After his much-discussed Instagram post at the start of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, German national soccer player Antonio Rüdiger “decisively distanced himself from any kind of extremism and accusations of Islamism.”
After Rüdiger uploaded a picture of himself making a Muslim greeting, a journalist accused him of making an Islamist gesture.
Rüdiger and the DFB then filed a criminal complaint in Berlin. The “Bild” newspaper published a comprehensive statement from the Real Madrid professional on Wednesday evening, who commented for the first time on the photo that he had already published on his account on March 11th.
In the post, the practicing Muslim posted a photo of himself in a white robe on a prayer mat. The index finger of his right hand points to the sky. “May the Almighty accept our fasting and our prayers,” wrote Rüdiger as a greeting to Ramadan.
Now he explained in writing: “The gesture I used is the so-called tawheed finger. In Islam, this is considered a symbol of the unity and uniqueness of God.
The gesture is widespread among Muslims all over the world and has only been classified as unproblematic by the Federal Ministry of the Interior in the last few days.” In the last few days, the photo has been “used by individuals to make unfounded accusations,” the professional wrote.
But he also recognizes that “due to insufficient attention, I gave third parties the chance to deliberately misinterpret my posting in order to divide and polarize,” emphasized Rüdiger.
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“But I will not offer a platform for division and radicalization, which is why I have decided to make a clear statement following our two successful international matches.”
He doesn’t allow himself to be “denigrated as an Islamist” and is therefore taking legal action: “This is regarding creating an atmosphere and dividing people; I will always resolutely defend myself once morest this.”
