Australia: a Muslim cricketer, wearing crampons, joined the Resistance for Palestine
It magnificently abolishes borders, solidarity with Palestine and the population of Gaza that Israel exterminates extends to the confines of a vast world that cries out for genocide, to the distant island of Australian multiculturalism, to to a grass playing field where it took the form of a strong act of resistance…
Since December, in an Australia where cricket is a true religion, a famous player of Pakistani origin, admired for his talent as a batsman, has distinguished himself in a register other than that of hitting the ball with power and precision.
Born in Islamabad, Usman Khawaja, 37, showed great determination, but this time to triumph over an unusual adversary and his unfair directive.
Having entered the legend as the first Muslim player to have carried high the colors of his adopted land internationally, it is draped in the Palestinian standard, and crampons on his feet, that he stands valiantly against the International Cricket Council, refusing to bow to its firm ban on wearing shoes… committed.
Shoes undoubtedly considered a little too partisan and politically incorrect by the venerable institution and its collection of wise men, on which Usman Khawaja had engraved a universal message of support addressed to the martyred people of Palestine: “All lives are equal” and “Freedom is a human right”.
“ The International Cricket Council strictly prohibits me from wearing my shoes on the field because they consider this to be a political statement which contravenes their principles “, he strongly lamented on social networks.
Accused of importing onto the cricket field, almost a sanctuary, the genocidal bloodbath committed in Gaza by Israel, the exceptional Muslim batsman, far from being dismantled, sends these poisoned arrows far, very far away. “ My message is a message of support of a humanitarian nature. I will continue to fight the institutional directive, while seeking the approval of those who made it. Freedom is a fundamental human right and all lives are equal. I will never stop believing it, proclaiming it, whether you agree with me or not “, he retorts to his detractors.
Persistently defying the ban, he makes it a point of honor to wear the most annoying shoes during each meeting. On the other side of the world, after having left his mark on one of the king sports, Usman Khuwaja joined the Resistance for Palestine in his own way.
He can boast of having already rallied to his cause one of his teammates and not the least: Travis Head, the vice-captain of the Australian national team, who posted on X: “We stand with Usman Khawaja! All lives are equal.”
All Lives are Equal. Freedom is a human right. I’m raising my voice for human rights. For a humanitarian appeal. If you see it any other way. That’s on you… pic.twitter.com/8eaPnBfUEb
— Usman Khawaja (@Uz_Khawaja) December 13, 2023
