Furious Erdogan abandons Muhammad Ali's funeral and flies back home. And to make matters worse, his bodyguards made a scene, again.
Erdogan had specially flown to Louisville, Kentucky, to say farewell to Ali. But he left US late Thursday after attending the prayer ceremony. He was due to speak at today's multi-faith service but lost his slot due to 'lack of program space'. Funeral organizers also 'refused to allow Erdogan to lay a cloth from the Kaaba on Ali’s coffin during the Thursday ceremony'. In addition he wanted the head of Turkey's religious affairs directorate to recite part of the Koran, but his wish had been refused
According to Turkish media reports, Erdogan had hoped to lay a piece from the cloth covering the Kaaba in Mecca on Ali’s coffin during the service, or Jenazah, but the event’s organizers had turned down this request, along with another to have a top Turkish cleric read from the Koran during the ceremony.
There had also been a number of unconfirmed reports that Ali’s family had invited the U.S.-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, a noted rival to Erdogan, to the funeral: If true, this would no doubt add further to the Turkish president’s displeasure.
[Hear someone insult Erdogan? Report it to us, says Turkish consulate in the Netherlands.]
Making matters worse, Hurriyet Daily News reported Friday that there had been scuffle between Turkish presidential bodyguards and U.S. security personnel assigned to protect him — a scene reminiscent of a recent fracas involving Erdogan’s bodyguards in Washington.
Many in Turkey had found Erdogan’s rush to honor Ali distasteful, especially at a time of heightened conflict with Turkey’s Kurdish minority. On social media, some argued that Ali would have had no support for many of Erdogan’s increasingly controversial policies.