Muhammad Ali at Al Nahda School in Abu Dhabi. Ahmed sits in the front row wearing a blue jacket. The class teacher, Mr Davis, wears glasses and stands behind Ali. Shane is stood in line with Ali, second from the left, and wears a blue jacket. Ahmed stands next to Shane. Wael is second from the right, in line with Ali. Courtesy Awad Mustafa
Muhammad Ali at Al Nahda School in Abu Dhabi. Ahmed sits in the front row wearing a blue jacket. The class teacher, Mr Davis, wears glasses and stands behind Ali. Shane is stood in line with Ali, second from the left, and wears a blue jacket. Ahmed stands next to Shane. Wael is second from the right, in line with Ali. Courtesy Awad Mustafa
Muhammad Ali at Al Nahda School in Abu Dhabi. Ahmed sits in the front row wearing a blue jacket. The class teacher, Mr Davis, wears glasses and stands behind Ali. Shane is stood in line with Ali, second from the left, and wears a blue jacket. Ahmed stands next to Shane. Wael is second from the right, in line with Ali. Courtesy Awad Mustafa
Muhammad Ali at Al Nahda School in Abu Dhabi. Ahmed sits in the front row wearing a blue jacket. The class teacher, Mr Davis, wears glasses and stands behind Ali. Shane is stood in line with Ali, seco

Muhammad Ali’s lesson to Abu Dhabi children


  • English
  • Arabic

Thirty years ago, a group of Abu Dhabi classmates had the opportunity of a lifetime – to learn how to be a better person, from none other than The Greatest.

Muhammad Ali visited pupils at Al Nahda National Schools during a stopover in the capital in 1986, speaking about the importance of aspiring to be better in every way possible. The visit was captured in a photograph with the boxing legend, who died at 74 on Saturday and will be buried today.

Wael Mustafa was 12-years-old when he met Ali.

“It was an initiative taken by Al Nahda National Schools to introduce role models before us students to set an example and inspire us,” said Mr Mustafa, now a 42-year-old businessman based in Khartoum. “I recall him talking about life being full of challenges and the importance of keeping focused and dedicated to our cause and fulfilling our dreams to become future leaders.”

During his visit, Ali met the school chairman, Abdullah Naser, and the then headmaster Akhtar Mushtaq. Former students described the anticipation leading up to the visit as a very exciting time.

“The visit was some time at the beginning of 1986, around January or February,” said Ahmed Al Azen, 43, an immigration lawyer in Quebec.

“A couple of months before he arrived we were told about his visit, but we did not believe the teachers and thought [it was] a joke,” Mr Al Azen said. “A few weeks before the arrival, they confirmed it to us and we really got excited.”

Mr Al Azen described the day of Ali’s visit as very normal and organised.

“He was talking about how happy he was to be in Abu Dhabi and how [he was] surprised [at] how the country was developing at such a fast pace, and how he was impressed with school,” said Mr Al Azen, who was in Grade 7 at the time.

“His concern about people and his sympathy towards people is what really surprised me.”

Hamad Bachi, chief executive of the Abu Dhabi-based National Marine Alliance, was in Grade 6 at the time.

“I remember that he was funny and down to earth with us as kids. He kept messing with one of our classmate’s hair and it was even caught in our class picture,” Mr Bachi, 41, said.

Shane Fernandes, a former classmate of Mr Mustafa’s and Mr Al Azen’s who is now a sales manager in Doha, remembers that Ali told them to chase their dreams in life, and that they should go pursue them no matter what the challenges are.

“Growing up, I loved sports, and my dad was very much into boxing,” said Mr Fernandes.

“Ali was just a name that we heard, but after seeing the guy with his situation – with Parkinson’s – I thought to myself, what this man did and all that he has achieved, and now he is a man who can’t even speak properly, but despite all that he is still telling us to go out there and achieve what we want to.

“This was a great eye opener and kickstarter for me in my youth.”

After graduating from Al Nahda in 1992, Mr Fernandes returned home to Bangalore, India, and finished his bachelor’s degree in commerce. He eventually went to Kenya to sell wildlife resort holidays in India.

“What resonated with me from the speech is when he told us to reach out for our goals,” he said.

Ali’s visit also had a profound effect on Mr Mustafa.

“It affected me deeply and it was my first encounter with a world-class champion and figure, as well as a leader in the country. I had posters of him all over my room and I was bragging to my friends in other schools about shaking hands with Muhammad Ali.”

