KO’ed by Islam: Tyson Weeps on Spiritual Tour in Saudi

Throngs of fans crowded former boxing champion (and convert) Mike Tyson this week, as he took a spiritual tour of Mecca, while performing Umrah, that ended in tears: tears of awakening. Tyson toured the requisite sites, finally crying at the Prophet’s Mosque, saying: “I couldn’t resist shedding tears when I came to know that I was in one of the gardens of paradise.”

This is a new side of Mike Tyson. His entourage was devoid of any promoters (or, for those of you who saw The Hangover, pet tigers), instead peopled by spiritual leaders and companions. We have seen the fighter, the actor, the convict, and the convert, but such an open display of spiritual hunger and appreciation hasn’t ever before been revealed by the Tyson camp.

There is something to be said for the power of a holy place. The aura of a monument or mosque can overwhelm us and stir our emotions in ways we did not predict or expect. The first time I went to Daata Darbar, a popular Sufi shrine in Lahore, Pakistan, I noticed: my face was wet. Wait. I was… crying? Yes. Uncontrollably for about 19 or 20 minutes. People there thought perhaps a relative of mine had died (no one had). There is something about that place that touches you. Wakes you up.

Have you ever been to a place that brought out such emotions in you?