Tag: usman khawaja emotional message on x

  • Usman Khawaja’s emotional message on supporting Palestine has moved the internet

    Usman Khawaja’s emotional message on supporting Palestine has moved the internet

    Australian batsman Usman Khawaja released an emotional message on social media to support Palestine after wearing shoes that said ‘All Lives Matter’ in the colours of the Palestinian flag.

    He requested the International Cricket Council (ICC) and Cricket Australia (CA) to permit him to support Palestine on-field.

    Earlier, during the first Test match played in Perth against Pakistan, Usman wore a black armband.

    ICC charged the Australian opener, calling the armband a personal promotion.

    During a practice session before the Perth Test, the Kangaroos opener wore shoes with a pro-Palestinian slogan on them, but Cricket Australia and the ICC took action against him, after which he participated in the game with a black armband against Israeli atrocities.

    In his message Usman Khawaja said, “I don’t have any agendas other than trying to shine a light on what I feel, passionately, really strongly about. I’m trying to do in the most respectful way possible what around my shoes was really.”

    “I thought about it for a while where I was going to write. I made sure that I didn’t want to segregate different parts of the population, religious beliefs, and communities, hence why I’ve kept religion out of this. I want it to be really broad and open, mind speaking, because I’m talking about humanitarian issues.”

    “I’m talking about Article One or the Unified Declaration of Human Rights. That is the crux of it. The reason I’m doing it is because it hit me hard. You know, I told Nick just this morning that. When I’m looking at my Instagram I’m seeing kids, innocent kids, videos of them dying, and passing away. That’s what’s hit me the hardest”.

    I just imagine my young daughter in my arms is the same thing, I get emotional talking about it right now again, and for me, that’s the reason I’m doing this. I don’t have any hidden agendas. If anything, you know, this brings up more negativity towards me. People come and start attacking me. I don’t get anything out of this. I just feel like it’s my responsibility to speak up on this”.

    “We live in such a beautiful country. I’m blessed to be able to go to Australia. I can walk outside. I have to worry about a thing. My kids can do the same. I just want that for the rest of the world. And that’s the reason I’m saying this”.

  • ‘I will fight’; Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja’s emotional message after ICC bans shoes supporting Palestine

    ‘I will fight’; Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja’s emotional message after ICC bans shoes supporting Palestine

    Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja released an emotional message on social media platform ‘X’ after International Cricket Council (ICC) banned him for wearing shoes on which a pro-Palestine slogan was written: “Freedom is everyone’s right and all lives are equal.”

    In his message Usman Khawaja said, “I won’t say much. I don’t need to. But what I do want is for everyone who did get offended somehow is to ask yourself these questions. It’s freedom, not for everyone. Our all lives are not equal. To me personally, it doesn’t matter what race, religion or culture you are. But let’s be honest about it. If me saying all lives are equal has resulted in people being offended to the point where they’re calling me up and telling me off. Well, isn’t that the bigger problem? These people obviously don’t believe in what I’ve written, and it’s not just a handful of people you’d be shocked about how many feel this way. What I’ve written on my shoes isn’t political. I’m not taking sides. Human life to me is equal.”

    The emotional star cricketer then said:

    “I’m just speaking up for those who don’t have a voice. This is close to my heart. When I see thousands of innocent children dying without any repercussions or remorse, I imagine my two girls. What if this was them? No one chooses where they’re born, and then I see the world turned their backs on him. My heart can’t take it. Already feel my life wasn’t equal to others when I was growing up. But luckily for me, I never lived in a world where that lack of inequality was life or death”.

    “The ICC have told me that I can’t wear my shoes on field because they believe it’s a political statement under their guidelines. I don’t believe it is so. It’s a humanitarian appeal. I will respect their view and decision, but I will fight it and seek to gain approval. Freedom is a human right”.

    A picture of Khawaja’s shoes with pro-Palestine, pro-equality slogan ‘All lives are equal’ went viral on social media.