his country did too. We all did. Values, principles that

:11:15. > :11:25.the German one destiny. The principles of a nation. Good people

:11:26. > :11:41.do not have many options. Good fighters know what I am talking

:11:42. > :11:47.about. He said, that the ring was his path to his destiny. He said he

:11:48. > :11:52.would be heavyweight champion of the world and he was, three games. And

:11:53. > :11:56.this is the fourth time, right here right now.

:11:57. > :12:17.On his journey in life, he lived and layer and the hard way. He brought

:12:18. > :12:26.to light into this world. My world. Our world. And that light will shine

:12:27. > :12:54.a long, long time. Peace, brother, peace. On behalf of

:12:55. > :12:58.of our people and indigenous people everywhere, peace. Thank you.

:12:59. > :13:28.We introduced the chief. His translation, we thank him for. He

:13:29. > :13:32.was born on the need reservation in upstate New York. He became the

:13:33. > :14:01.faith keeper of the Turtle clan. No, we would

:14:02. > :14:05.like to introduce the leader of interfaith work. He has a passion

:14:06. > :14:15.for teaching youth and invite letters has worked with years which

:14:16. > :14:20.led him to cross purposes with Muhammad Ali. His religious

:14:21. > :14:31.leadership focuses on compassion and tear and working together with all

:14:32. > :14:40.to build a better world. Rabbi Rapport. This is a reading from a

:14:41. > :14:56.war players on. It was written many

:14:57. > :15:00.years ago when he could not have known years ago when he was writing

:15:01. > :15:06.these words that he was composing E eulogy to Muhammad Ali full state

:15:07. > :15:16.birth is beginning and SSE continuation. From innocence to a

:15:17. > :15:23.weirdness and ignorance to knowledge. From foolishness to

:15:24. > :15:28.discretion. From weakness to strength and strength to weakness

:15:29. > :15:36.and often back again. From health to sickness and back to health again.

:15:37. > :15:41.From offence to forget the others and loneliness to life. From joy to

:15:42. > :15:47.gratitude and pain to compassion. From relief to understanding, from

:15:48. > :15:56.fear to faith. From defeat to defeat to defeat until looking back and you

:15:57. > :16:01.are ahead. Victory is not something along the way, but having made the

:16:02. > :16:10.journey stage by stage. Authors are beginning, death is a destination.

:16:11. > :16:20.Life is a journey. The secret pilgrimage to life everlasting. We

:16:21. > :16:23.see workshop rear and we see them until we encounter someone who

:16:24. > :16:29.embodies these words and makes them real. I have said these words many

:16:30. > :16:35.times before and memorial services and funerals. But never have I ever

:16:36. > :16:42.thought I would speak of a single shining light as I would do today.

:16:43. > :16:48.Muhammad Ali Was the heart of the city. The living embodiment of the

:16:49. > :16:57.greatest we can be. He was our heart and our heart beats still.

:16:58. > :17:08.Let me tell you a story you already know. It is one of the stories about

:17:09. > :17:15.Muhammad Ali being gracious to a stranger that many of are told that

:17:16. > :17:25.we sometimes forget the lessons this story is intended to teachers. It is

:17:26. > :17:35.about Eve women who is driving her father to a book store to pick up

:17:36. > :17:41.some Bibles and Korans 40 project they are working on. The pass a man

:17:42. > :17:46.with his thumb in the year. He says he's on his way home from church and

:17:47. > :17:53.just needs to go a few males down the street. They asked where he

:17:54. > :17:58.lives. He did not want it to trouble them. He has no idea who is sitting

:17:59. > :18:04.in the front seat of the Scarborough. Until Muhammad Ali

:18:05. > :18:18.times round and says it is no trouble at all. Once the moment gets

:18:19. > :18:28.over meeting the greatest, he says he would be please to give Muhammad

:18:29. > :18:36.Ali the tables in appreciation of the trade. Muhammad Ali Insist on

:18:37. > :18:40.paying for them. The man insists they are a gift. It turns out that

:18:41. > :18:47.the man had the stroke and has been forced into retirement. Muhammad Ali

:18:48. > :18:55.Tracer hand a big lot of money for the Bibles. This is really gets

:18:56. > :19:02.interesting. The man refused. Muhammad Ali Said, take the money, I

:19:03. > :19:11.am trying to get into heaven! And the man replied, so am I! Muhammad

:19:12. > :19:18.Ali Says if you do not take the money I may not get in. The man

:19:19. > :19:23.says, if I take your money, I may not get ten. The arrive at his home

:19:24. > :19:33.and the man invites them in to meet his wife of 30 years. He gives

:19:34. > :19:40.Muhammad Ali the Bibles and Muhammad Ali sought money under the table

:19:41. > :19:44.mat. He gives those numbers and tells him to give him a call

:19:45. > :19:51.anything he wants a raid home from the church again. Back in the car,

:19:52. > :19:56.Muhammad Ali says would you go of you read and pick him up and drive

:19:57. > :20:03.him back home. She said, yes. With tears in his eyes he said that in

:20:04. > :20:21.you. He says, you are on the road to

:20:22. > :20:29.heaven. Therein lies the greatness of Muhammad Ali. It was his ability

:20:30. > :20:37.to see in himself something greater. And to see others realise that

:20:38. > :20:43.greatness resided inside themselves. There will never be another greatest

:20:44. > :20:48.like Muhammad Ali. But we can no major his keenness and compassion.

:20:49. > :20:56.We can see in our hearts, there is a little bit of Muhammad Ali in me.

:20:57. > :21:08.This week, we have mourned the loss and celebrated the life of a legend

:21:09. > :21:13.and a citizen of the world. In all the words and all the ways, the most

:21:14. > :21:18.powerful moments of all been made in the voices of young people, repeated

:21:19. > :21:32.and peer services and chanted in the streets. I am Ali. I am not the fate

:21:33. > :21:41.he was and I may be will never have the courage that he never lacked.

:21:42. > :21:48.And I am certainly not as pretty! But in players, I am Muhammad Ali.

:21:49. > :22:00.Cash in my peers. But we can build a legacy worthy of

:22:01. > :22:03.the greatest of all time. Say that no with me, in your cart and in this

:22:04. > :22:27.room, I am Ali. One of the most amazing things we

:22:28. > :22:32.have witnessed here has been so many stories of canes ordinary people.

:22:33. > :22:40.People on the street working in the hotels and restaurants. Virtually

:22:41. > :22:47.everyone has a story. They have a story concerning how Muhammad Ali

:22:48. > :22:51.touched their lives. He came to my fourth grade class, Nicky Hilton

:22:52. > :23:02.near it in the server that way. He came to visit me when I was sick.

:23:03. > :23:08.Collectively, these experiences, they become a synergy. They become

:23:09. > :23:12.greater than the individual parts. And when we came through the streets

:23:13. > :23:23.of the city today I witnessed something I had never ever witnessed

:23:24. > :23:33.in my life. I do not think I will ever witness this again. I witnessed

:23:34. > :23:54.our. It may be loosely translated as seen truant.

:23:55. > :24:02.He has a member of the Japanese Buddhist order working for model

:24:03. > :24:12.piece for the practice of walking piece pilgrimages. And the

:24:13. > :24:24.construction of peace all over the world. He will be joined on stage by

:24:25. > :25:04.another member of the order. They will shear a traditional chant.

:25:05. > :30:18.reading by Ambassador Shabazz. She is proudly the proud of her parents,

:30:19. > :30:23.their parents, and then before them for descending generations. The

:30:24. > :30:26.former Prime Minister of Belize recognised her as a key Ambassador

:30:27. > :30:32.on international cultural affairs and project development and in 2002

:30:33. > :30:41.appointed her as ambassador at large, powerful and elegant. We

:30:42. > :30:45.invite Ambassador Shabazz to read and share, and inspire us.

:30:46. > :31:15.APPLAUSE Assalamu alaikum, may peace be upon

:31:16. > :31:21.us. As this is a celebration, I find myself torn between celebration and

:31:22. > :31:28.loss. And my breathing capacity has been weakened in this past week so I

:31:29. > :31:39.ask all of you gathered here and are far too please muster up and

:31:40. > :31:44.transmit a bit of your air to me. In the memory of Muhammad Ali, thank

:31:45. > :32:09.you all. Shukram, Merci, gracias, obrigado

:32:10. > :32:16.and more. And the differences in time zone, with all the prayers for

:32:17. > :32:24.Muhammad Ali and his family being in their thoughts, and this that --

:32:25. > :32:27.omits that, in the prayers of everyone, and those who don't even

:32:28. > :32:31.have a religion, they are thinking of the thoughts of the memory of

:32:32. > :32:32.their family, their father, their husband. In the spirit of my

:32:33. > :32:53.parents. Malcolm X Shabazz and Doctor Betty

:32:54. > :32:56.Shabazz, and in the presence of my five younger sisters, our children

:32:57. > :33:10.and our grandchildren, I would like to first honour his beloved id wife

:33:11. > :33:16.-- his beloved wife, my sister, Lonnie Ali. For all the strengths

:33:17. > :33:20.that you know and that resonate beyond, sometimes you do need a

:33:21. > :33:26.little help. No matter how magnificent you are, and indeed

:33:27. > :33:29.those that were with him, that loved him as family members, sustained

:33:30. > :33:57.that. His name children. As well as there are

:33:58. > :34:10.mothers, and the grandchildren who accompany them. To his only

:34:11. > :34:13.brother, Rahman, and his extraordinary example of a best

:34:14. > :34:38.friend, Howard Bingham, and to his sister-in-law Marilyn Wiliams. For

