Aussie cricket star Usman Khawaja says he intends to “fight” a ruling by the International Cricket Council (ICC) that prevents him from wearing footwear that displays personal statements about the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
On Dec. 12, Mr. Khawaja was seen training with boots that read: “All lives are equal,” and “Freedom is a human right.”
Mr. Khawaja’s message was referring to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
But on the eve of Australia’s first Test in Perth against Pakistan, the ICC warned Mr. Khawaja against displaying such messages, saying that heavy sanctions would await him if he broke the rules.
“These people obviously don’t believe in what I’ve written, and it’s not just a handful of people, you'd be shocked about how many feel this way.”
Mr. Khawaja made the comments on social media less than an hour before the opening ball on Dec. 13 where he wore the same shoes but covered the writing with tape.
He explained that he was “not taking sides,” in reference to the conflict in the Middle East.
“One Jewish life is equal to one Muslim life, is equal to one Hindu life and so on.
“I’m just speaking up for those that don’t have a voice. This is close to my heart. When I see thousands of innocent people dying without any repercussion or remorse, I imagine my two girls. What if this was them? No one chooses where they’re born.
“And then I see the world turn their backs on them, my heart can’t take it. I already feel my life wasn’t equal to others when I was growing up, but luckily for me I never lived in a world where that inequality was life or death.
“What I’ve written on my shoes isn’t political. I’m not taking sides, human life to me is equal,” he said.
‘I Don’t Really See The Controversy’: Khawaja
Before the first Test on Dec. 14, Mr. Khawaja expressed his annoyance with the ICC’s ruling.“A part of it for me, if I’m being honest, is a little disappointing,” he told Fox Cricket on Dec. 14.
“I don’t really see the controversy of ‘all lives matter’ and saying ‘freedom is a human right.’ I don’t see where it becomes political.
“I’m in full support of Black Lives Matter. There’s plenty of guys who have written on their shoes before.
“There’s other guys that have written religious things on their equipment, and under the ICC guidelines, that’s not technically allowed, but the ICC never says anything on that.
“I find it a little bit disappointing they came down hard on me and they don’t always come down hard on everyone else.”
Mr. Khawaja said it’s been an emotional rollercoaster both during the shoe saga and for the past two months.
“I’ll always stand up for what I believe in, even if people don’t agree with me or they don’t like me saying it.
“I want to look back on my career and say ‘I stood up for my values.’ I respect what I did on the field, but I also respect myself for what I did off the field. That to me at some level—probably most level—means more.”
Under the ICC’s rules, any logo or wording on a sporting item must comply with the ICC’s regulations.
In addition, any match official is authorised to prevent an “offending person” from playing “until the non-compliant clothing or equipment is removed or appropriately covered up.”
Mr. Khawaja faced the prospect of being banned from playing if he wore the same shoes that contained his personal messages.
However, that regulation could be waived if the ICC approves Mr. Khawaja’s request.
“But the ICC has rules in place which prohibit the display of personal messages which we expect the players to uphold.”
The ICC added that messages for political causes “shall not be granted,” and that despite cricket being able to bring communities around the world together, it is not “a platform to draw attention to potentially divisive political issues, rhetoric or agendas.”
Skipper Pat Cummins said that Mr. Khawaja would not be wearing the shoes during the Test match but was supportive of players expressing their views.
“I think it is one of our strongest points as a team that everyone has their own passionate views and individual thoughts,” Mr. Cummins said.
“I chatted to Uzzy briefly about it today, and yeah, I don’t think his intention is to make too much of a fuss, but we support him.
Federal Sports Minister Backs Khawaja
Meanwhile, Federal Sports Minister Anika Wells has backed Mr. Khawaja, saying on Dec. 13 that his message was “respectful” and did not compromise the team’s obligations to the ICC.“As the federal sports minister, I have always advocated for athletes to have the right to have a voice and to speak up on matters that are important to them,” Ms. Wells said.
“Usman Khawaja is a great athlete. Usman Khawaja is a great Australian, and he has every right to speak up on matters that are important to him.
“I think he has done it in a peaceful and respectful way, and as a way that he as an individual can express an individual opinion that doesn’t compromise the Australian cricket team’s obligations to the ICC.”
Mr. Khawaja, the first Muslim to represent Australia in international cricket, has been public about his concerns about the Israel-Hamas conflict.
