Muhammad Ali Center Participates in: “Communities United—Working Together for a Brighter Future” in Leeds, England

(July 14, 2010) Two representatives from the Ali Center recently took part in a series of events in Leeds, England that marked the fifth anniversary of what are known as the “7/7 bombings,”—a series of coordinated suicide attacks on London’s transportation system during morning rush hour on July 7, 2005. 52 people were killed and over 700 others were injured.

Greg Roberts, president and CEO of the Muhammad Ali Center and Brodrick Clarke, its Deputy Director of Programs, were honored to participate. The program consisted of workshops and speeches aimed to bring people together to meet, learn and connect around issues of common interest and universal appeal so that inter-community relations are enhanced. Following the workshops, speeches were given by politicians, sports personalities, media representatives and entrepreneurs. Clarke led one of the youth workshops and Roberts was one of the keynote speakers.

"Our headquarters is located in Louisville, Kentucky, a sister city of Leeds,” said Roberts to the audience during his keynote speech, “so we are especially excited to be involved in this partnership and to formally recognize the families and loved ones of those whose lives were lost in the 7/7 bombings.”

"Our mission embraces the promotion of respect, hope, and understanding among cultures through our outreach and educational initiatives,” he continued. “And the Center's founder, Muhammad Ali, embodies the values that we hope will inspire people around the globe to break down barriers among us and embrace our commonalities in order to bring about true healing in the world. We are proud to be a part of this effort."

Roberts also paid tribute to Makkah Mosque. "Makkah is a world-class example of a modern mosque. The world needs the kind of leadership that can be found here."

Roberts concluded by saying that there were a number of spiritual links between the Ali Center and the mosque - Ali had denounced the September 11 attackers as not representing Islam, while the Leeds mosque had done the same with the 7/7 bombers. He also said that there were parallels between the issues faced by the youth of today and what Ali faced in the 60s. "He [Muhammad] suffered because of who he was and his religion. But he channeled his anger and turned his life around because of his religious faith."