When the celebrated Victorian author Thomas Carlyle presented his lectures on heroes and hero worship in 1841 to an English audience and selected the Prophet of Islam (PBUH) as the model for his lecture on the Prophet as hero, he began with a quip: “As there’s no danger of any of us becoming Mohammadans.” Carlyle could not have imagined that two centuries later the Mayor of London, the First Minister of Scotland and dozens of Lords and Members of Parliament and millions of British people were Muslim (“Mohammadans” was used incorrectly for Muslims then). It was noteworthy that Carlyle chose Muhammad –peace be upon him--as his hero prophet. He selected the Arabian Prophet over the other widely known and revered figures especially in Western culture, such as Moses, and, indeed, Jesus.
Carlyle had introduced the concept of the hero as a figure driving history. This book, too, is about such a hero. His name is Muhammad Ali and his life in its simplicity and integrity follows the model of the Prophet of Islam, after whom he is named. Yet it is precisely that element which makes it also heroic. Ali has been widely recognised for his work. In 2001 he was awarded the OBE by the British government.
The trajectory of Muhammad Ali’s life follows the classic pattern of many Pakistani immigrants to the UK after the Second World War. Ali was born to an ordinary family in the somewhat backward area of a neglected part of western Pakistan called Attock which borders on the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Like most people in that region, he has a Pakhtun lineage. Here is where tribes from north-west India and beyond in Afghanistan met the settled farmers of the Punjab. It is a land which has produced fighting men, first for the British army and then the Pakistan army. Ali was a mere 12 years old when he followed his father to Bradford, which became his home. He did not speak the language, but along with his mother he prepared to create a new life with his father.
Early after graduating, Ali discovered his passion for serving his community. He joined the Bradford Community Relations Council and focused on issues of health and education. In 1990, he founded QED which became his passion and his career. It started as a charity aimed at improving the social and economic circumstances of people from ethnic minorities, which has gone on to make a huge impact on society.
In this story, like that of many immigrants who have done so well in their new lives, there is a towering often unacknowledged figure looming in the background. It is usually the father and often the mother
Ali has an entire chapter in this book on the creation of QED called “Setting out my vision for QED foundation.” For all his optimism, Ali never allows us to forget the challenges faced by immigrant groups:
“From the very beginning, I had a clear vision for QED. Its purpose was, and still is, to improve the social, educational and economic circumstances of minority ethnic groups. We focused on disadvantaged ethnic minority communities because a number of local, regional and national reports revealed the growing social and economic challenges facing Pakistanis and Bangladeshis, in particular, living in this country – something that based in Bradford we could clearly see with our own eyes.”
Since 1990, QED has directly impacted 40,000 people find employment in education and training; it has also supported many more people through a wide range of programs which include advising and coaching policy and decision makers from the public private and other sectors in order to enhance sensitivity in dealing with minorities.
Throughout his long and challenging career, Ali has maintained his innate optimism in life. The title of his book is Turning challenges into opportunities. it is a great slogan and lesson for minorities, immigrants and those who are finding the circumstances of their lives difficult. In the book, Ali has provided fascinating insights into his family life and Pakistan and then his trials and tribulations on arriving in their new home in Bradford. Indeed, there is an entire chapter, “Growing up in Bradford in the 1970s.”