Cricket
Poms rally around Moeen Ali, set an example for courage and individuality
English cricketers were quick to support Moeen Ali after an unprovoked Tweet sparked outrage.
Moeen Ali has been vocal about being a devout Muslim (Source: The Week)
Bangladeshi-Swedish writer Taslima Nasreen is in the headlines once again due to her controversial views.
This time around, it is about a tweet, where she said called out Moeen Ali and said that he would have joined ISIS if he were not a cricketer.
Her comment was termed Islamophobic and was heavily panned on Twitter.
Following the criticism, Nasreen deleted her original tweet and posted an explanation saying that her views were sarcastic.
She wrote, "Haters know very well that my Moeen Ali tweet was sarcastic. But they made that an issue to humiliate me because I try to secularize Muslim society & I oppose Islamic fanaticism. One of the greatest tragedies of humankind is pro-women leftists support anti-women Islamists."
What was the tweet?
The moment Taslima Nasreen's tweet began trending on Twitter and the reactions followed in droves, the writer deleted the tweet.
But it wasn't before screengrabs were widely circulated.
What triggered the tweet?
While it is was unclear as to what triggered the tweet in the first place, as the matter began trending, several other tweets emerged where Moeen Ali is seen speaking about him being a devout Muslim.
In one such video tweet, the Englishman speaks in an interview about how he doesn't hesitate to inform the umpire before stepping out to pray when in the midst of a cricket match.
Also, Nasreen's problematic statement followed reports which suggested that the all-rounder has asked the CSK management to remove the logo of an alcohol brand from his jersey.
Although team CEO Kasi Vishwanathan revealed that there has been no such request, it was enough for Ali and his Islamic faith to make headlines.
The reputed cricketer, who is one of the finest examples of English cricket's increasing inclusivity, is also questioned for taking a mini-break during matches if he needs to pray.
Even though the cricketing fraternity, including umpires and teammates, have been supportive of Ali's religious practices, somehow it has always managed to trigger unwanted reactions from people looking to wield the sword via social media.
The writer was quick to counter all the criticism coming her way.
"If you do critical scrutiny of other religions but Islam, you are progressive, free thinker, liberal, secular, intellectual, revolutionary. But if you do critical scrutiny of Islam, you are hateful, horrible, disgusting, bigot, paid agent," in a subsequent tweet.
Support for Ali from teammates
Nasreen's reasoning and subsequent clarification, however, didn't go down well on Twitter.
Ali's England teammate Jofra Archer, who earlier called out the author for her unacceptable remarks, tweeted that no one is laughing at her 'sarcastic' comment.
One silver lining in this incident was the way his fellow England cricketers rallied around Ali.
Apart from Archer, Ben Duckett, Saqib Mahmood, and Sam Billings used their reach to condemn such behaviour.
In an interview published by the Indian Express, Ali's father Munir Ali also expressed his disappointment over the vile remark.
He said, "I am hurt and shocked to read Taslima Nasreen's vile remark against my son Moeen. In her "clarifying" tweet, where she described her original remark as sarcasm, she also says she stands against fundamentalism. If she looks into a mirror, she will know what she tweeted is what is fundamentalist – a vicious stereotype against a Muslim person, a clearly Islamophobic statement. Someone who doesn't have self-respect and respect for others can only stoop to this level."