A few days after the school visit, he ran into Ali again while with his dad and little brother at Friday prayers.

“We shook hands again,” said Mr Mustafa. “To me that was an exciting moment – to run into my favourite role model twice in such a short time span. It was like we were already buddies. May Allah rest his soul and reward him the highest of heavens.”

newsdesk@thenational.ae

THE BIO

Family: I have three siblings, one older brother (age 25) and two younger sisters, 20 and 13 

Favourite book: Asking for my favourite book has to be one of the hardest questions. However a current favourite would be Sidewalk by Mitchell Duneier

Favourite place to travel to: Any walkable city. I also love nature and wildlife 

What do you love eating or cooking: I’m constantly in the kitchen. Ever since I changed the way I eat I enjoy choosing and creating what goes into my body. However, nothing can top home cooked food from my parents. 

Favorite place to go in the UAE: A quiet beach.

Jetour T1 specs

Engine: 2-litre turbocharged

Power: 254hp

Torque: 390Nm

Price: From Dh126,000

Available: Now

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Chatham House Rule

A mark of Chatham House’s influence 100 years on since its founding,  was Moscow’s formal declaration last month that it was an “undesirable
organisation”. 

 

The depth of knowledge and academics that it drew on
following the Ukraine invasion had broadcast Mr Putin’s chicanery.  

 

The institute is more used to accommodating world leaders,
with Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher among those helping it provide
authoritative commentary on world events. 

 

Chatham House was formally founded as the Royal Institute of
International Affairs following the peace conferences of World War One. Its
founder, Lionel Curtis, wanted a more scientific examination of international affairs
with a transparent exchange of information and ideas.  

 

That arena of debate and analysis was enhanced by the “Chatham
House Rule” states that the contents of any meeting can be discussed outside Chatham
House but no mention can be made identifying individuals who commented.  

 

This has enabled some candid exchanges on difficult subjects
allowing a greater degree of free speech from high-ranking figures.  

 

These meetings are highly valued, so much so that
ambassadors reported them in secret diplomatic cables that – when they were
revealed in the Wikileaks reporting – were thus found to have broken the rule. However,
most speeches are held on the record.  

 

Its research and debate has offered fresh ideas to
policymakers enabling them to more coherently address troubling issues from climate
change to health and food security.   

 
Know your cyber adversaries

Cryptojacking: Compromises a device or network to mine cryptocurrencies without an organisation's knowledge.

Distributed denial-of-service: Floods systems, servers or networks with information, effectively blocking them.

Man-in-the-middle attack: Intercepts two-way communication to obtain information, spy on participants or alter the outcome.

Malware: Installs itself in a network when a user clicks on a compromised link or email attachment.

Phishing: Aims to secure personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers.

Ransomware: Encrypts user data, denying access and demands a payment to decrypt it.

Spyware: Collects information without the user's knowledge, which is then passed on to bad actors.

Trojans: Create a backdoor into systems, which becomes a point of entry for an attack.

Viruses: Infect applications in a system and replicate themselves as they go, just like their biological counterparts.

Worms: Send copies of themselves to other users or contacts. They don't attack the system, but they overload it.

Zero-day exploit: Exploits a vulnerability in software before a fix is found.

MATCH INFO

AC Milan v Inter, Sunday, 6pm (UAE), match live on BeIN Sports

Company%20profile
%3Cp%3EName%3A%20Cashew%0D%3Cbr%3EStarted%3A%202020%0D%3Cbr%3EFounders%3A%20Ibtissam%20Ouassif%20and%20Ammar%20Afif%0D%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%0D%3Cbr%3EIndustry%3A%20FinTech%0D%3Cbr%3EFunding%20size%3A%20%2410m%0D%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Mashreq%2C%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
BULKWHIZ PROFILE

Date started: February 2017

Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: E-commerce 

Size: 50 employees

Funding: approximately $6m

Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait

OPTA'S PREDICTED TABLE

1. Liverpool 101 points

2. Manchester City 80 

3. Leicester 67

4. Chelsea 63

5. Manchester United 61

6. Tottenham 58

7. Wolves 56

8. Arsenal 56

9. Sheffield United 55

10. Everton 50

11. Burnley 49

12. Crystal Palace 49

13. Newcastle 46

14. Southampton 44

15. West Ham 39

16. Brighton 37

17. Watford 36

18. Bournemouth 36

19. Aston Villa 32

20. Norwich City 29