:34:39. > :34:43.all of my grief, I know there is none compatible to yours. For this

:34:44. > :34:49.day and those to come, as you redefine your waking days for a life

:34:50. > :35:00.without him here present, very different. Photos, memories, all the

:35:01. > :35:04.things we have of him, that keeping going, he touched you differently

:35:05. > :35:17.and that has to be honoured and recognised, never for a second. --

:35:18. > :35:21.never forsaken. When you are descendant of the principle of

:35:22. > :35:23.someone whose life was filled with principle, that seed is in use or

:35:24. > :35:34.that you have to cultivate that responsibly as well. -- that seed is

:35:35. > :35:39.in you. This moment is very meaningful to me, to have been

:35:40. > :35:45.amongst those chosen and blessed by Muhammad himself, and affirmed by

:35:46. > :35:50.his wife, Lonnie, to take part by sharing in this statement during

:35:51. > :35:54.this ongoing ceremony. Whilst he and I had a treasured relationship, the

:35:55. > :36:03.genesis of this love was through the love for my father. Muhammad Ali was

:36:04. > :36:11.the last of a fraternity of amazing men bequeathed to be directly by my

:36:12. > :36:17.dad. Somewhere between me turning 18, 19 or 20. They all seemed to

:36:18. > :36:22.find me, somehow guided by an oath are promised to my dad, long after

:36:23. > :36:30.him leaving this earth, to search for me. And they did. Each one,

:36:31. > :36:37.remaining in my life until joining the rest of the heavens's below

:36:38. > :36:41.that. This included Muhammad Ali -- the heavens's below that. My dad

:36:42. > :36:46.loved him as a little brother, 16 years his junior, and he was his

:36:47. > :36:54.entrusted friend. There was a double-take when I came upon him. As

:36:55. > :36:57.a child, and now looking right into his face, and you know how he is.

:36:58. > :37:05.When he gives you that look. LAUGHTER

:37:06. > :37:10.From the very moment we found one another, it was as if no time had

:37:11. > :37:13.passed at all, despite all of the presumptions of division. Despite

:37:14. > :37:20.all of the efforts at separation. Despite all of the organised

:37:21. > :37:27.distancing. We pulled right in to all of the unrequited duly

:37:28. > :37:41.acknowledged spaces we could explore and uncover privately -- we -- dove

:37:42. > :37:45.right in. He cried out loud. His belt, his grief, add not spoken to

:37:46. > :37:48.my dad just before he left, then just as loudly we would laugh at the

:37:49. > :37:55.best of stories, some that cannot Biraghi did. He was relief funny.

:37:56. > :38:05.What was significant, as brothers, for my father and Ali to Distin --

:38:06. > :38:10.was to discuss openly anything, all facets of life, namely of their

:38:11. > :38:15.responsibility of great men wanting to make a difference in the lives of

:38:16. > :38:23.others. A unifying topic was faith, and a generic -- and ecumenical

:38:24. > :38:31.faith, respect for all faiths, even those belonging to one specific

:38:32. > :38:35.religion or none, the root of such being the gift of faith itself. In

:38:36. > :38:47.his own words, he wrote "We all have the same God. We just serve him

:38:48. > :38:52.differently. Rivers, lakes, ponds, streams, oceans, they all have

:38:53. > :38:55.different names but they all contain water. So do religions have

:38:56. > :39:02.different names, and yet they all contain truth, truth expressed in

:39:03. > :39:09.different ways and forms and times. It doesn't matter whether you are a

:39:10. > :39:12.Muslim, a Christian, or a Jew. When you believe in God you should

:39:13. > :39:18.believe all people are part of one family." APPLAUSE

:39:19. > :39:33.If you love God you cannot love only some of his children.

:39:34. > :39:43.APPLAUSE His words, and certainly ideals

:39:44. > :39:50.shared by both men, love is a mighty thing, devotion is a mighty thing,

:39:51. > :39:54.and truth always rains. Having Muhammad Ali in my life somehow

:39:55. > :40:03.sustained my dad's breath for me, just a little while longer. 51 years

:40:04. > :40:14.longer, until now. APPLAUSE

:40:15. > :40:22.I am forever grateful at our union on this as together, that it allowed

:40:23. > :40:27.for a continuum of shared understanding, preserve

:40:28. > :40:31.confidentiality is, and the comfort of living in his own town of

:40:32. > :40:36.Louisville, Kentucky, for the past ten years.

:40:37. > :40:44.APPLAUSE That was not a plan. And mostly for

:40:45. > :40:53.the gift of knowing and loving his wife and children forever forward as

:40:54. > :40:57.my own family, know that. As the last of the fraternity reaches the

:40:58. > :41:08.heavens, my heart is rendered ever longingly for that tried, tribe of

:41:09. > :41:15.purpose, tribe of character, of confidence -- longingly for that

:41:16. > :41:19.tribe. Tribe of duty, of faith, of service. We must make sure that the

:41:20. > :41:24.principle of men and women like Muhammad Ali and others who

:41:25. > :41:30.dedicated their very being to assure that you get to recognise your own

:41:31. > :41:39.glory is sustained and passed on like that Olympic torch. My dad

:41:40. > :41:45.would often state, when concluding a parting from another, maybe meet

:41:46. > :41:53.again in the light of understanding, and I say to you with the light of

:41:54. > :41:54.that compass, by any means necessary -- may we meet again.

:41:55. > :42:26.APPLAUSE Ladies and gentlemen, representing

:42:27. > :42:34.the president of the United States and Mrs Obama, Miss Valerie Jarrett.

:42:35. > :42:45.APPLAUSE Good afternoon. On the half of

:42:46. > :42:49.President Obama and Mrs Obama, I wish to express to you their deepest

:42:50. > :42:53.regret that they could not be with us here today as we celebrate the

:42:54. > :42:58.extraordinary life of Muhammad Ali. I first met Muhammad Ali over 45

:42:59. > :43:10.years ago, through his friendship with my

:43:11. > :43:17.uncle Gene, and he would be so touched that his son is a pallbearer

:43:18. > :43:21.location right today. Because of my connection, the president and First

:43:22. > :43:32.Lady asked if I would read this tribute to him penned by President

:43:33. > :43:41.Obama. "It Was 1980, and epic career was in its twilight. Everybody knew

:43:42. > :43:48.it, probably including the chap himself. -- Champ. Muhammad Ali went

:43:49. > :43:52.into one of his final fights as the underdog and all the smart money was

:43:53. > :43:58.on the new Champ, and in the end of the odd makers were right. A few

:43:59. > :44:00.hours later at 4am, after the loss, after the fans had gone home

:44:01. > :44:11.were writing their final take, is sports writer asked a rest room

:44:12. > :44:15.attendant if he had bet on the fight. -- and the sports writers

:44:16. > :44:21.were writing their final take. The man, black, and on in years, said he

:44:22. > :44:30.had put his money on Ali. The writer asked why? "Why, man said, why?

:44:31. > :44:32.Because he is Muhammad Ali, that's why".

:44:33. > :44:39.APPLAUSE "He said, Mr, I am 72 years old, and

:44:40. > :44:45.I backed the known for giving me my dignity.

:44:46. > :44:54.APPLAUSE To Lonnie and the Ali family,

:44:55. > :45:00.President Clinton, and an arena full of distinguished guests, you are

:45:01. > :45:06.amazing. The man we celebrate today is not just a boxer or a poet, or an

:45:07. > :45:12.agitator or a man of peace, and he was not just a Muslim or a black man

:45:13. > :45:16.or a Louisville kid, although I know you wish that was it, Louisville,

:45:17. > :45:27.this wonderful city. He was not even just the greatest of all time. He

:45:28. > :45:31.was Muhammad Ali. The whole far greater than the sum of its parts.

:45:32. > :45:34.He was bigger, brighter, more influential and more original than

:45:35. > :45:44.just about any one of his error. APPLAUSE

:45:45. > :45:53.-- his era. You could not have made him up and, yes, he was pretty, too.

:45:54. > :46:01.He had fans in every city, every village, every ghetto on the planet.

:46:02. > :46:04.He was loved by foreign heads of state, the Beatles, the British

:46:05. > :46:09.invasion to the teacher to come to him. It seemed sometimes that the

:46:10. > :46:14.Champ was simply too big for America. But I actually think that

:46:15. > :46:20.the world flocked to him and wonder precisely because, as he once put

:46:21. > :46:31.it, Muhammad Ali was America. APPLAUSE

:46:32. > :46:38.Brash, defiant, pioneering, joyful. Never tired, always game to test the

:46:39. > :46:46.odds. He was our most basic freedoms, religion, speech, spirit.

:46:47. > :46:50.He embodied our ability to reinvent ourselves. His life spoke to our

:46:51. > :46:55.original sin of slavery and discrimination on the journey he

:46:56. > :47:03.travelled helped to shock our consciousness and read us on a

:47:04. > :47:12.roundabout path towards salvation -- lead us. Like America, he was always

:47:13. > :47:18.very much work in progress. We him a disservice to gauze up his story,

:47:19. > :47:24.sand down his rough edges, to speak only of floating like butterflies

:47:25. > :47:29.and stinging like bees. Muhammad Ali was a radical, even in radical

:47:30. > :47:33.times. A loud and proud and unabashedly black boys in a gym

:47:34. > :47:43.cruel world. APPLAUSE

:47:44. > :47:49.-- black voice. His jabs knocked some sense into us, yes they did.

