Indian cricketer Mohammad Siraj who plays as a right-arm fast bowler received hatred online after he shared a picture of his journey to Saudi Arabia for Umrah.
A picture posted by Mohammed Siraj on his social media platform with him standing in front of the Kaaba in Ihram (an attire worn during pilgrimage) with the caption Alhamdulillah (praise be to God) was trolled by several members of right-wing by commenting phrases including Katmullah, Mulha etc while many others wrote ‘Jai Shree Ram’ slogans under the post.
A user with the name Sai Teja replied to his post on X, “Jain Shree Ram Mulle.” another user commented, “Jai Shree Mahakal, Wo Mahakal ki Puja kar raha hai (He is worshipping Mahakal)
Surprisingly this isn’t the first time Siraj is subjected to online hate. In May last year, Siraj had expressed his solidarity with Palestinians by posting an “All eyes on Rafah’ post however he was forced to delete it as he was targeted by right-wing members who called him a “Hamas sympathizer” and “a terrorist.”
When India had won the ICC World Cup Siraj was targeted when he shared a photograph and wrote a caption thanking Allah. Comments like, “If Allah did this, then Pakistan would have won the cup instead of India,” were passed.
Other Muslim cricketers like Mohammed Shami have also faced similar online abuse from right-wing trolls and were referred to as “Khalistanis” and “Pakistani agents.”
