Muhammad Ali, girl to meet Tibetan leader Sunday in Bloomington to promote peace.
By John J. Shaughnessy
While she is thrilled to be paired with Muhammad Ali, 14-year-old Olivia El-Awady has an even greater motivation Sunday when she takes part in the Dalai Lama’s dedication of an interfaith temple in Bloomington. As a youth whose grandfather was killed in one war and whose father suffered life-altering injuries in another, Olivia wants to share this message: “I know what war does to people and what happens during war,” says the Bloomington girl. “I want to remind people that war is never a solution. Peace is the real solution.”
Olivia will get an opportunity to share those thoughts with Ali and the Dalai Lama as part of a youth panel on conflict resolution — an honor she received for a poignant poem she wrote about the effects of war on her family.
Sunday afternoon’s youth panel will follow the 10 a.m. dedication ceremony of Chamtse Ling, a $1.2 million,10,000-square-foot interfaith temple with a mission to promote world peace and harmony.
During the panel, Olivia will be paired with Ali, the former heavyweight boxing champion, who has transformed his life by becoming a world ambassador for peace and humanitarian efforts.
Organizers say Ali’s visit to Bloomington is also a sign of support for the people of Tibet, a country the Chinese government has controlled for five decades. The Dalai Lama, Tibet’s spiritual leader in exile, received the1989 Nobel Peace Prize for his nonviolent efforts opposing Chinese rule. It will be the first time Ali and the Dalai Lama have met. “We’re very honored to have Muhammad Ali come,” says Jigme Norbu, an organizer of the dedication events and the nephew of the Dalai Lama. “He’s been traveling around the world to promote peace. All of us are striving for that same goal, especially with what’s happening in the world today.”
It will also be the fourth time the Dalai Lama has visited the Tibetan Cultural Center in Bloomington. His older brother, retired Indiana University Professor Thubten J. Norbu, is founder of the center and co-founder of the International Tibet Independence Movement. “We hope the temple can serve as a focal point for people to seek peaceful solutions to problems,” says Larry Gerstein, a Ball State University professor who is another co-founder of the independence movement for Tibet.
At 14, Olivia has long understood the importance of peace because war has done so much to wound her family. Her grandfather was killed in 1967 in a war between Egypt and Israel. Her father suffered head wounds, including the loss of hearing in one ear, during a 1973 conflict between those same two countries.
“My father has talked to me about war,” she says. “As an American, a Muslim and an Arab, I’m saddened by the deteriorating relationship between the United States and the Muslim world. Being from both worlds, I see our common humanity and our shared values.” So does 17-year-old Michelle Smith, another member of the youth panel. “The whole thing is exciting,” Michelle says. “The Dalai Lama is a very important person to a lot of people. It will be exciting to meet him. It’s also exciting to represent kids everywhere. It’s our world, and we want peace as much as anyone else.”
John J. Shaughnessy – john.shaughnessy@indystar.com