:47:50. > :47:56.They brought understanding. There were times when he swung a bit

:47:57. > :48:00.wildly, that's all right. When he wound up accidentally hitting the

:48:01. > :48:08.wrong opponent, as he was the first to admit, but through all his

:48:09. > :48:12.triumphs and failures, seemed to achieve the sort of enlightenment

:48:13. > :48:17.and inner peace we are all striving towards. In the 60s when other young

:48:18. > :48:25.men his age were leaving the country to avoid war or jail, he was asked

:48:26. > :48:32.why he didn't join them. He got angry. He said, he would never

:48:33. > :48:36.leave. His people, in his words, are here. The millions struggling for

:48:37. > :48:41.freedom and justice and equality, and I can do a lot of help, in jail

:48:42. > :48:51.or not, right here in America. APPLAUSE

:48:52. > :48:57.He had every King script from him, his standing, his money, his

:48:58. > :49:01.passion, and very nearly his freedom -- stripped from him. But he still

:49:02. > :49:08.chose America. I imagine he knew that only here in this country could

:49:09. > :49:13.he win it all back. So he chose to help perfect a Union were a

:49:14. > :49:17.descendant of slaves can become the king of the world.

:49:18. > :49:25.APPLAUSE And in the process, lend some

:49:26. > :49:32.dignity to all of us. Maids, porters, students, an elderly

:49:33. > :49:39.bathroom attendant, and help inspire a young mixed kid with a funny name

:49:40. > :49:46.to have the audacity to believe he could be anything, even the

:49:47. > :49:56.president of the United States. APPLAUSE

:49:57. > :50:06.Muhammad Ali was America. Muhammad Ali will always be America. What a

:50:07. > :50:16.man, what a spirit, what a joyous maker -- mighty champion. God bless

:50:17. > :50:19.the greatness of Ali. God bless his family, and God bless this nation we

:50:20. > :50:39.love. Thank you very much." APPLAUSE

:50:40. > :50:45.Redesign gentleman, Lonnie Ali. -- ladies and gentlemen.

:50:46. > :51:41.APPLAUSE upon you, Assalamu alaikum. I said

:51:42. > :51:46.yesterday that I thought Ali had something to do with us all being

:51:47. > :52:05.here, and I suspect I was right. Let me acknowledge our principal Imam,

:52:06. > :52:14.and also Doctor Timothy Giomatti. We appreciate that this reflected the

:52:15. > :52:24.traditions of Muhammad Ali's Islamic faith. And that people have reached

:52:25. > :52:27.out to usi with their prayers. The messages have come in every language

:52:28. > :52:30.from every corner of the globe. From wherever you are watching, nor that

:52:31. > :52:36.we have been humbled by your heartfelt expressions of love --

:52:37. > :52:41.reached out to usi. It is only fitting we gather in a city to which

:52:42. > :52:50.Muhammad always returned after his great triumphs. A city that has

:52:51. > :52:52.grown as Muhammad has grown. Muhammad never stopped loving

:52:53. > :53:04.Louisville, and we know that Louisville loves Muhammad.

:53:05. > :53:11.APPLAUSE We cannot forget a Louisville police

:53:12. > :53:17.officer, Joe Martin, who embraced a young 12-year-old boy in distress

:53:18. > :53:23.when his bicycle was stolen. APPLAUSE

:53:24. > :53:27.Joe Martin handed young Cassius Clay, and sorry for tripping over

:53:28. > :53:33.that last word, the keys to a future in boxing. A future he could

:53:34. > :53:39.scarcely have imagined. America must never forget that when a cop and an

:53:40. > :53:44.inner-city kid speak to each other, then miracles can happen.

:53:45. > :54:05.APPLAUSE Some years ago during his long

:54:06. > :54:10.struggle with Parkinson's, in a meeting that included his closest

:54:11. > :54:15.advisers, Muhammad indicated that when the end came for him, he wanted

:54:16. > :54:21.us to use his life and his death as a teaching moment for young people

:54:22. > :54:24.for his country and for the world. In effect, he wanted us to remain

:54:25. > :54:29.people who are suffering that he had seen the face of injustice, that he

:54:30. > :54:33.grew up in a segregation and that during his early life he was not

:54:34. > :54:41.free to be who he wanted to be. But he never became embittered enough to

:54:42. > :54:46.quit or to engage in violence. It was a time...

:54:47. > :55:01.APPLAUSE It was a time when a young black boy

:55:02. > :55:14.his age could be hung from a tree as in 1955, with Emmett Till, and his

:55:15. > :55:21.killers went free. Doctor Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, gunned down

:55:22. > :55:24.for what they believed in. For his part, Muhammad faced federal

:55:25. > :55:30.prosecution. He was stripped of his title and his licence to box, and he

:55:31. > :55:35.was sentenced to prison. But he would not be intimidated so as to

:55:36. > :55:45.abandon his principles and his values. Muhammad wants young people

:55:46. > :55:51.of every background to see his life as proof that adversity can make you

:55:52. > :55:57.stronger, it cannot rob you of the power to dream and to reach your

:55:58. > :56:03.dreams. This is why we built the Muhammad Ali Centre, and this is the

:56:04. > :56:12.essence of the Ali Centre message. APPLAUSE

:56:13. > :56:17.Muhammad wants us to see the face of his Islam, true Islam, as the face

:56:18. > :56:23.of love. It was his religion that caused him to turn away from war and

:56:24. > :56:28.violence. For his religion, he was prepared to sacrifice all that he

:56:29. > :56:38.had and all that he was to protect his soul and follow the teachings of

:56:39. > :56:46.profit Muhammed, peace be upon him. Even in death, Muhammad has

:56:47. > :56:49.something to say, that his faith required he take the more difficult

:56:50. > :56:53.road. It is far more difficult to sacrifice oneself in the name of

:56:54. > :57:00.peace than to take up arms in pursuit of violence.

:57:01. > :57:07.APPLAUSE You know, all of his life Muhammad

:57:08. > :57:10.was fascinated by travel. He was childlike in his encounter with new

:57:11. > :57:15.surroundings and new people. He took his World Championship fights to the

:57:16. > :57:21.ends of the earth, from the South Pacific to Europe, to the Belgian

:57:22. > :57:25.Congo. And of course with Muhammad, he believed it was his duty to let

:57:26. > :57:28.everyone see him in person because, after all, he was the greatest of

:57:29. > :57:38.all time. APPLAUSE

:57:39. > :57:41.The boy from Grand Avenue in Louisville, Kentucky, grew in wisdom

:57:42. > :57:49.from his journeys. He discovered something new, that the world really

:57:50. > :57:52.wasn't black and white at all. It was filled with many shades of rich

:57:53. > :57:56.colours, languages and religions, and as he moved with ease around the

:57:57. > :58:00.world the rich and powerful were drawn to him, but he was drawn to

:58:01. > :58:07.the poor and the forgotten. APPLAUSE

:58:08. > :58:12.Muhammad fell in love with the masses, and they fell in love with

:58:13. > :58:16.him. The diversity of men and their faiths, in that, Muhammad saw the

:58:17. > :58:21.presence of God. He was captivated by the work of the Dalai Lama, by

:58:22. > :58:26.Mother Teresa and church workers, who gave their lives to protect the

:58:27. > :58:30.poor. When his mother died, he arranged for multiple faiths to be

:58:31. > :58:35.represented at her funeral, and he wanted the same for himself. We are

:58:36. > :58:39.especially grateful for the presence of the diverse faith leaders here

:58:40. > :58:41.today and I would like them to stand once more and be recognised.

:58:42. > :59:03.APPLAUSE Thank you. Thank you very much.

:59:04. > :59:13.You know, as I reflect on the life of my husband, it is easy to see his

:59:14. > :59:16.most obvious talents. His Majesty in the ring as he danced under those

:59:17. > :59:23.lights enshrined him as a champion for the ages. Less obvious was his

:59:24. > :59:27.extraordinary sense of timing. His knack for being in the right place

:59:28. > :59:34.at the right time seemed to be ordained by a higher power. Even

:59:35. > :59:37.whilst surrounded by Jim Crow, he was born into a family with two

:59:38. > :59:42.parents who nurtured and encouraged him. He was placed on the path of

:59:43. > :59:46.his dreams by a white cop, and the headteachers understood his dreams

:59:47. > :59:51.and wanted him to succeed. The Olympic gold medal came and the

:59:52. > :59:57.world started to take notice. A group of successful businessmen in

:59:58. > :00:02.Louisville called the Louisville Sponsoring Group, they saw his

:00:03. > :00:06.potential and helped him build a runway to launch his career. His

:00:07. > :00:11.timing was impeccable as he burst into the national stage. Just as

:00:12. > :00:20.television was hungry for a start to change... -- star. I am Laura

:00:21. > :00:40.Trevelyan. When he challenged the United States

:00:41. > :00:48.government, this chance of success was stolen, to none. But the taming

:00:49. > :00:52.of the decision converged with the rise of discontent in the war.

:00:53. > :00:58.Public opinion shifted in his direction. It was a stunning

:00:59. > :01:15.reversal of fortunes. When he went to Africa to retain his

:01:16. > :01:27.title from George Foreman, no one give him a chance. But it was called

:01:28. > :01:35.the miracle at four o'clock. He once again became the champion. As the

:01:36. > :01:41.years passed, and although slowed by Parkinson's disease, he was pushed

:01:42. > :01:52.by his faith to help the victims of strife. He travelled to places torn

:01:53. > :01:57.apart by war, like Iraq and Afghanistan. He stunned the world

:01:58. > :02:08.when he secured the release of 15 hostages from Iraq.

