Muhammad Ali was more than the greatest boxer of all time. He was and still is a role model and inspiration to people of all races worldwide.
In 1974 Ali, then heavyweight champion of the world, made an appearance at PS 41 in New York to film a segment for Candid Camera. In the segment, several students are asked what they would say to Ali if given the chance. As they answer, Ali appears out of nowhere, clothed in boxing attire. The students’ expressions are priceless.
The Muslim world needs more role models like Muhammad Ali.
Enjoy!
For little boys growing up in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Muhammad Ali was more than a world boxing champion. He was a personality of almost unimaginable charisma. At recess and after school, kids would shuffle their feet in imitation of the champ, put up their dukes and joyously chant to one another, “I float like a butterfly and sting like a bee. Your hands can’t hit what your eyes can’t see!”
So it’s funny to watch in this video as the flamboyant Ali, at the peak of his fame, pays a surprise visit to kids at an elementary school in New York. The year is 1974. Ali has recently won his re-match with Joe Frazier and is preparing for his much-hyped “Rumble in the Jungle” with George Foreman. He plays a joke on a series of unsuspecting students at P.S. 41, in Greenwich Village, for the TV show Candid Camera. Disguised as a janitor, Ali sneaks into the room just as the kids are explaining what they would say if they ever met Muhammed Ali. When they realize the champ is standing right next to them, their reactions are priceless.
“Terrorists are not following Islam. Killing people and blowing up people and dropping bombs in places and all this is not the way to spread the word of Islam. So people realize now that all Muslims are not terrorists.” ~ Muhammad Ali
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