When Jews Attack 410 – Victim – Moeen Ali – Attackers – “The International Cricket Council”

The England and Wales Cricket Board has defended Moeen Ali’s right to support the people of Gaza after he was photographed wearing wristbands bearing the slogans ‘Save Gaza’ and ‘Free Palestine’ during his innings against India on Monday.

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The England team management had no prior knowledge of Ali wearing the bands but will not stop him from doing so again.

The International Cricket Council confirmed that it was investigating the matter and he could be charged under level one of the ICC’s code of conduct for breaching clothing regulations.

The regulations were brought in to police logos and sponsorship but also cover “messages which relate to political, religious or racial activities or causes”. A level-one offence normally carries a fine from the match referee.

The ICC code of conduct states: “Players and team officials shall not be permitted to wear, display or otherwise convey messages through arm bands or other items affixed to clothing or equipment unless approved in advance by the player or team official’s Board. Approval shall not be granted for messages which relate to political, religious or racial activities or causes.”

 

However, an ECB spokesman said: “We do not believe Moeen has committed an offence.”

If he is charged the board will argue that Moeen was making a humanitarian statement rather than a political one and his actions are no different from the team today wearing the Help for Heroes logo on their collars as part of the commemorations to mark the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War.

Cricket and politics have been intertwined for years but rarely have political statements been made on the field.

The last political stand taken by players was at the 2003 World Cup when the former England coach, Andy Flower, and Henry Olonga wore black armbands in protest at Robert Mugabe’s regime in their home country of Zimbabwe.

Neither player was punished at the time by the ICC even though they used the board’s most high-profile event to air their views. Both were forced to leave Zimbabwe and never played international cricket again.

This is clearly an issue close to Moeen’s heart. Last week he was photographed with collection buckets raising money for the Gaza appeal for the Ummah Welfare Trust in Small Heath, Birmingham.

The Palestinian crisis is an emotive subject which has landed sportsmen and celebrities in trouble in recent weeks. A Malaysian cyclist was reprimanded by his team for wearing gloves with “Save Gaza” written on them while riding at the Commonwealth Games.

Azizulhasni Awang was spared being sent home but had a “strong reprimand” from team management after wearing the gloves on Thursday and displaying them to cameras after he raced into a quarter-final of the men’s sprint.

Zayn Malik, a singer with the pop group One Direction, endured abuse and even received death threats after pledging his support on social media for a Free Palestine campaign after the crisis escalated last week.

Moeen made his Test debut against Sri Lanka this summer and played a brilliant battling innings at Headingley as he tried to save the team from defeat. His efforts were in vain but endeared him to England supporters and he has quickly become a popular figure.

Moeen speaks openly about his religion and how he wants to be a role model for the Muslim community and by his action here has shown he has an awareness of life outside the cricket bubble.

Cricketers Ajmal Shahzad and Kabir Ali, his cousin and Lancashire fast bowler, have tweeted their support of Moeen.