Australian Muslim cricketer Usman Khawaja has vowed to fight an international Cricket Council directive prohibiting him from wearing shoes that carry a pro-Palestine message of solidarity during a Test match in Perth.
Khawaja was seen during a Tuesday training wearing spikes featuring the phrases โall lives are equalโ and โfreedom is a human right,โ in solidarity with the Palestinians suffering under Israelโs war on Gaza, CNN reported.
Khawaja, who was the first Muslim cricketer to represent Australia, had planned to wear these shoes in the first Test starting on Thursday.
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Saying he accepts ICC rules that allow the match referee to bar players for wearing attire that violates regulations, Khawaja said he is committed to overturning this ban, aiming to wear the shoes during Melbourneโs Boxing Day Test.
All Lives are Equal. Freedom is a Human right. I'm raising my voice for human rights. For a humanitarian appeal. If you see it any other way. That's on youโฆ pic.twitter.com/8eaPnBfUEb
โ Usman Khawaja (@Uz_Khawaja) December 13, 2023
โThe ICC have told me I canโt wear my shoes on field because they believe itโs a political statement under their guidelines,โ Khawaja said on social media.
โI donโt believe it is so, itโs a humanitarian appeal. I will respect their view and decision, but I will fight it and seek to gain approval. Freedom is a human right, and all lives are equal. I will never stop believing that, whether you agree with me or not.โ
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The ICC has previously prevented players from carrying what it deems to be political messages. In 2014, it banned Englandโs Moeen Ali from wearing โSave Gazaโ and โFree Palestineโ wristbands in a Test against India.
Khawajaโs stance has garnered support from his teammates.
Travis Head, Australiaโs vice-captain, showed solidarity on X, formerly Twitter, posting: โWe stand with Usman Khawaja! All lives are Equal.โ
Captain Pat Cummins had earlier said: โUzzie doesnโt want to make too big of a fuss. On his shoes, he had, โAll lives are equal.โ I think thatโs not very divisive. I donโt think anyone can really have too many complaints about that.โ
At least 18,500 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7, 70% of whom are women and children.