:02:09. > :02:18.As his voice softened, his message to: even more meaning. He let a

:02:19. > :02:29.torch which created new light at the 1996 Olympics.

:02:30. > :02:37.Always knew instinctively the road he had to travel. He lived for the

:02:38. > :02:42.moment. He did not will on the Pastore Harbor anxiety about the

:02:43. > :02:47.future. He learnt how to laugh. He would play practical jokes on just

:02:48. > :02:59.about everybody. He was sure-footed in his self awareness. His timing

:03:00. > :03:09.was once again poignant. As we face uncertainty in a world of divisions

:03:10. > :03:17.at home, as to who we a people, the life Muhammad of shines through. He

:03:18. > :03:22.was not up to give up on the hour of understanding and the strength of

:03:23. > :03:28.our diversity. He counted among his friends people of all political

:03:29. > :03:35.persuasions and so good in all faith and releases. He may have challenged

:03:36. > :03:45.his government, but he never ran from it.

:03:46. > :03:55.He loved this country and understood the hard choices in the hard road to

:03:56. > :03:59.freedom. He saw the nations school measured by the heart of its people.

:04:00. > :04:05.He saw the good in everyone. If you were one of the lucky ones to have

:04:06. > :04:11.met him, you will know what I mean. He woke up every morning thinking

:04:12. > :04:18.about his own salvation. You had to do a lot of good deeds to get there.

:04:19. > :04:21.I think his hope was that his life gave some guidance about what we

:04:22. > :04:29.might achieve for all people. And for what we set to aspire to achieve

:04:30. > :04:54.for ourselves and our families. Thank you.

:04:55. > :05:13.Ladies and gentlemen Mariam Ali. I want to say thank you to the city.

:05:14. > :05:19.All the love you have shown is in your lives have been unbelievable. I

:05:20. > :05:25.want to thank the entire world. My father was loved all over. The

:05:26. > :05:39.reception today was overwhelming but beautiful. We love you as much as

:05:40. > :05:45.you love us. Thank you. As you know, my father loved poetry, promoting

:05:46. > :05:53.his fights. I wrote a piece in honour of him on behalf of my

:05:54. > :06:03.sisters and brothers. It is cold, thank you our dear father. My heart

:06:04. > :06:09.was saw when your spirit soared. Your physical body is no more. But

:06:10. > :06:15.my mind tells different keels over all you taught me, your family and

:06:16. > :06:24.the masses. Most importantly, the belief in God who created humanity

:06:25. > :06:30.to thrive in quality, you fought for a purpose to uphold the print

:06:31. > :06:34.principle that we as a people of the range human rights. Stealing rate

:06:35. > :06:41.into the eyes of operation, you betrayed your your beautiful

:06:42. > :06:48.complexion. Your God-given skills, your independent will and the

:06:49. > :06:52.freedom of your beliefs. As your daughter, I am grateful about all of

:06:53. > :07:00.our conversations about relationships. Dating me to first

:07:01. > :07:12.having a loving relationship with self, refusing to let anyone chip

:07:13. > :07:18.away at my esteem. Thank you, our dear father, for asking us to think

:07:19. > :07:24.about our purpose. Showing us the beauty of service to others. We

:07:25. > :07:28.marvelled that you are sincere love for people as you treated all who

:07:29. > :07:35.approached you with dignity, whether they were rich or poor. Your

:07:36. > :07:40.kindness was unconditional. You never perceived anyone is being

:07:41. > :07:45.beneath you. So many have sheer personal stories about what you have

:07:46. > :07:50.meant to them, as you have exemplified values and qualities

:07:51. > :07:55.that have enhanced their lives. If I had every dollar for every story, I

:07:56. > :08:02.could paint the scary. Your family is so proud of the legacy you left

:08:03. > :08:06.behind. I hope that the history of you can help turn the tide of Sylvie

:08:07. > :08:18.and violence, because we are overwhelmed at the moment by the

:08:19. > :08:26.silence of tragic death. In American soil, in the Middle East or anywhere

:08:27. > :08:31.else, we crave for peace. The piece that you rest and no. We will

:08:32. > :08:37.forever cherish the 74 years you graced this earth. You will be

:08:38. > :08:45.greatly missed. No, we send you off in celebration. A final kiss and

:08:46. > :08:53.peers. As you enter your final round. God 's last boxing bill will

:08:54. > :09:02.sound in heaven. I love you. We all love you. Thank you very much.

:09:03. > :09:47.we are so honoured that you have packed this hall with your love.

:09:48. > :09:54.Thank you all. Thank you so much for being here today. To celebrate my

:09:55. > :10:03.father. You are the greatest father to us. It was God 's will to take

:10:04. > :10:09.you home. Your family will try our best to make you proud and carry on

:10:10. > :10:17.your legacy of giving and love. You have inspired those and the world to

:10:18. > :10:28.be the best version of ourselves. May you live in paradise, free of

:10:29. > :10:41.suffering. You shone in life and know you will shake up the world in

:10:42. > :10:46.darkness. He is looking at is no seeing, I told you I was the

:10:47. > :10:56.greatest. No one compares to you. You once said I know where I am

:10:57. > :11:05.going and I know the truth. I do not want to be who you want me to be, I

:11:06. > :11:13.am free to be who I am. No, you are free to be with your creator. We

:11:14. > :11:27.love you so much. Until we meet again, for I, butterfly, fly.

:11:28. > :12:13.Hello. I was born on the birthday of Muhammad and I was named after him.

:12:14. > :12:22.We can all learn from his example. Muhammad When was the stove he

:12:23. > :12:27.wanted to be remembered, he said he would like them to see, he took a

:12:28. > :12:36.few cups of love, one teaspoon of generosity, one quart of laughter,

:12:37. > :12:41.one pinch of concern and he mixed willingness with happiness. He had a

:12:42. > :12:44.lot to see and he started the top well. And he spread it over the

:12:45. > :13:24.course of a lifetime, thank you. Before I begin, I would just like to

:13:25. > :13:34.see I am truly honoured and humbled to be here. I would like to thank

:13:35. > :13:45.the Muhammad Ali centre and his family to allow me to speak. Let me

:13:46. > :13:51.tell you a story. It is a story about a man who refuse to believe

:13:52. > :14:01.that reality was limitation all to achieve the possible. A man who once

:14:02. > :14:09.reached up and touched the heart of an eight-year-old. It was someone

:14:10. > :14:13.whose reflection of herself which mirrored those who could not see

:14:14. > :14:16.past the colour of her skin. Instead of drawing on the pain of the

:14:17. > :14:24.distorted reality, she found strength. Just as this man did when

:14:25. > :14:31.he stood tall in the face of pelting rain and said I made disturbance in

:14:32. > :14:47.the sea of your complacency and I will never stop shaking and making

:14:48. > :14:51.waves. His voice echoed. It echoed through rain. She picked up the

:14:52. > :14:56.rocks which were thrown at her and she put them back with a voice so

:14:57. > :15:08.powerful that it turned all the pain she had faced in her life into

:15:09. > :15:17.strength. Into tenacity. No, that general stands before you to tell

:15:18. > :15:27.you that the cry Muhammad Ali of still makes these waves today.

:15:28. > :15:38.That we are to find strength in our idea of identity, whether we are

:15:39. > :15:45.black or white or Asian or Hispanic. Whether we are ready, disabled or

:15:46. > :15:49.able-bodied, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu Christian. His cry represents those

:15:50. > :16:04.who have not been heard. It invalidates the idea that we have to

:16:05. > :16:12.conform to one normal standards. That is what it means to defeat the

:16:13. > :16:13.impossible. Because impossible is not a fact. If possible as an

:16:14. > :16:34.opinion. Impossible is nothing. When I look into this audience, a

:16:35. > :16:42.nice meal. Ice mail to recognise that he has not really gone. He

:16:43. > :16:54.loves the new. He lives in me. He loves in every person he has touched

:16:55. > :17:03.on every corner of this world. Reality was never a limitation for

:17:04. > :17:06.him. For us, just as every punch his opponents through, impossible is

:17:07. > :17:19.never enough to knock a stone because we are Ali.

:17:20. > :17:26.We are greater than the rocks on the pressures that were thrown. We have

:17:27. > :17:29.the ability to empower and inspire and to connect and to unify and that

:17:30. > :17:50.will live on forever. Let me tell you a story about a man.

:17:51. > :17:56.His neighbours Muhammad Ali. He is the greatest of all time. -- his

:17:57. > :18:15.name is. He is from here and he lives in each

:18:16. > :18:22.and every one of us. His story is far from over. Thank you.

:18:23. > :18:56.Ladies and gentlemen, John Ramsey. First of all, on behalf of of

:18:57. > :19:03.ourselves, our condolences and heartfelt players to the family.

:19:04. > :19:13.Muhammad Ali Was blessed with many gifts. I have got to tell you that

:19:14. > :19:18.when I was in the procession today and saw the tens of thousands of

:19:19. > :19:24.people and the warmth and love and respect that was shown Muhammad Ali

:19:25. > :19:32.for, my heart swelled with pride. I know he was watching from above and

:19:33. > :19:37.absolutely loved it. But I do not think he would be surprised. He

:19:38. > :19:48.would say, the greatest city of all-time. How could it not be good?

:19:49. > :20:00.How can we lose. I am feeling so good I might make a comeback. That

:20:01. > :20:06.is so good I feel. For me, I always felt connected to them even before I

:20:07. > :20:18.met him. I was a little boy, maybe it is the fact I love the local

:20:19. > :20:22.football team. As our relationship evolved, I find that a lot of people

:20:23. > :20:29.and this personal connection with him. That is properly his magic.

