Germany – German player Antonio Rudiger, defender of the Spanish club Real Madrid, firmly defended his decision to take legal measures once morest the attack he was subjected to due to his post on the Instagram platform showing his religious rituals at the beginning of the month of Ramadan.
Rudiger said, in statements to the German newspaper Bild: “The gesture I used is called the finger of monotheism, and in Islam, this gesture is considered a symbol of the oneness of God, and it is widely spread among Muslims around the world.”
He added: “I am a devout Muslim. I practice my religion, but I firmly distance myself from any kind of extremism and accusations of political Islam. Violence and terrorism are absolutely unacceptable. I defend peace and tolerance.”
He continued: “Many of my family members belong to different religions. However, we respect each other and celebrate religious holidays together. Respect and tolerance are basic principles that we all represent in our family.”
The German star continued: “However, I also realize that due to insufficient attention, I have given parties the opportunity to deliberately misinterpret my post in order to sow division and polarization. For this reason, I decided to make a clear statement, and at the same time, I will not allow myself to be insulted and belittled as a Muslim. That is why I decided to report.”
Rudiger concluded: “It is regarding propaganda and division. I will always defend myself firmly once morest this attack. I hope this clarification will help remove the misunderstanding and shed light on the truth. I would also like to thank the German Football Association, which has supported me throughout this matter.”
Rudiger previously posted a photo of himself wearing a white dress on a prayer rug on March 11 on Instagram, with his right index finger pointing upwards, and commented on it, saying: “May God accept our fasting and prayers.”
Julian Reichelt, former editor-in-chief of the German daily newspaper Bild, came out to attack Rüdiger’s post, as he indicated on his account on the “X” platform last Sunday that raising the index finger is a signal related to terrorist organizations.
This prompted Rudiger and the German Federation to take legal action, and the Real Madrid defender filed a criminal complaint with the Berlin Public Prosecutor’s Office regarding insult, defamation, and incitement to abuse and hatred, and the German Federation reported the case to the German Central Unit for Combating Internet Crimes.
Anatolia
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2024-03-31 21:24:35
