Iranian officials arrested the two American hikers, Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer, in 2009 in the Zagros Mountains near the country's northern Iraqi border. Last September, , who was arrested with Fattal and Bauer.
Ali's letter pleads the Ayatollah to show mercy and compassion for the American detainees. Ali founded the in Louisville, Kentucky, in 2003 to “promote respect, hope, and understanding” in the spirit of Ali, according to the organization's Web site.
In May 2010, ϳԹ sent Joshua Hammer to have a look at the situation and the detainees.
–Will Grant
Photo: Ali with Joe Frazier in Philadelphia, 2003. Courtesy of