Arbaz Ahmed Cheema
Where victory against arch-rival India in T20 cricket match made everyone happy inside and out of the country few remarks by some senior politicians were very unprofessional. These remarks not only highlighted the internalized patterns of thinking of senior politicians but also help one make sense of the rising performative religiosity in the country. It shows how people have now limited religion to antagonism instead of using it as a force of peace. This trend was visible from the leaders to the layperson level. Everyone in a video clip saw Sheikh Rasheed saying, “It’s not mere a match but victory of whole Islamic religion all around the globe”. I don’t know what Sheikh Rasheed meant by his statement but comparing a game with religion is no less than stupidity and short-sightedness. One cannot imagine a Muslim in Algeria or Senegal feeling victorious because Pakistan won a cricket match from India.
Moreover, Prime Minister Imran khan also said in a speech, “After thrashing India during last night’s cricket match it’s not a good time for talking about peaceful relations”. One can imagine the impact of such statements by senior politicians and even the prime minister of the country on the future of Pakistani cricket. Even such statements by Pakistani politicians can put Indian Muslims in trouble who are already suffering much under BJP leadership. Moreover in Srinagar, the BJP government has filed cases against the students who enjoyed Pakistan’s victory extravagantly. Mixing sports with politics and religion doesn’t do anything good but can change the real purpose of any sport as well as can hurt the feelings of many sports lovers. Cricket is recreation, not jihad and it must remain so.
The real purpose of any kind of sports is to unite the people and bring happiness as the recent Pak-India match did. Everyone in the country was very happy and was chanting the slogan, “Pakistan Zindabad”, regardless of their community, culture, language, and province. There is no place for religion-based national identity in the contemporary world; remarks like these from national leaders only harm Pakistan’s diplomatic image across the world. Given the diversity of local communities and their faiths, it is offensive that national leaders use religious identity to talk about the national cricket team at such a sensitive time. In the absence of recreational activities, the T-20 cricket series is a rare opportunity for Pakistanis to enjoy something as a nation. Our politicians and everyone other with such remarks should change their mindset regarding sports and consider the harm that they do to the national image by making such statements.
https://en.humsub.com.pk/3348/cricket-is-not-a-jihad/
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