Tag: usman khawaja shoes

  • ‘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.

  • ‘Freedom is everyone’s right;’ Usman Khawaja shows solidarity with Palestine

    ‘Freedom is everyone’s right;’ Usman Khawaja shows solidarity with Palestine

    Before the first Test against Pakistan, Australia’s Usman Khawaja trained with the team wearing shoes with slogans of solidarity with the Palestinian people, ‘Freedom is everyone’s right and all lives are equal’. Usman Khawaja will wear the same shoes on the first day of the Test match against Pakistan.

    Keeping in view the International Cricket Council (ICC) rules and regulations, it is too early to say whether Usman Khawaja will be able to wear the shoes with the alleged political message.

    According to the ICC Code of Conduct, players and team officials are not allowed to wear armbands, clothing or display anything on any equipment that carries a political, religious, or ethnic message.

    Recently in World Cup 2023, Pakistani wicketkeeper batsman Muhammad Rizwan tweeted in favor of Gaza. A case was also filled against Rizwan in India for praying Namaz during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.

    In 2014, England all-rounder Moin Ali was asked to remove a wristband with the words ‘Save Gaza’ and ‘Free Palestine’ during a Test match against India.