Delhi, MINA- German-Turkish footballer Mesut Ozil through his Twitter account spreads awareness about the plight of Indian Muslims who are facing persecution in the Hindu-majority country.
On one of the last ten days of the holy month of Ramadan, the former Real Madrid and Arsenal player called on the international community to “shut up” about what is happening in India.
He added that he prayed for the safety and well-being of the country’s substantial Muslim minority, MEMO reported on Thursday.
Describing an “embarrassing situation”, Ozil raised the issue of human rights in India, “the so-called largest democracy in the world”. His tweet, about an image of Delhi’s Mughal-era Jama Masjid at dusk as the faithful break their fast, has garnered nearly 80,000 likes.
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Ozil’s remarks come amid growing persecution of India’s 200 million Muslims, which includes influential extremist calls for genocidal violence as well as sexual violence against Muslim women and girls.
Last week, Hindus for Human Rights issued a signed statement by Hindu leaders from around the world expressing dismay at the “anti-Muslim hatred”.
The signatories criticized Hindutva, “A century-old political ideology [of the ruling party], which sees citizens of other faiths as inherently foreign and ineligible to enjoy the full benefits of Indian citizenship.”
They added, “We have seen Muslim women put up for ‘auction’ on an application made by students, and Muslim women wearing hijabs denied their right to an equal education in Karnataka.”
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This is not the first time Ozil has been vocal about human rights issues affecting the Muslim minority. In 2019, the 33-year-old criticized China’s treatment of Uyghur Muslims which caused a strong backlash against him. His club at the time, Arsenal, shied away from his comments, stating that it was “not [involved] in politics”.
However, such a position did not stop Arsenal from joining other clubs, organizations and brands in voicing support for Ukraine after the Russian invasion.
The North London club have been accused of “hypocrisy” given its previous claims of “not getting involved in politics” and a lack of support for its former players.
“Let’s continue to pray for peace in the world, not only in Ukraine, but also in Palestine, Syria, Yemen, Iraq and all other places in the world where people are suffering as a result of war,” Ozil said earlier this month. (T/RE1)
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