Turkish President Recep Erdogan leaves Ali funeral service after snub

US: According to reports, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan cut short his visit to the US for the funeral services of late boxer Muhammad Ali who died at age 74, after he was refused the chance to recite from the Koran.

Other reports also claimed Erdogan and Mehmet Gormez, the head of Turkey's Religious Affairs Department, also wanted to place a piece of cloth from Mecca on the coffin, but were unable to, prompting the Turkish delegation to leave.
On Friday, a Turkish official confirmed the two day visit was cut short, but refused to voice the reason for the early return, saying it is not uncommon for the president to change his schedule.

Erdogan had published an article lauding Ali, saying he used to watch the boxer on television in the 1970s. He also emphasized Ali's message that Islam was a peaceful religion and denounced discrimination against Muslims.

"The right way to honour the People's Champion is to put his vision of liberty, equality and solidarity to work," Erdogan wrote, in a piece published by Bloomberg and reprinted in Turkish media.