Titled Rawalpundi Express for his speed, former Pakistani cricketer, Shoaib Akhtar is spending his retired life as a cricket commentator, a YouTuber and a preacher of “Islamic righteousness”. Yes, you heard it right. The cricketer has now assumed the role of a religious guru peddling Islamic fundamentals to the world.
In one of his YouTube videos, the 44-year-old sportsman accused the Chinese of introducing this pandemic to the world by consuming toxic material from wildlife (not that we disagree with this part of his speech), and proceeded to slam them for feasting on “non-halal” animals as well.
“When Allah has given so many halal animals, why must you eat bats and spread the virus?”, Shoaib Akhtar asks. For the uninitiated, halal food items are the ones prescribed for consumption by Islamic law; anything that is excluded on the list is branded haram, or forbidden. The pig and its meat, pork, are categorized as the latter.
In his latest YouTube video, Shoaib likens the doctors and nurses fighting coronavirus to Islamic mujahidin, and dubs their tireless struggle against the virus, despite the odds of courting death by getting infected, as a jihad. A mujahid is a Muslim dedicated to the cause of jihad, and jihad is a religious war fought in the interest of Islam.
Here is our objection with what Shoaib said: as a sportsman, he has gone all around the world, and is well aware of societies and cultures that exist outside the periphery of Islam. Not all cultures believe in “Allah”; nor do all societies take his dictate as the final word. Shoaib may choose to shame the Chinese for their dining choices – which include almost everything in the ecosystem – but he should not pull out Allah’s commandments to indict them for wrongdoing, or impose halal food on people who are neither Muslims nor subscribe to the Islamic ideology.
It is both funny and offensive at the same time that he equates the lifesaving efforts of doctors to an imperative, jihad, that has claimed millions of lives for the expansion of Islam in the past 1,400 years. There is not an inch of this planet which has not been ravaged by jihad: All in the name of Islam.
Jihad was the ideology behind the destruction of the Twin Towers on 9/11. Jihad was the Beirut bombings of 1983 that left 307 dead. Jihad was the 2002 Bali bombings that killed hundreds of Australians, Indonesians and Britons. Jihad was the Islamization of Iran and Lebanon. Jihad was the taking down of the Taj Hotel of Mumbai, the destruction of the Buddhas of Bamiyan, and the plundering of thousands of Hindu temples in India and the adjoining Islamic countries. Thirty years ago, five lakh Hindus were driven out of their homes in Kashmir after those homes were looted and their sisters and daughters were raped and killed. This was done by Islamist hardliners who followed blaring commands coming from mosques in the name of jihad. Doctors, nurses, and a legion of health officials soldiering on in the face of death are not mujahidin, and neither is their battle against the lethal contagion a jihad. Earth is not an Islamic planet, and it is anything but universally acceptable to measure every phenomenon, action and service against Islamic parameters of morality.
An exhaustive study of Islamists in Pakistani sports exposes their self-righteousness and nauseating bigotry.
Back in December 2019, Akhtar revealed how players of the Pakistani cricketer team had victimized former spinner Danish Kaneria for not being a Muslim, but a Hindu. “Captain would raise eyebrows about him eating with us or taking the food from the same table,” he claimed in a YouTube video.
Mohammad Yousuf, formerly known as Yousuf Youhana, was the fourth Christian player on Pakistan’s international cricket team. He converted to Islam after attending meeting of the Islamic group, Tablighi Jamaat. Saeed Anwar, another former player, was an Islamic preacher at the group, which helped motivate Yousuf to convert. Though his mother had severed all ties with him, Yousuf asserts that his conversion to Islam has played a vital role in his professional success.
The former Pakistani skipper Shahid Afridi scores astonishingly high in levels of religious bigotry. In a televised interview, he expressed his forthright hatred of Hindus by deriding the Indic tradition of performing aarti. He also shocked the world by revealing how he flew into paroxysms and smashed the TV upon witnessing his daughter emulate the Hindu practice on an Indian show.
The reigning Prime Minister of Pakistan, the World Cup-winning cricket captain Imran Khan, is not only a known sympathizer of the jihadist organization the Taliban, but openly applauds their violence as a jihad justified by Islamic law also.
Anjuli Pandavar says
Thank you for your spirited and informative articles, Radhika, this one another six!
JW_Reader says
Irony is that Pakistani Cricket Team is really in shamble for quite some time now. It used to be formidable in old days particularly when Imran Khan used to play. But land of pure Islam has become land of losers! No international cricket team visited Pakistan for many years after Sri Lankan cricketers were attacked by terrorists in 2009. Pakistani cricket fans know very well, where there jihad has taken them to!
jca reid says
Once this virus business is dealt with, it’s long overdue for the world to deal with Islam & its adherents. Their credo is devoid of any decency & humanity. They are Pariah States & they are degenerates.
Wellington says
Bottom line: The corona virus, though sometimes deadly, is temporary. Islam’s mandate of jihad, which has extended now for 1400 years, has been and will continue to be infinitely more deadly.
Yeah, Nature is a bitch at times, a femme fatale with beauty but, in full femme fatale mode, frequently accompanied by lethality too. But Nature will always be with us and dealing with its femme fatale aspects can be managed. Besides, there are many good things about Nature but virtually none about Islam.