:20:30. > :20:35.Initially, for a lot of men my age, it was the athlete I was attracted

:20:36. > :20:47.to. That size and speed and agility Antilles. He was not only world

:20:48. > :20:52.champion three times, but he was the Sports Illustrated athlete of the

:20:53. > :20:57.century. He was a once-in-a-lifetime athlete. But I would argue that the

:20:58. > :21:05.combination of compassion, came this love and the ability to link is up

:21:06. > :21:13.to a once -- made him a once-in-a-lifetime person. He was

:21:14. > :21:18.blessed with many gifts. He was a wise and faithful steward of these

:21:19. > :21:26.gifts. There are many stories. A couple encapsulate what he was all

:21:27. > :21:31.about. I remember in the summer of 2000, making a trip to the Olympics

:21:32. > :21:38.with him. He wanted to go and see a boxing match. 15,000 people were

:21:39. > :21:48.chanting for the United States of America. I was filled with

:21:49. > :21:54.patriotically. The boxer and the obligatory picture with him,. There

:21:55. > :22:01.was photographers everywhere taking pictures and thousands of people

:22:02. > :22:06.cheering for him. Then, Muhammad Ali leaned over and whispered, I want to

:22:07. > :22:16.see the loser. I want to see the loser. I motioned over to an Olympic

:22:17. > :22:22.official. Can you get the loser. There were not tens of thousands of

:22:23. > :22:30.people. There were no photographers. There was just a kid on a stool, E

:22:31. > :22:41.toll over estate, a towel over his head, the lowest point of his fight

:22:42. > :22:47.career. He was defeated. He was at the lowest of the law. But when

:22:48. > :22:57.Muhammad Ali Walton, he said, in broken English. Muhammad Ali Started

:22:58. > :23:04.canvassing. The kids started smiling and laughing. He said, you have got

:23:05. > :23:10.ability, I saw you did over there, do not give up. It took this kid

:23:11. > :23:25.from the bottom to the top in an instant. I got in the car and said,

:23:26. > :23:31.I try to be an nice guy, but I did not give them a second thought. You

:23:32. > :23:42.are the greatest. Tell me something I do not already know? But I do not

:23:43. > :23:52.want people to forget he was the finest example of a human that I

:23:53. > :23:59.have ever seen. Of the kindness advocate human possesses. But don't

:24:00. > :24:06.forget, he was the coolest cat in the room. He was good-looking, he

:24:07. > :24:17.had charm, he had charisma. He had swagger before any others even you

:24:18. > :24:23.what swagger was. About 25 years ago, he wanted to go to a

:24:24. > :24:30.restaurant. There was a fireman 's convention and all these guys at the

:24:31. > :24:38.numbers and lush at. They were all up for an autograph. If you want, I

:24:39. > :24:44.will play the bad guy and see that he has to go elsewhere. But in

:24:45. > :24:53.between I suffered, he was happy to do it. One man came up, he said, I

:24:54. > :25:00.said the stand she made in the civil rights movement and against the

:25:01. > :25:07.Vietnam War. I have got a picture of you in front of the fire hose. You

:25:08. > :25:17.are the real hero. You save lives and who your life and the line every

:25:18. > :25:32.day. You are the real deal. But you fought all of them. You fought the

:25:33. > :25:39.beer, the rabbit. You fought Joe Frazier. Smoking Joe Frazier.

:25:40. > :25:45.Muhammad Ali Interrupted and said, but he was not really smoking. I

:25:46. > :25:54.said that was a good link. He said, yes, break that down. But if there

:25:55. > :26:02.was a Kaiser in a third World country, he was on a plane with a

:26:03. > :26:14.cheque. If there were hostages to be released, he was a man of action.

:26:15. > :26:17.One of my favourite quotes, Muhammad Ali said service to others is the

:26:18. > :26:25.rent you pay for your room here on Earth. You are right. And I just

:26:26. > :26:34.want to see, Champ, you have paid up in full. You have paid up in full.

:26:35. > :26:52.He has taught us to love rather than heat, look for common similarities

:26:53. > :27:03.rather than differences. As we all know no, his fight is over, but the

:27:04. > :27:14.decision is in and it does not end. Because of Muhammad Ali, we all win.

:27:15. > :27:17.Thank you so much,. It is time for a man of peace to rest in peace. Thank

:27:18. > :27:23.you so very much. Thank you ladies and gentlemen. We

:27:24. > :28:10.are at the halfway point. I was clean-shaven when this

:28:11. > :28:26.started. All the amazing people here. This appalling of love and

:28:27. > :28:28.respect proves that despite retiring 35 years ago, he is still the

:28:29. > :28:52.champion of the world. -- opal ring. It took a bleak deep breath and

:28:53. > :28:57.side. My mind has been racing through my relationship with this

:28:58. > :29:05.great man. Every moment I can think of is cherished. I will tell you of

:29:06. > :29:11.some personal moments we had together. In 1974, I was just

:29:12. > :29:21.starting as a comedian. It was a three-minute conversation between

:29:22. > :29:33.Muhammad Ali and how, free I would imitate both of them. He had just

:29:34. > :29:39.George Foreman. -- beaten. He was going to post this dinner

:29:40. > :29:50.celebrating the life of Muhammad Ali. But the comedian was not

:29:51. > :29:54.available that they had booked. It was destiny. He said, I have met

:29:55. > :30:02.this young kid and he does a fantastic impersonation of Muhammad

:30:03. > :30:06.Ali. Dick said, OK I will give a try and as he stinks, I will cut him out

:30:07. > :30:19.of the shore. It was my first on television. Hopefully introduce you.

:30:20. > :30:25.No one knows who are. Just see I am one of the closest and dearest

:30:26. > :30:28.friends of Muhammad Ali. I thought, I would go into the make go into my

:30:29. > :30:43.routine and I would be fine. In a can and that was the first time

:30:44. > :30:48.I saw him in person -- then I got into the jammed it was the first I

:30:49. > :30:53.saw him in person. To live in his time. We have the clips and that is

:30:54. > :30:58.amazing but to live in his time... Experiencing the genius of his

:30:59. > :31:02.talent, watching his fights, it was absolutely extraordinary. Every one

:31:03. > :31:05.of his fights had the aura of a Super Bowl. He did things no one

:31:06. > :31:10.else would do. He would predict the round he would knock someone out,

:31:11. > :31:13.then he would do it! He was funny, beautiful, the most perfect athlete

:31:14. > :31:18.you ever saw, and those were his own words.

:31:19. > :31:24.LAUGHTER But he was so much more than a

:31:25. > :31:28.fighter, as time went on. With Bobby Kennedy gone, Martin Luther King

:31:29. > :31:34.gone, Malcolm X gone. Who was there to relate to when Vietnam exploded

:31:35. > :31:37.in our face? There were millions of young men my age eligible for the

:31:38. > :31:41.draft to war we did not believe in. We huddled on the conveyor belt

:31:42. > :31:47.feeding the war machine, but it was Ali has stood up for us by standing

:31:48. > :31:53.up for himself. And after he was stripped of the title, and the right

:31:54. > :31:56.to fight anywhere in the world, he gives speeches at colleges and on

:31:57. > :32:03.television that totally reached me. He was comparable speaking to --

:32:04. > :32:07.comparable speaking to kings and queens. Even when he lost everything

:32:08. > :32:13.else, she was always himself. Willing to give up everything for

:32:14. > :32:16.what he believed in. His passionate rhetoric for the pride of black

:32:17. > :32:21.people in our country resonated strongly in my house. I grew up in a

:32:22. > :32:24.house dedicated to civil rights. My father was a producer of jazz

:32:25. > :32:31.concerts in New York City and was one of the first to integrate

:32:32. > :32:42.concerts in the 40s and 50s. My uncle and my family, Jewish people,

:32:43. > :32:45.they produced Strange Fruit, Billie Holiday's Famous Song Describing The

:32:46. > :32:51.Lynching Black People In This Country. I Could Not Stop Looking At

:32:52. > :32:57.Him And He Seemed To Go. In Slow Motion, his amazing face, smiling

:32:58. > :33:04.and laughing. I was seated a few six from him, and on the day, all of

:33:05. > :33:09.these athletes, great athletes. The Stealers, all of them. Literary

:33:10. > :33:16.legends. George Plimpton, Neil Simon 's. All fawning over Ali, who then

:33:17. > :33:23.looked at me... With an expression that seemed to say, what is Joel

:33:24. > :33:32.Grey doing here? LAUGHTER

:33:33. > :33:35.I was introduced as one of Ali's closest friends. Two people clapped.

:33:36. > :33:40.My wife and the agent. LAUGHTER

:33:41. > :33:46.I rose, Vera Mora still staring at me, I passed behind him, got to the

:33:47. > :33:59.podium -- Ali was still staring at me. And I said, hello, everyone.

