Inzamam-ul-Haq and some of his teammates brought Islam to the cricket team, pavilion and pitches, leading to player segregation and encouraging Namaaz. He invited controversial clerics to team meetings, resulting in an overzealous Muslim Pakistani cricket team.
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By
Sumit Paul, New Age Islam
16
November, 2023
Former
Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh on Tuesday slammed former Pakistan captain
Inzamam-ul-Haq for the latter's claims that Singh was influenced by the
teachings of the controversial Maulana Tariq Jameel and wanted to convert to
Islam. Singh rubbished these claims and asserted that he is a proud Indian and
Sikh.
A few
years ago, a British cricket scribe wrote that Inzamam-ul-Haq could have been a
far greater batsman had he been less devout. So very true. It was
Inzamam-ul-Haq, who along with Saeed Anwar, Saqlain Mushtaq and Shahid Afridi,
brought Islam to the cricket team, pavilion and pitches. Inzamam and Anwar's
unbridled evangelization vitiated the vibes and segregated players like Danish
Kaneria and Yusuf Youhana on the basis of their faiths. Youhana finally
embraced Islam to survive and became Mohammad Yousuf. Danish didn't leave
Hinduism and was ill-treated by his teammates, esp. by Shahid Afridi who openly
suggested that Danish should convert to Islam. Haq encouraged Pakistani
cricketers to offer Namaaz on the ground. He began to invite controversial
clerics to team meetings and started nudging foreign players like Harbhajan and
even the West Indian legend Brian Lara to convert to Islam. Mufti Tariq Jameel,
Tariq Masud and others would preach and motivate players. These fanatic
preachers are very popular among the sub-continental Muslims and lakhs and
crores of Muslims in India and Bangladesh watch their YouTube channels. They
should be behind the bars for their volatile sermons and asinine claims. Tariq
Jameel would have you believe that Houries are 130 ft. in height and if they
spit in the ocean, it'll turn into nectar. These Houries don't defecate and
fart. They don't menstruate and all that garbage. They're all rank uncouth and
completely deranged village clerics whose sole objective is to condemn non-Muslims
all the time. When such preachers, nay yokels, are invited to 'motivate'
cricketers, you can imagine the level of religious indoctrination and
brainwashing. Inzamam started this trend and now the entire Pakistani cricket
team is a group of overzealous Muslims. You may have seen Inzamam in his
'modern' avatar. He sports a beehive-like beard sans moustache! So does Saeed
Anwar. These religiously-opiated cricketers must understand that religion is a
private issue. It must never be flaunted outside. But then, a number of
Muslims, even 'educated' ones, believe that converting a Kafir to Islam will
directly take them to heaven where they'll meet Allah, Muhammad and a gaggle of
gorgeous gals, whom they call Houries. Alhamdulillah! I intend to convert to Islam,
but only for those Houries with an hour-glass figure. I've no desire to meet
Allah and his Rasool.
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A
regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative
religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the
world's premier publications in several languages including Persian.
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