A group of about 30 Muslim and Arab players across the UK’s major leagues in soccer, cricket, and rugby held a meeting this week to discuss boycotting their teams’ games if they include tributes only to Israeli victims and not to those in Gaza, The Daily Mirror reported late Wednesday night.
An estimated 1,300 Hamas terrorists have died this week from Israeli counter-attacks, compared with 1,200 Israelis, most of them civilian men, women, children, and the elderly who were murdered on Shabbat Simchat Torah by the same terrorists.
Even Stephen.
The UK Football Association is planning to light up the Wembley arch with blue and white in solidarity with Israel during England’s friendly match against Australia on Friday night.
The UK soccer leagues were condemned by Arab players for their double standard after they failed to hold a tribute to the 50 Muslims who were killed in New Zealand’s Mosque attacks, when they held tributes in 2015 for the victims of the November 2015 ISIS attack on civilians in Paris.
A source close to the Muslim and Arab players told The Daily Mirror: “Over 950 people died in Gaza and 1000 people died in Israel. Every single civilian life is a tragedy and must be mourned. Why would we have a minute’s silence for the Israelis but not the Palestinian people who are also suffering? None of the players are against a minute’s silence for the victims of war. Why would we be? But we have a voice and we won’t be silent on this.”
It’s like devoting half of Yom HaShoah to the Nazi victims of Allied aerial bombings.
Al Arabia boasted in 2020 of the many Arab players in the Premier League. They included major stars:
Mohamed Salah – Liverpool
Riyad Mahrez – Manchester City
Hakim Ziyech – Chelsea
Mohamed Elneny – Arsenal
Trezeguet (Mahmoud Ahmed Ibrahim Hasan) – Aston Villa
