Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja registers Gaza protest wearing black armband
Khawaja was asked by Cricket Australia to adhere to rules set by ICC and not wear shoes bearing slogans
December 14, 2023
After being warned against wearing shoes displaying rights-based slogans, Australian batter Usman Khawaja took a different route to register his protests against Israel's brutalities on Palestinians in Gaza.
The 36-year-old Pakistan-born cricketer decided to stage a muted protest during Australia's first Test match against Pakistan at Perth today.
Khawaja, after being told to adhere to the rules set by the International Cricket Council, wore a black armband and taped up messages on his shoes.
The opening batsman had wanted to wear shoes emblazoned with the hand-written slogans "Freedom is a human right" and "All lives are equal" during the match at Perth.
But Pakistan-born Khawaja, who is Muslim, was told that it flouted ICC rules on messages that relate to politics, religion or race.
With Cricket Australia saying it expected the players to uphold the rules, Khawaja covered over the slogans with semi-transparent tape leaving the words — in the colour of the Palestinian flag — visible only in close-up.
According to local media, Cricket Australia said Khawaja was wearing the armband as a show of solidarity.
Thousands of Gazans have been martyred in the 10-week-old war, which sparked after Hamas's surprise attack on different Jewish kibbutz on October 7.
In a video Khawaja recently shared on Instagram, he asked: "Do people not care about innocent humans being killed?"
Khawaja has vowed to fight the ban on his footwear, calling it "a humanitarian appeal".
He doubled down on his stance just before going in to bat in the first Test on Thursday.
"I just think that so much has happened in the past that sets a precedent," Khawaja told Fox Cricket.
"Other guys that have religious things on their equipment, under the ICC guidelines that's not technically allowed, but the ICC never says anything on that," he added.
Australian captain Pat Cummins said he was "really proud" of his teammate and of other squad members who had spoken up for what they believe in.
— With additional input from AFP
