A former top 10 doubles player has announced that he will be protesting against French president Emmanuel Macron at this week’s Paris Masters.
Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, who plays for Pakistan, says he will be wearing a white armband as a symbol of his protest against Macron’s stance concerning controversial cartoons of the prophet Mohammed which was originally published by magazine Charlie Hebdo. According to Islam, any visual depiction is forbidden and highly offensive. Recently a teacher in France was brutally beheaded shortly after showing a copy of the cartoon to his class.
“The most important and valuable lesson I have learnt as an athlete and a tennis player is to respect all religions, cultures, faiths and beliefs. Freedom of speech does not and should not mean freedom to antagonise anyone and disrespect someone’s religion,” Qureshi said.
“I will be wearing a white armband all this week at Paris Masters as a peaceful protest against the French president who, sadly and disappointingly, is endorsing and encouraging this kind of behaviour where people are allowed to disrespect the religion of Islam and make fun of our Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).”
The reason why the tennis player and others from the Arab world are directing their anger towards the French president is because he had defended the right for the cartoon to be shown under freedom of expression. A stance that has led to some in the middle east boycotting French products. Speaking to reporters on Sunday he said ‘‘I will never accept that someone can justify the use of physical violence because of these cartoons.’
Nevertheless Qureshi has called on other athletes to support his cause by also wearing a white armband. This week in Paris he is playing doubles alongside Greek tennis star Stefanos Tsitsipas.
“I urge not just Muslim athletes but athletes all over the world – who respect other religions – to show solidarity and unity by wearing a white armband and raise awareness that we, as human beings and athletes, can’t accept disrespect and mocking of other religions,” he concluded.
40-year-old Qureshi has been ranked as high as eighth in the world in doubles and have won 18 ATP titles. A two-time Grand Slam finalist, he won the New York Open with Great Britain’s Dom Inglot in February.
It is unclear if this symbolic protest breaks any rules of the ATP.