:34:00. > :34:11.Howard Cosell coming to you live from Zaire! Some people pronounce it

:34:12. > :34:15.zare, they are wrong. Then I did the English commentary, George Foreman,

:34:16. > :34:18.he is still fast. I'm still fast, I can be in my bed before the room

:34:19. > :34:26.gets dark! LAUGHTER

:34:27. > :34:36.Howard, I am announcing today I had new religious beliefs, from now on I

:34:37. > :34:44.want to be known as Izzy Izgawitz, an Orthodox Jew, and I am the

:34:45. > :34:48.greatest of all time! The audience exploded. No one had ever done him

:34:49. > :34:52.before and here I was, I could from Long Island, imitating the greatest

:34:53. > :35:00.of all time, and he was loving it. When I was done he gave me this big

:35:01. > :35:03.bear hug and he whispered in my ear, "You are my little brother". Which

:35:04. > :35:08.is what he always called me until the last time I saw him. We were

:35:09. > :35:12.always there for each other. If you needed anything, I was there. He

:35:13. > :35:16.came to everything I asked him to do. Most memorable. He was honorary

:35:17. > :35:20.chairman for a dinner at an event where I was being honoured by the

:35:21. > :35:22.Hebrew University injury so on. The dead of this promotion for it.

:35:23. > :35:29.came to the dinner -- Hebrew came to the dinner -- Hebrew

:35:30. > :35:32.University in Jerusalem. The most famous Muslim man in the world

:35:33. > :35:42.honouring his Jewish friend. APPLAUSE

:35:43. > :35:49.And because he was there, we raised a great deal of money and I was able

:35:50. > :35:51.to use it to endow the University in Jerusalem with something I'd told

:35:52. > :35:57.her about and it was something he loved the theory of and it strives

:35:58. > :36:08.to this day -- I had told him about. It is called Piece In The Performing

:36:09. > :36:12.Arts, with it's really an Arab, Palestinian directors all working

:36:13. > :36:20.together creating works of art. That does not happen without him. I had

:36:21. > :36:26.so many funny unusual moments with him, Howard Cosell's funeral, a very

:36:27. > :36:29.sombre day, to be sure. Closed casket on the stage and Muhammad Ali

:36:30. > :36:33.and I were sitting over there next to each other, and he quietly

:36:34. > :36:43.whispered to me, "Little brother, you think he is wearing his

:36:44. > :36:53.earpiece? " LAUGHTER -- hairpiece.

:36:54. > :37:04.I said, "I don't think so... " " well, then how will God recognise

:37:05. > :37:10.him? " so I said, Champ, once he opens his mouth, God will know. So

:37:11. > :37:14.we started laughing. It was a muffled laugh at first but then we

:37:15. > :37:19.could not contain ourselves. We were at a funeral, me and Muhammad Ali

:37:20. > :37:24.laughing like two little kids at something dirty in church. Then he

:37:25. > :37:28.looked at me and he whispered, "Howard was a good man". One thing

:37:29. > :37:33.he asked me if I would like to run with him one morning, and I said,

:37:34. > :37:38.that would be amazing, where do you run? He said, "I run at this country

:37:39. > :37:41.club, a golf course early in the morning, very private, no one

:37:42. > :37:49.bothers me. We will have a great time." I said I can't run there. It

:37:50. > :37:55.has a reputation for being restricted. They do not allow Jewish

:37:56. > :38:00.members. He was incensed. "I Am a black Muslim and they let me run

:38:01. > :38:12.there. Little brother, I will never run there again." And he didn't. My

:38:13. > :38:17.favourite memory perhaps was 1979. He had just retired and there was a

:38:18. > :38:20.retirement party in Los Angeles for Muhammad and 20 of his closest

:38:21. > :38:26.friends in Los Angeles. I performed a piece I had created. It had grown

:38:27. > :38:30.into a life story, the imitation, and it was called 15 rounds. I play

:38:31. > :38:35.him from the age of 18 until he is 36 ready for the rematch. I posted

:38:36. > :38:41.it on the Internet last week, the Doidge nobody had ever seen before.

:38:42. > :38:46.Of me portraying Ali doing his life, for him, all those years ago in 1979

:38:47. > :38:51.-- it was of me doing what nobody had ever seen before. There were 20

:38:52. > :38:54.people there but I was doing it only for him. It was my favourite

:38:55. > :38:58.performance of my life, I got lost on him. I didn't even know where I

:38:59. > :39:02.was at the end of the performance and suddenly I am backstage with

:39:03. > :39:07.another heavyweight champion, Richard Pryor. And he is holding on

:39:08. > :39:13.to me, crying, then I see Ali coming and he has a full head of steam,

:39:14. > :39:21.looking only at me, and he nudged Richard Pryor essayed, and he

:39:22. > :39:25.whispered in my ear, a big bear hug, "Little Brother, you made my life

:39:26. > :39:30.better than it was." But didn't he make all of our lives a little bit

:39:31. > :39:39.better than they were? APPLAUSE

:39:40. > :39:43.That, my friends, is my history with a man. I have laboured to come up

:39:44. > :39:47.with the way to describe the legend. He was a tremendous bolt of

:39:48. > :39:51.lightning created by mother nature out of thin air, a fantastic

:39:52. > :39:55.combination of power and beauty. We have seen still photographs of

:39:56. > :39:58.lightning bolt at the moment of impact, the rushes in strength admin

:39:59. > :40:10.assistant in eloquence and at the moment of impact it might up

:40:11. > :40:13.everything around it. He struck as in the darkest night, in the middle

:40:14. > :40:18.of America's most gathering storm. He toppled the most magnificent of

:40:19. > :40:23.falls and his light shone on America and we could see clearly injustice,

:40:24. > :40:30.inequality, poverty, pride, self-realisation, courage, laughter,

:40:31. > :40:36.love, joy and religious freedom for all. Ali forced us to take a look at

:40:37. > :40:44.ourselves. This brash young man who thrilled us, angered us, infused and

:40:45. > :40:48.challenged us, and ultimately became a messenger for peace. He said later

:40:49. > :40:57.is best when you build bridges between people, not walls.

:40:58. > :41:16.APPLAUSE My friends, only once in 1000 years

:41:17. > :41:21.or so do we get to hear a Mozart or see a Picasso, read Shakespeare. Ali

:41:22. > :41:25.was one of them and yet in his heart he was still a kid from Louisville

:41:26. > :41:29.who run with the gods, what with the crippled, and smiled with the

:41:30. > :41:40.foolishness of it all. He is gone but he will never die. He was my big

:41:41. > :42:01.brother. Thank you. APPLAUSE

:42:02. > :42:33.gentlemen, Bryant Gumbel. The great Maya Angelou who was herself no

:42:34. > :42:37.stranger to fame said people can forget what you said and did, but no

:42:38. > :42:45.one can ever forget how you made them feel. This applies to Muhammad

:42:46. > :42:50.Ali. The march of time may one day diminish his boasts and his poetry.

:42:51. > :42:59.Perhaps even his butterflies and bees. It may even one day all the

:43:00. > :43:05.memories of the Thrilla in Manila and the Rumble in the jungle, but I

:43:06. > :43:13.doubt any of us will ever forget how Muhammad Ali made us feel. I am not

:43:14. > :43:17.speaking about how proud he made you feel with his exploits or how

:43:18. > :43:26.special he made you feel when you were privileged enough to be his

:43:27. > :43:34.company. I am speaking about how he pricked our hearts and our souls,

:43:35. > :43:43.and our conscience, and made our fights his fights, for decades.

:43:44. > :43:50.People like me, who were once young, semi-gifted, and black, will never

:43:51. > :43:56.forget what he freed within us. Some of us, like him, took pride in being

:43:57. > :44:05.black, bold and brash, and because we were so unapologetic, we were in

:44:06. > :44:14.the eyes of many way too uppity. We were way too arrogant. Yet we

:44:15. > :44:18.revelled in being like him, by stretching society's boundaries as

:44:19. > :44:26.he did he gave us levels of strength and courage that we didn't even know

:44:27. > :44:35.that we had. But Ali's impact was not limited to those of a certain

:44:36. > :44:40.race, or of a second religion, or of a certain mindset -- certain

:44:41. > :44:53.religion. The greatness of this man for the ages was that he was in fact

:44:54. > :44:57.a man for all ages. Has any man ever had a great art to his life? What

:44:58. > :45:04.does it say of a man, any man, that he can go from being viewed as one

:45:05. > :45:09.of his country's most polarising figures to arguably its most

:45:10. > :45:21.beloved? APPLAUSE

:45:22. > :45:29.And to do so without changing his nature or for a second compromising

:45:30. > :45:39.his principles. Yes, you know there were great causes, great national

:45:40. > :45:46.movements, huge divisions, that for Ali's struggle to -- but Harry

:45:47. > :45:55.Truman had it right when he said men make history and not the other way

:45:56. > :46:02.around or as Lauren Hill so nicely put it, consequence is no

:46:03. > :46:06.coincidence. Befitting his stature as the goat he never shied away from

:46:07. > :46:11.a fight, fighting not only the biggest and baddest men of his day

:46:12. > :46:16.inside the ropes, but outside the ring he also went to to to with an

:46:17. > :46:24.array of critics, is seemingly endless succession of societal

:46:25. > :46:29.norms, the architects of a vile and immoral war, the US Government -- he

:46:30. > :46:38.went toe to toe. He even thought, ultimately to his detriment, the

:46:39. > :46:44.limitations of Father Time. Strictly speaking, fighting is what he did.

:46:45. > :46:51.But he broadened that definition by sharing his struggles with us and by

:46:52. > :46:57.viewing our struggles as his. And so it was that at various times he

:46:58. > :47:04.accepted and led battles on behalf of his race, in support of his

:47:05. > :47:12.generation, in defence of his religious beliefs, and ultimately in

:47:13. > :47:24.spate of his disease. I happen to have been overseas working in Norway

:47:25. > :47:28.this past week and my body, Matt, called and said the Champ had been

:47:29. > :47:35.taken to the hospital and that this time it was really serious. Right

:47:36. > :47:44.away, I called Lonnie. She was, as always, a pillar of strength. And as

:47:45. > :47:56.we discussed the medical details, the Doctors' views, and the ugly

:47:57. > :48:04.realities of mortality, Lonnie said, Bryant, the world still needs him.

