Staying with cricket, there is a bit of a storm brewing about Shoaib Malik’s comments at the post match award ceremony after “The Match’. He said something to the effect that he and his team are sorry and extend apologies to Muslims all over the world for losing the match! Even giving him the benefit of doubt (the language he was speaking in not being his own and therefore there being a gap between intent and expression), there still seemed to be something mildly incongruous about the statement. I am not a chest-thumping secularist (in fact am not a chest-thumping anything), but it just seemed to me that there is no room for such public exhibitions of xenophobic jingoism in the pluralistic world of today. Private ideologies are one thing, but a public space, especially one which is concerned with a world far removed from religion, should not be the stage to articulate such constricted thoughts.
I think my friend Nikhil Mehra best summed it all in an e mail of his. Am reproducing the same below without his permission, but hey…its Mehra…the Understanding and Forgiving Soul!
"Did anyone else feel that Shoaib Malik's apology to the entire Muslim world was utterly and defenselessly preposterous?? This isn't like some chapter of the South-Asian crusades where the Hindu kafir defeated the righteous Muslims. Plus I dont think Indian muslims need an apology from him. Man, I thought this was behind us now that Inzi - the man who reads half the Quran before he answers a sentence - has been ousted. I thought the whole point behind Malik's appointment was to strip the Pak squad of this God Squad image.
He was naive. I dont think he's a fanatic but its reflective of the culture of the team where such a statement would be seen as normal. The blame for this pathetic Us against Them mentality that Shoaib has based on mere religion may also be rightly placed at the feet of the chimp that currently occupies the White House. He will never know the effect he has had.”
Need I say more. Me thinks not!
I think my friend Nikhil Mehra best summed it all in an e mail of his. Am reproducing the same below without his permission, but hey…its Mehra…the Understanding and Forgiving Soul!
"Did anyone else feel that Shoaib Malik's apology to the entire Muslim world was utterly and defenselessly preposterous?? This isn't like some chapter of the South-Asian crusades where the Hindu kafir defeated the righteous Muslims. Plus I dont think Indian muslims need an apology from him. Man, I thought this was behind us now that Inzi - the man who reads half the Quran before he answers a sentence - has been ousted. I thought the whole point behind Malik's appointment was to strip the Pak squad of this God Squad image.
He was naive. I dont think he's a fanatic but its reflective of the culture of the team where such a statement would be seen as normal. The blame for this pathetic Us against Them mentality that Shoaib has based on mere religion may also be rightly placed at the feet of the chimp that currently occupies the White House. He will never know the effect he has had.”
Need I say more. Me thinks not!
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