NEW DELHI: After India’s squad was crushed by arch-rivals Pakistan in the cricket T20 World Cup, bowler Mohammed Shami, India’s only Muslim player in the current line-up, received a barrage of social media abuse.
Violence against Muslims was also recorded in India following Pakistan’s impressive 10-wicket triumph over India on Sunday, the country’s first win against India in any World Cup.
Cricket matches between Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan frequently exacerbate tensions between the neighbors, who have fought three wars since their independence in 1947.
Even though India captain Virat Kohli admitted that his team had been “outplayed,” the 31-year-old Shami became the major target following the defeat in Dubai.
Hundreds of messages were posted on Shami’s Instagram account, accusing him of being a “traitor” who should be kicked from the Indian squad.
Many fans and politicians, however, advocated support for him, urging Indian players to reject the hate messages in the same way that they had supported the Black Lives Matter movement by taking a knee.
Omar Abdullah, a former chief minister in Illegally Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), said on Twitter “Team India your BLM knee-taking counts for nothing if you can’t stand up for your teammate who is being horribly abused and trolled on social media.”
Another supporter on Instagram said, “Ignore the haters, most of India’s grateful for your effort.”
Following the spectacular victory, people fired celebration gunshots in Islamabad and Karachi, while hundreds of people in IIOJK lit firecrackers.
Former India Test cricketer Gautam Gambhir, who is now an MP for the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, called the celebrations of Pakistan’s victory “shameful.”
IIOJK students alleged they were beaten up in Punjab state.
According to a student at an engineering and technology university, as they watched the last phases of the game, dozens of men armed with hockey sticks and batons attacked them. The student told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity that “They entered our room, switched off the lights and beat us. They destroyed our laptops.”
The game also triggered unrest in neighboring Bangladesh. According to media reports, two Pakistani supporters were thrashed by Indian fans as they celebrated the victory in one southern district.
