Hana Ali receiving Award. (All photos: Ras H. Siddiqui)

CAIR -Sacramento Valley Chapter held its 14th Annual Banquet focusing on “Advancing Justice Challenging Hate” at the Sacramento State Student Union, Sept. 17. Over 700 hundred people were in attendance, the gathering reflective of the diversity of California’s capital city, writes Ras H. Siddiqui. – @siliconeer #siliconeer #CAIRSacramento #community #SouthAsian #MuhammadAli #sfbayarea #society #remembrance

Over the years this event has become one of the largest and highest profile fundraising programs for the community in the greater Sacramento region and it is here that one usually gets the opportunity to meet and greet many individuals holding state office, elected officials and also those aspiring to lead or running for election. Many ethnic and interfaith groups also make it a point to attend. And this year when word got out that the late boxing legend Muhammad Ali’s daughter Hana was going to be present to receive the CAIR chapter’s highest honor for her father, many new people came to show their respect as well.

Hana Ali, (r), with Dr. Firdos Sheikh, a local celebrity.
Hana Ali, (r), with Dr. Firdos Sheikh, a local celebrity.

The formalities began when emcee for the evening Dr. Masood Cajee welcomed everyone. As with every CAIR event the start was with the customary invocation. CAIR-SV President Eyas Abdeen formally greeted everyone in his official capacity and elaborated on the theme for the evening.

Special guest speaker, California State Treasurer John Chiang next delivered an absorbing speech during which he shared the need for countering messages of hate and racism. Chiang shared some details of his years growing up and experiencing bigotry first hand as an Asian. He stressed the importance of perseverance and to stand up to such challenges. John is going to be running for the office of Governor of California in 2018 and he will not be the first or last Asian to do so.

Hana Ali with Asian community.
Hana Ali with Asian community.

CAIR- SV Executive Director Basim Elkarra delivered a presentation on the work of the local chapter and how it is helping not only in defending the rights of Muslims but is also in reaching out to all others in these most difficult of times. He also highlighted some other positive activities that have taken place thus far this year in Sacramento at the Capitol with CAIR in the lead. A fundraising conducted by Dr. Altaf Husain was next, He is a man with a great sense of humor, one who has the knack of making people part with their money (for good causes) and still feel really great about it!

A break for prayers and dinner followed after which five CAIR awards were presented. The first was the Distinguished Service Award presented to Mark and Miriam Farouk who have been the key players in CAIR-California’s MYLP effort. The Fairness & Integrity in Media Award this year went to Bassam Asfoor, Editor of The Crescent newspaper. Another Distinguished Service Award was presented to basketball legend Shareef Abdur Rahim, currently an Associate Vice President at the NBA. At 6 foot nine inches in height Shareef was perhaps the only person at this event to tower over our own Basim Elakarra! And the youngest awardee of the evening, a sixth grade student, Yasmine Nayabkhil received the Courage and Inspiration Award for not only standing up to bullying at school but helping to get anti-bullying legislation to the California Governor’s desk!

Hana Ali, (r), with her husband Kevin Casey.
Hana Ali, (r), with her husband Kevin Casey.

And last but not least was the Champion of Justice Award which was presented in memoriam to boxing legend Muhammad Ali. This deserves a separate mention here because Ali was one of the most well-known and respected people on our planet for many reasons. His daughter Hana Yasmeen Ali was here to accept this award (accompanied by her husband Kevin Casey of UFC fighting fame).

Hana Ali.
Hana Ali.

Hana thanked Basim and everyone at CAIR for inviting her. “My father would be very proud. He absolutely loved and endorsed religions. He taught us to respect all faiths but he was in love with Islam and spirituality and the peace and beauty of it all. It really broke his heart to see you know the way the world was perceiving Muslims..” He taught us very early in life that there are always all sorts of different types of adversity. People will always find something to be prejudiced about whether it is where you are from, your nationality, your faith/religion, who your friends are. It is always going to be something.” She said that he encouraged people to stand up for themselves, their faith and beliefs. “He also taught us that service to others here on earth is the rent you pay for your room in heaven. It was one of his favorite things. I knew at an early age that he did not just belong to us, to me – that he belonged to the world and that is why I wanted to be here tonight.” She added, “I just want to thank you for having me and I hope that you guys all will continue to fight and work hard for the causes that matter to you. He taught us that there are people all over the world taking a stand and fighting for what they believe but you don’t hear about it because nobody knows their name.”

Section of the audience.
Section of the audience.

Zaid Shakir a senior faculty member and co-founder of the Zaytuna College located in Berkeley, Calif., delivered the keynote finale for the evening. Listening to him was a learning experience in itself because he too was deeply inspired by Muhammad Ali and was the one who to lead his huge memorial service in Louisville, Kentucky. If there was one person who was able to best articulate our dilemma today and put it in historical perspective at this event, it was Imam Shakir who himself came of age during the civil rights struggle. I don’t know of anyone with a larger heart than Muhammad Ali, he said. If one wants to understand why people loved Ali so much, in Africa, Asia, in the ghettos, the barrios and even the suburbs, in all neighborhoods of America, it was because he was sincere. Many of us think that we have it hard because people look at us funny. Put yourselves in the shoes of Muhammad Ali. He took a stand and refused to be inducted into the army during a climate of hate and violence, said Shakir.

The writer, (r), and his wife, (l), with Hana Ali.
The writer, (r), and his wife, (l), with Hana Ali.

To conclude, one has to acknowledge that these are difficult times. We live in the most powerful country in the world and must make an effort to be heard even though every bit of progress that is made is set back by mysterious terrorists who appear out of nowhere like clockwork to counter it. But hope can be found in peaceful struggle. Muhammad Ali was an excellent role model in that regard. One must not forget that he lived in much more difficult times than we live in today. The horrible historical experience of black people in this country must never be forgotten. But in spite of that atrocity of slavery inflicted on them, they produced leaders people like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Muhammad Ali. The Gandhian concept of peaceful resistance is extremely valid today. Ali was “The Greatest” not because he was the best boxer but because he was a unifier who transcended race and religion.