German football star Mesut Ozil has condemned the human rights violations being perpetrated against the minority Muslim community in India, calling it “shameful”.
The German professional footballer wrote on Twitter, “Praying during the holy night of Lailat al-Qadr for the safety and well-being of our Muslim brothers and sisters in India. Let’s spread awareness to this shameful situation! What is happening to the human rights in the so-called largest democracy in the world? #BreakTheSilence”
Ozil has previously played as a midfielder at Real Madrid and Arsenal, but is currently with the Turkish giants club Fenerbahce. The German footballer had helped his country win the World Cup in 2014.
Earlier this month, the Turkish-origin footballer had urged his followers to pray for world peace. “Let’s keep praying for peace in the world – not just in Ukraine, but also in Palestine, Syria, Yemen, Iraq, and all other places in the world where people are suffering from war.”
In the past too Ozil has made political statements. In December 2019, he posted a poem on social media criticising China’s persecution of Uighurs Muslims. His then club Arsenal publicly distanced itself from the player’s sentiments. The player was subsequently removed from Konami’s e-Football Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) 2020 computer game in China.
In 2018, Ozil was criticised for meeting Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan in London. German internationals such as Oliver Bierhoff and Ottmar Hitzfeld had suggested that he should be dropped from the German World Cup squad. He retired from the team as a form of protest against members in the federation.
Praying during the holy night of Lailat al-Qadr for the safety and well-being of our Muslim brothers and sisters in India????????????????????Let’s spread awareness to this shameful situation! What is happening to the human rights in the so-called largest democracy in the world?#BreakTheSilence pic.twitter.com/pkS7o1cHV5
— Mesut Özil (@MesutOzil1088) April 27, 2022