:48:05. > :48:08.And indeed it does. The world needs a champion who always worked to

:48:09. > :48:14.bridge the economic and social divides that threaten a nation that

:48:15. > :48:21.he dearly loved. The world needs a champion that always symbolised the

:48:22. > :48:27.best of Islam, to offset the hatred of fear. And the world needs a

:48:28. > :48:33.champion who believed in fairness and inclusion for all. Hating people

:48:34. > :48:39.because of their colour is wrong, Ali said, and it doesn't matter

:48:40. > :48:51.which colour does the heating. It is just plain wrong. -- the hating.

:48:52. > :48:57.Yes, we do need Muhammad Ali now. We need the strength and the hope, the

:48:58. > :49:03.compassion and the conviction, that he always demonstrated. But this

:49:04. > :49:14.time our beloved champion is down. And for once he will not get up. Not

:49:15. > :49:18.this time. Not ever again. I want to close with a quick personal story.

:49:19. > :49:41.50 years ago Muhammad Ali defeated George Travalo in Canada

:49:42. > :49:44.and the very next day he showed up in my neighbourhood in the south

:49:45. > :49:51.side of Chicago. As he came out of the home of Elijah Muhammad I

:49:52. > :49:55.happened to be next shooting hoops in a friend's backyard. I of course

:49:56. > :50:07.quickly ran to the fence and for the first in my life I shook the Champ's

:50:08. > :50:14.hand. I was 17, I was awestruck and, man, I thought he was the greatest.

:50:15. > :50:22.Now, half a century and a lifetime of experience as later, I am still

:50:23. > :50:30.awestruck -- experiences later. And I am convinced more than other that

:50:31. > :50:41.Muhammad Ali is the greatest. -- more than ever. To be standing here

:50:42. > :50:50.by virtue of his and Lonnie's request, it is mind-numbing. The

:50:51. > :50:57.honour that Ali has done me today, as he goes to his grave, is one I

:50:58. > :51:01.will take to mind. God bless you, Champ.

:51:02. > :51:16.APPLAUSE -- to mine.

:51:17. > :51:22.Ladies and gentlemen, the 42nd president of the United States, the

:51:23. > :51:28.Honourable William Jefferson Clinton.

:51:29. > :51:46.APPLAUSE Thank you. I can just hear Muhammad

:51:47. > :51:54.saying now, "Well, I thought I should be eulogised by at least one

:51:55. > :52:01.president." And by making you the last in a long, long line, I have

:52:02. > :52:07.guaranteed you a standing ovation." LAUGHTER

:52:08. > :52:18.I am trying to think of what has been left unsaid. First, Lonnie, I

:52:19. > :52:28.thank you and the members of the family for telling me that he

:52:29. > :52:32.actually, as Bryant said, picked us all to speak and gave me a chance to

:52:33. > :52:36.come here. I thank you for what you did to make the second half of his

:52:37. > :52:45.life greater than the first. APPLAUSE

:52:46. > :52:53.I thank you for the Muhammad Ali Centre and what it has come to

:52:54. > :52:59.represent to so many people. Here's what I would like to see. I spend a

:53:00. > :53:05.lot of time now, as I get older and older and older, trying to figure

:53:06. > :53:13.out what makes people tick, how delete or note -- how do they turn

:53:14. > :53:19.out the way they are, how do some people refuse to become victims and

:53:20. > :53:24.rides from every defeat? -- rise from every defeat? We have all seen

:53:25. > :53:36.the beautiful pictures of Muhammad Ali with the boy, people visiting

:53:37. > :53:41.and driving by. I think he decided something I hope every young person

:53:42. > :53:55.in here will decide. I think he decided very young to write his own

:53:56. > :54:02.life story. I think he decided, before he could possibly have worked

:54:03. > :54:09.it all out, and before the date and time could work there will on him --

:54:10. > :54:17.fate and time. He decided that he would not be ever disempowered. He

:54:18. > :54:21.decided that not his race nor his place nor the expectations of others

:54:22. > :54:31.on him, negative or otherwise, would strip from him the power to write

:54:32. > :54:42.his own story. He decided first to use these stunning gifts, his

:54:43. > :54:47.strength and speed in the ring, his wit and way with words in managing

:54:48. > :54:54.the public, and his mind and heart, to figure out at a fairly young age

:54:55. > :55:01.who he was, what he believed, and how to live with the consequences of

:55:02. > :55:09.acting on what he believed. A lot of people make it two steps one and two

:55:10. > :55:15.and still can't quite manage living with the consequences of what he

:55:16. > :55:20.believes. For the longest time, in spite of all the wonderful things

:55:21. > :55:26.that have been said here, I remember thinking when I was a kid, this guy

:55:27. > :55:31.is so smart. And he never got credit for being as smart as he was. And

:55:32. > :55:36.then... APPLAUSE

:55:37. > :55:45.I don't think he ever got the credit, until later, for being as

:55:46. > :55:51.wise as he was. In the end, besides being a lot of fun to be around and

:55:52. > :55:57.basically it universal soldier for our common humanity, I will always

:55:58. > :56:01.think of Muhammad as a truly free man of faith.

:56:02. > :56:09.APPLAUSE And being a man of faith, he

:56:10. > :56:18.realised he would never be in full control of his life. Something like

:56:19. > :56:26.Parkinson's could come along. But being free, he realise that life

:56:27. > :56:32.still was open to choices. It is the choices that Muhammad Ali made that

:56:33. > :56:40.have brought us all here today. In honour and love.

:56:41. > :56:44.APPLAUSE And the only other thing I would

:56:45. > :56:53.like to see and I think we all need to really think about is that the

:56:54. > :56:58.first part of his life -- like to say. Is that the first part of his

:56:59. > :57:01.life was dominated by the Triumph of his truly unique gifts. We should

:57:02. > :57:05.never forget them, we should never stop looking at the movies, we

:57:06. > :57:13.should thank Will Smith for making his movie. We should all be thrilled

:57:14. > :57:18.at what a thing of beauty it was, but the second part of his life was

:57:19. > :57:26.more important. Because he refused to be present by a disease that kept

:57:27. > :57:30.him hamstrung longer than Nelson Mandela was kept in prison in South

:57:31. > :57:37.Africa -- he refused to be imprisoned by a disease. And the

:57:38. > :57:45.second half of his life, in that comedy perfected gift that we all

:57:46. > :57:57.have. Every single solitary one of us have guesseds of mind and heart.

:57:58. > :58:01.-- gifts of mind and heart. It is just the third away to release them

:58:02. > :58:05.in ways large and small. I wanted to ask Lonnie if she remembered a time

:58:06. > :58:09.they were still living in Michigan and I gave a speech in South West

:58:10. > :58:14.Michigan at the economic club there, and it was sort of a ritual that

:58:15. > :58:18.when a president leaves office, you know, you had to get reactivated.

:58:19. > :58:22.Nobody plays a song when you walk into the room any more. You don't

:58:23. > :58:24.really know what you're supposed to do...

:58:25. > :58:31.LAUGHTER And this club, called The Economic

:58:32. > :58:36.Club, I think. They are used to acting like you still deserve to be

:58:37. > :58:43.listened to, so they came to this dinner with me, they sat with me,

:58:44. > :58:49.and he knew, somehow, he knew that I was a little off my feet that night.

:58:50. > :58:54.I was trying to imagine how to make this new life. And so he told me it

:58:55. > :59:01.will eat bad joke. LAUGHTER

:59:02. > :59:04.-- he told me a really bad joke. And he told it's all well and laughed so

:59:05. > :59:13.hard that I totally got over it and had a great time. He had that feel,

:59:14. > :59:18.you know, there is no textbook for that. Knowing where somebody else is

:59:19. > :59:27.in their head, picking up the body language. Then Lonnie and Muhammad

:59:28. > :59:32.got me to come here when we opened the Muhammad Ali Centre, and I was

:59:33. > :59:37.trying to be incredibly, you know, grey-haired elder statesmen,

:59:38. > :59:42.dignified, I have to elevate this guy, so I am saying this stuff in

:59:43. > :59:45.very high to mine which, and Muhammad sneaks up behind me and put

:59:46. > :59:51.his fingers up like this. LAUGHTER

:59:52. > :00:07.Finally, after all the years we have been friends, my injuring image of

:00:08. > :00:14.him is like a little reel in three shots -- enduring. The boxer I

:00:15. > :00:18.thrilled to as a boy, the man I watched take the last steps to light

:00:19. > :00:22.the Olympic flame when I was president...

:00:23. > :00:30.APPLAUSE And I will never forget it. I was

:00:31. > :00:34.sitting there in Atlanta. By then we knew each other. By then I felt I

:00:35. > :00:40.had some sense of what he was living with, and still I was weeping like a

:00:41. > :00:45.baby, seeing his hands and legs shake and knowing that, by God, he

:00:46. > :00:50.was going to make those last few steps. The flame would be lit, the

:00:51. > :00:52.fight would be one. I knew it would happen. -- the fight would be won.

:00:53. > :01:09.APPLAUSE And then this. The children whose

:01:10. > :01:16.lives he touched. The young people he inspired. It is the most

:01:17. > :01:25.important thing of all. So I ask you to remember that. We all have a Ali

:01:26. > :01:30.story. It is the gift we all have that should be most honoured today.

