Australia: Muslim Cricketer Denied Permission to Display Peace Symbol
Reports surfaced on Sunday that a sticker featuring a black dove and the inscription "01:UDHR," referencing Article One of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, was spotted on Khawaja's equipment during training in Melbourne, France 24 reported on Sunday.
Khawaja, recognized for his activism and humanitarian gestures, engaged in multiple discussions with Cricket Australia in recent days to identify a message suitable for the upcoming Test match. However, his latest effort to display a peace symbol has been rejected by the International Cricket Committee (ICC), as reported by The Australian and Melbourne Age newspapers.
The ICC, as of now, has not provided an official comment on the matter.
This is not the first instance of Khawaja facing restrictions on his expressions. In the initial Test in Perth, the 36-year-old, who is of Muslim faith, was prevented from wearing shoes adorned with hand-written slogans like "Freedom is a human right" and "All lives are equal."
These messages were intended to show solidarity with the people of Gaza. The ICC cited rules against displaying messages related to politics, religion, or race.
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Khawaja, undeterred by the previous reprimand, wore a black armband during the match in Perth, insisting it was a gesture related to a "personal bereavement." He expressed his intent to contest the ICC ruling.
In a statement on Friday, Khawaja opened up about the impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on him, particularly the distressing images of children affected by the violence.
"When I'm looking at my Instagram and seeing innocent kids, videos of them dying, passing away, that's what hit me the hardest," he said. "I don't have any agendas other than trying to shine a light on what I feel really passionately, really strongly about."
The Israeli aggression on Gaza since October 7 has killed more than 20,000 people, mostly women and children.
Source: Agencies
