International holidays - International Mentoring Day

The role of the teacher and coach in shaping the student’s personality and professional skills is very great In Japan, a sensei who has reached a high level of skill not only teaches martial techniques to his students, but also serves as a role model for them in behavior and lifestyle Both a clergyman and any other enlightened person can become a spiritual mentor Thus, Muhammad Ali is known not only for his sporting achievements The professional boxer, who won fights in the ring in the heavy weight category more than once, refused to participate in the Vietnam War The outstanding athlete became an idol of youth thanks to his pacifist beliefs and fortitude, because was not afraid to refuse service in the US Army under threat of imprisonment The killing of innocent people was contrary to the principles of Islam, which the athlete professed At the peak of his career, Muhammad Ali was stripped of all his titles and banned from competition for 3 years But this did not force him to renounce his religious beliefs and did not break him - upon returning to the sport, the boxer regained the title of world champion and other regalia January 17, Muhammad Ali's birthday, is International Mentoring Day Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr was the boxer’s name before joining the Nation of Islam movement and changing his name in 1964 The athlete’s childhood occurred during the peak years of racial oppression of blacks in the United States Mockery and constant humiliation from his white peers forced the boy to join the boxing section However, victory at the Olympic Games and a gold medal at the age of 18 did not open the door to high society for Cassius Clay The dream of equal rights with white people turned out to be unattainable even with great merits and awards At that time, the Nation of Islam society dealt with racial inequality and the protection of the rights of blacks Cassius Clay attended a speech by its leader, Elijah Muhammad, in 1959 Visiting the mosque and communicating with the future spiritual mentor had a great influence on the boxer A few years later, he converted to Islam and never regretted it once in his life Muhammad Ali wrote that thanks to religion, he “felt spirituality in his life” Prayer and doing good deeds became the meaning of his life In 1998, he became a UN peace envoy, and in 2002 he went to Afghanistan During the three-day mission, he meets with adults and children, prays and gives them faith in a better future After the terrorist attacks in America in 2011, Muhammad Ali declared that Islam is a religion of calm and peace that does not support terrorism and violence, and this helped to perk up the spirit of many Muslims The boxer spent his entire life helping the poor, building gyms, donating to the construction of a mosque in Chicago, praising God and promoting his religion - calling for goodness, peace and mutual respect Thanks to Muhammad Ali, many of his compatriots were imbued with the doctrine of Islam and became Muslims The athlete’s contribution to the spiritual development of society is so high that the International Mentoring Day was established in his honor, which is celebrated on January 17