:01:31. > :01:40.Because he released them to the world. Never wasting a day, that the

:01:41. > :01:45.rest of us could see any way. Feeling sorry for himself that he

:01:46. > :01:52.had Parkinson's, knowing that more than three decades of his life would

:01:53. > :01:58.be circumscribed in ways that would be chilling to the naked eye. But

:01:59. > :02:10.with the free spirit it made life bigot not smaller, because other

:02:11. > :02:16.people, -- bigger, made other people say would you will get that? Look at

:02:17. > :02:21.that. May not be able to run across a bring any more, or dodge and

:02:22. > :02:27.exhaust anybody any more, but he is bigger than ever because he is a

:02:28. > :02:34.free man of faith sharing the gifts we all have. We should honour him by

:02:35. > :02:38.letting our gifts go among the world as he did. God bless you, my friend.

:02:39. > :03:14.Go in peace. APPLAUSE

:03:15. > :03:28.Ali! There will be time for that. But right now is the time for

:03:29. > :03:36.silence, so will everyone rise and observe a period of silence, reflect

:03:37. > :04:54.on what the champion meant to you as the Ali family exits.

:04:55. > :05:01.Ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much.

:05:02. > :05:10.APPLAUSE Be seated. Be seated, you seated.

:05:11. > :05:13.The programme is not over. We are trying to create space for the

:05:14. > :05:21.family to be able to exit in peace. Please be seated. We want to make

:05:22. > :05:30.prayer, we want to share something before we close the programme, so

:05:31. > :05:35.please be seated. As we move towards the end of the programme, which will

:05:36. > :05:45.occur in a couple of minutes, I will be remiss if I didn't say the

:05:46. > :05:53.following. Indeed, as we all know, and anyone who lives within a ghetto

:05:54. > :06:00.or barrio in the United States, there are reckless, violent

:06:01. > :06:05.policeman. That is a fact. But there are also policeman and women who are

:06:06. > :06:13.dedicated professionals who are compassionate, who have great

:06:14. > :06:18.concern for their communities, and I can say with all honesty and

:06:19. > :06:24.openness during my past week in Louisville Kentucky, in the past

:06:25. > :06:33.five days, myself, my wife, everyone I have spoken to, has commented on

:06:34. > :06:41.the professionalism, the dignity of the policeman and women in

:06:42. > :06:48.Louisville, contact you. -- Kentucky. That we have interacted

:06:49. > :06:53.with. I'm sure there are bad apples here too, but as they say, one bad

:06:54. > :06:58.apple does not spoil the whole bunch. They asked me to make a

:06:59. > :07:08.prayer to close this service, but Reverend Cosby threw down the

:07:09. > :07:17.gauntlet with that Western Pong, so I will have to respond -- poem. This

:07:18. > :07:23.palm was written in Muhammad Ali's house, and Mohammed Arlene was the

:07:24. > :07:27.first one to read this poem, and I am glad Mike Tyson left.

:07:28. > :07:34.LAUGHTER There are two parts. Part one is Ali

:07:35. > :07:37.the fight. He floated like a butterfly and staying like B. The

:07:38. > :07:43.greatest writer of this word is yet to see. His opponents agree on one

:07:44. > :07:46.thing, they all got it right. In the ring with miss your life was in

:07:47. > :07:52.danger that night. Had he read during the time of Tyson, and so on,

:07:53. > :08:00.his superiority over the former would be telling. Handy for Tyson at

:08:01. > :08:02.the height of his career, on the list of heavy weight champions their

:08:03. > :08:09.names would not appear. If reindeer could box, he would have fought

:08:10. > :08:13.them, if President could fight, he would have for Richard Nixon, for

:08:14. > :08:16.his right was filled with power and his left was relentless. He beats

:08:17. > :08:21.people so bad he would have to engage in acts of repentance. When

:08:22. > :08:24.you discuss it was the greatest heavyweight of all time, to mention

:08:25. > :08:28.any name other than Ali's is a crime.

:08:29. > :08:39.This is BBC News with coverage of tributes to boxing legend Ali, and a

:08:40. > :08:44.memorial service in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. It follows a

:08:45. > :08:48.procession to the streets where he grew up as a child and spent the

:08:49. > :08:54.winter of his life over the last two hours to stop we have seen Muslim,

:08:55. > :08:57.Christian and Jewish, other speakers, speaking of his fight for

:08:58. > :09:03.civil rights, while a message from President Obama raised his

:09:04. > :09:07.originality. It was an interfaith event that took place hours after

:09:08. > :09:11.thousands turned out in the streets of Louisville, many from all over

:09:12. > :09:17.the world and America, to say farewell to his covenant as it

:09:18. > :09:20.passed through the city streets. Ali was then buried in a private

:09:21. > :09:26.ceremony attended just by friends and family -- coffin. The ex-

:09:27. > :09:35.heavyweight champion and activist died aged 74. All of those honours,

:09:36. > :09:39.all of those speeches were rounded off with the former president of the

:09:40. > :09:40.United States, Bill Clinton, a very close friend and supporter of

:09:41. > :09:53.Muhammad Ali. We believe that coverage to bring

:09:54. > :09:58.you some breaking news that broke while that memorial service was

:09:59. > :10:02.taking place -- we leave. Rod Stewart and Tim Peake have been

:10:03. > :10:19.named in this week's Queen's birthday honours list. Other honours

:10:20. > :10:24.include the -- Penelope Wilton. He has been entertaining audiences for

:10:25. > :10:29.decades, and has now received a knighthood and becomes so Rod

:10:30. > :10:40.Stewart. Penelope Wilton has also been on it, so now Maggie Smith

:10:41. > :10:45.joins the honours. I imagined them surrounded by nannies and

:10:46. > :10:51.governesses starting iron to send in our review after tea. But it was an

:10:52. > :10:59.hour after every day. I see. How tiring. Tim Peake says he is

:11:00. > :11:09.honoured and privileged to be made a CNG, an award given for achievement

:11:10. > :11:13.outside the UK, in his case, space. Ant and Dec say they are honoured to

:11:14. > :11:26.be awarded for their broadcasting careers. Brian Blessed also

:11:27. > :11:31.honoured. It is one of Yorkshire. Whatever people say, people do like

:11:32. > :11:38.receiving awards, and I am absolutely delighted. Cock-a-hoop!

:11:39. > :11:43.In the world of sport, Alastair Cook, the youngest player to score

:11:44. > :11:56.10,000 test runs, is made easy BA, as is Alan Shearer, for his

:11:57. > :12:02.community work. -- CBE. I am absolutely delighted. The Chelsea

:12:03. > :12:09.manager who guided the team to a league and FA Cup double becomes an

:12:10. > :12:12.MBE. Of course, as in previous years, the vast majority of people

:12:13. > :12:17.being honoured by Her Majesty are people who never expected to be in

:12:18. > :12:20.the public eye. This youth worker played a crucial role in uncovering

:12:21. > :12:26.the scale of child sexual exploitation in Rotherham. She has

:12:27. > :12:33.been made an MBE. I am pleased and proud of got it, but also saddened

:12:34. > :12:38.for the reasons I got it, and never did this for any kind of award. I

:12:39. > :12:42.did it to try to get the voices of those who were being ignored for so

:12:43. > :12:46.long out there. Just one of many being honoured for making a

:12:47. > :12:51.difference in their committee. -- community.

:12:52. > :12:56.Because of our continuing coverage of Muhammad Ali's service, we

:12:57. > :13:04.haven't brought you the papers. Let's have a look now. A poll

:13:05. > :13:07.suggest a massive swing towards Brexit with a picture of Rod

:13:08. > :13:14.Stewart, who has been named in the suit's Queen's but they honours --

:13:15. > :13:18.this year's. David Cameron accused of using the honours list to dish

:13:19. > :13:24.out accolades to supporters of his campaign to keep Britain in the EU.

:13:25. > :13:29.The main story in the Times is a warning by Germany's finance

:13:30. > :13:34.minister that says Britain will be shut out of the single market if

:13:35. > :13:37.they vote for Brexit. Europe's migrant crisis, and claims that a

:13:38. > :13:43.think tank says it is costing EU member countries are to ?20 billion

:13:44. > :13:47.alone. The Telegraph's Todd's story is the so-called panicked reaction

:13:48. > :13:53.to polls that suggest loading support for the league campaign. In

:13:54. > :14:01.the Guardian leads for calls for the Labour Party to boost its campaign

:14:02. > :14:11.to keep Britain in the EU. There is a rally in bonds caused by investing

:14:12. > :14:14.jitters. And the Daily Mirror has more on why the partner of the

:14:15. > :14:21.former EastEnders actress Sian Blake says he killed her and her two

:14:22. > :14:25.children. Let's bring you up-to-date with the latest headlines.

:14:26. > :14:29.The headlines on BBC News: A final farewell to one of the greatest

:14:30. > :14:32.Muhammad Ali's memorial takes place in his hometown

:14:33. > :14:35.Astronaut Tim Peake is among those recognised

:14:36. > :14:37.in the Queen's Birthday Honours, just released.

:14:38. > :14:39.England football fans have again clashed with French police

:14:40. > :14:42.in Marseille, where the team play their opening match in Euro

:14:43. > :14:58.Apologies, slightly later than scheduled because of the late

:14:59. > :15:05.running of the memorial service for Muhammad Ali, in a fume minutes we

:15:06. > :15:09.will have an interview with Nigel Farage. First, a special Euro 2016

:15:10. > :15:11.edition of