Anyway, Islam, by contrast, need not always be with us, in fact there is no good reason why it should be with us at all. So, I say Nature should remain even with its downer elements at time. No good reason however, NONE, why Islam should remain.
This is may take on things and I’m sticking to it as I reflect upon what I have just written with a beer and my favorite sandwich, a BLT. Nature won’t mind this at all. But Islam does. And thus just one more reason why I will “put up” with Nature but why I will never, read that NEVER, put up with Islam. Gotta’ go because I need to pour myself a second beer. Some of the best of Nature (fermented hops and barley) calls.
Wellington says
That’s “my” and not “may.” BTW, my second beer, a Yuengling Porter, is delicious. There is nothing delicious about Islam—no fun in Islam and all that rot.
Hindu American says
Imran Khan, dubbed “Im the Dim” by Salman Rushdie, is a known Taliban sympathizer. His other popular nom de guerre is Taliban Khan. This gun totting islamist, before he became the prime minister of already radicalized nation known as “Terroristan”, recently proclaimed jihad on India (read Hindus) to “liberate Kashmir”.
https://morning.pk/amp/story/36512
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/it-is-a-jihad-says-imran-on-kashmir-after-returning-from-us/articleshow/71364130.cms
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kBOGaGnFOQ
Still think these guys are sane?
gravenimage says
Renowned Pakistani Cricketer Shoaib Akhtar’s Jihad
……………..
Jihad is about taking lives, not saving them.
Another good piece from Radhika Singh.
tgusa says
Pigs are forbidden but if he really wanted to help fight the virus transmission he could do the world a favor and take a shower.
tim gallagher says
I have always believed that almost all of the Pakistani cricket team would have views like this knucklehead’s views. I have believed for ages that Pakistan should be banned from international cricket because of the truly appalling human rights record of Pakistan, such as the disgusting treatment of non-Muslims in that loathsome country. Bangladesh should also be banned for the same reason. Of course, it’ll never happen. The cricket administrators will never have the courage to do that, although, all those years ago they did, I’d say rightly, ban South Africa over its apartheid policy. If Pakistan was not part of international cricket, then the views of this scumbag, Shoiab Akhtar, would be merely the views of someone who is pretty much a complete nobody. I think Jihad Watch reported on Javed Miandad (not so long ago) also now being a raving Muslim loony, (probably always was) to say nothing of Imran Khan, who has really climbed the greasy pole in Pakistan’s foul political scene. This scumbag is probably also aiming for a political career in that vile country.
James Lincoln says
tim gallagher says,
“This scumbag is probably also aiming for a political career in that vile country.”
Very likely, tim.
Yes he wants to make his CV “halal” certified…
tim gallagher says
A good, witty comment, James, about being halal certified. What a scam that bullshit is. Here he is giving his dopey insights into the whole crappy Muslim concept of what is “halal” and is, no doubt, seeking to display to the fanatical Muslim types who inhabit Pakistan that he is a devout Muslim. It has the stench of a Pakistani Muslim trying to move into politics. As I mentioned up above, I’d love to see Pakistan kicked out of international cricket until they treat non-Muslims better in that vile country, because that might actually work, because Pakistanis really do seem to care a lot about cricket. Probably the shame of being kicked the hell out of international cricket would hurt their pride a fair bit as well. Imagine the Pakistani fanatics, who always seem to be getting together in insane lynch mobs (as is often shown here at Jihad Watch) if they were kicked out of international cricket. Heads exploding everywhere, although, unfortunately, the loonies would go after Christians and other non-Muslims as they always seem to do. Pakistan is a truly appalling country.
Ajay says
जितना दिमाग़ होगा व्यक्ति उतना ही सोच सकता है. बचपन से व्यर्थ ज्ञानहीन किताबें पढ़ कर चेतन जड़ हो जाता है. शोएब जी ने जो बोला उस से आश्चर्य नहीं हुआ. Once a dumbo, always…. ???
Battle says
Has Shoaib Akhtar opposed kidnapping, forced conversion, forced marriage and forced rape of Christian and Hindu girls in Pakistan?
gravenimage says
Actually, Shoaib Aktar threatened to kidnap Hindu Bollywood actress Sonali Bendre himself.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/photo-features/sonali-bendre-lesser-known-facts-about-the-actress/When-Shoaib-Akhtar-wanted-to-kidnap-Sonali-Bendre/photostory/65197322.cms
I suppose you are supposed to assume he was “joking”…
mortimer says
Bigots abound in Pakistan cricket teams. One of those bigots is not prime minister of Pakistan. Mohammad Yousuf, formerly known as Yousuf Youhana, converted apparently to advance his career and because of the constant bigotry of Muslim fanatics in sports. Another sell-out.
It profiteth a man little if he gain the world and lose his soul …
gravenimage says
+1
Battle says
Was supposed to be a new reply.
Battle says
Reply denied again.
Is there a reply denier tyrant?
gravenimage says
Don’t hit reply if you don’t want to reply to someone directly, Battle. If you want to just comment on the story, just go down to the “Leave a Reply” box at the bottom of the page.
martin says
Looks like another demon infested one.
Tim says
Let them enjoy the virus feast. World will be without terrorists and terrorist ideologies. Pagan worlds pagan Gods directors are created the book which they practice. Who ever hears this book he is a dumb.
infidel says
no sane professional International Sports body or Assoc must include any Muslim nation to participate…UNLESS… they are willing to reform Koran.