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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| Turk Pres Leaves US Amid Reports of Perceived Snub at Ali Funeral |
| 2016-06-11 |
| [ABC] Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan cut short his trip to the United States today after being denied permission to participate in critical aspects of Muhammad Ali's funeral, according to a report published by Turkey's Dogan news agency. Erdogan traveled to the U.S. to partake in Ali's funeral services. He decided to leave after reportedly being denied the right to drape a piece of ceremonial cloth on Ali's coffin during funeral prayers. Before arriving on U.S. soil, funeral organizers had removed him from the list of potential speakers at Ali's funeral, citing a limitation of time as the cause for his exclusion, according to Dogan. Adding to an air of discord surrounding the Turkish president's trip was a short quarrel that allegedly occurred between U.S. secret service officials and Turkish presidential body guards over a matter of standing room. A request for comment by ABC News to the U.S. Secret Service was not immediately returned. Erdogan, who has made the promotion of his Muslim heritage a central part of his legacy as president, highlighted Ali's Muslim faith yesterday at a dinner with several American Muslims. |
| Posted by:Besoeker |
| #7 Birdybum is a real queen, isn't he? |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2016-06-11 17:49 |
| #6 It was the private funeral of a private citizen, however famous he might be. It is understandable that the family would prefer to involve people important to the person who died and his family, not heads of states from minor nations on the far side of the world. It is not clear to me that President Erdogan was even invited, rather than pushing his way in where he hadn't even been thought of. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2016-06-11 17:41 |
| #5 Wait two weeks and then tell Erdogan NO. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2016-06-11 15:33 |
| #4 Snub? Hah! It's not like we made him wait offshore for a couple months. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2016-06-11 12:38 |
| #3 Dance like a butterfly Sting like a bee Out from the grave smites the Great Ali |
| Posted by: Shipman 2016-06-11 12:33 |
| #2 Ali was not worth the effort. |
| Posted by: AlanC 2016-06-11 11:00 |
| #1 Daily Mail has this: Erdogan and King Abdullah II of Jordan were scheduled to speak at the champion boxer's service on Friday, but was cut due to lack of program space. 'It's not about who they are, it's about the fact that we just don't have room on the program for them,' family spokesman Bob Gunnell said, adding that their representatives were 'gracious and understood' when told. In addition, The Dogan news agency quoted presidential sources as saying funeral organizers refused to allow Erdogan to lay a cloth from the Kaaba on Ali’s coffin during the ceremony. Erdogan and the Sunni cleric who heads Turkey’s religious affairs agency, Mehmet Gormez, had also wanted to give readings from the Quran but were not allowed to, it added. Erdogan’s lightning visit to the US also caused consternation in Turkey, with Erdogan leaving the day after a bomb attack in Istanbul claimed by Kurdish militants that killed 11 people. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2016-06-11 10:55 |