Mohammed Shami sees no difference in saying Jai Shri Ram, Allahu Akbar
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Mohammed Shami, Team India's pacer, stated that yelling "Jai Shri Ram" and "Allahu Akbar" a thousand times makes no difference.
“In every religion, you will come across 5 to 10 people who won’t like the person from the opposite religion. I don’t have any objection against it,” Shami said.
The 33-year-old, who is now recovering from a heel injury that has kept him out since the tournament's end in November, also made sharp words about individuals who declared they did not want to perform Sajdah after taking a wicket in India's World Cup victory over Sri Lanka in the ODI World Cup, Indian Express reported.
“Like how the topic of Sajda came up… If Ram Mandir is being built, then what’s the problem in saying Jai Shri Ram… say it 1000 times. If I want to say Allahu Akbar then I will say it 1000 times… what difference does it make?” he said.
Shami had previously stated on his YouTube channel why he had fallen to the ground on both knees, which was widely misinterpreted on social media as an attempt to perform Sajdah.
“I was bowling a fifth over in a row, I think, and was bowling with effort beyond my ability. I was tired. The ball was beating the edge so often, so when I finally got that fifth wicket, I went down on my knees. Someone pushed me, so I moved forward a bit. That photo was widely circulated across social media. People thought I wanted to do Sajdah but didn’t. I’ve got only one advice for them, please stop such nuisance,” he had said.
With 24 scalps in only seven outings, Shami finished the World Cup as the leading wicket-taker.
“First of all, mai kisise nhi darta iss cheez se (I’m not afraid of anyone when it comes to this),” Shami said.
“I’m a Muslim, and I’ve said this before, I’m proud of being one. And I’m a proud Indian too. For me, the country comes first. If these things bother someone, I don’t care.
“I live happily, and I represent my country, nothing matters more to me. As far as the controversies are concerned, those who only live to play these games on social media, I don’t care about them. As far as Sajdah is concerned, if I wanted to do it, I would have. It shouldn’t concern anyone else.”
