'No Hidden Agendas' - Usman Khawaja Hits Back After ICC Reprimands Over Black Armband
Usman Khawaja sporting black armband (X.com)
Australian veteran test cricketer Usman Khawaja is in the headlines for every reason except cricket. He faced backlash from the ICC after the batter tried to raise his voice against the humanitarian crisis going on between Israel and Palestine.
During the training session ahead of the Perth test between Australia and Pakistan, Khawaja sported shoes with the "All Lives Are Equal" message. However, ICC disallowed him to don the same pair during the match as it violated the board's code of conduct.
While Khawaja wasn't allowed to make a political statement through his shoes, the Aussie donned a black armband to support his cause. However, ICC again reprimanded him for the same, stating that Khawaja tried to display a personal message through an armband, which is an offense as per the player code of conduct.
Khawaja Breaks Silence After Being Charged By ICC!
Now, after multiple backlashes, Usman Khawaja appeared before the media personnel ahead of the boxing day test to clarify his stance on what he actually stands for. Khawaja affirmed that he has no hidden agendas to create unrest between different religions.
“I don’t have any agendas other than trying to shine a light on what I feel really passionately, really strong about. I’m trying to do it in the most respectful way as possible,” said Khawaja to media.
He gave a lot of thought to the message he chose to display to ensure that religions were not segregated. Basically, the Aussie batter wants to turn the world's attention to the humanitarian crisis going on in other parts of the world.
"I made sure that I didn’t want to segregate different parts of the population, religious beliefs, communities. That’s why I kept religion out of this. I want to be really broad over my speaking because I’m talking about humanitarian issues. I’m talking about article one of Unified Declaration of Human Rights. That is literally the crux of it,” he added.
Khawaja added that seeing videos of children being victims on the internet breaks his heart. Every time he sees a child suffer, he thinks of his own daughter, and even the mention of the same makes him emotional.
“The reason I’m doing it is because it hit me hard. I’m looking at my Instagram and I’m seeing kids, innocent kinds, videos of them dying, passing away, that’s what hit me the hardest. I just imagine my young daughter in my arms and the same thing. I get emotional talking about it right now again. And for me, that’s the reason I’m doing this. I don’t have any hidden agendas," Khawaja said.
The veteran further added that he is gaining nothing but hate out of this. But he also feels that it's his responsibility to speak up for what he believes in, given the platform he possesses.
Having said that, Usman Khawaja intends to challenge the ICC's ruling on his black armband. He feels he has abided by the rules throughout his career, unlike others who donned stickers and names on the bat and shoes without seeking prior approval.
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