Australia batter Usman Khawaja has opened up again on the ongoing controversies over his shoes with pro-Palestine slogans and then, the armband he wore in the first Test against Pakistan in Perth. The 36-year-old had initially planned to wear the shoes with the slogans reading, “All lives are equal” and “Freedom is a human right” to raise awareness of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. But abiding by the ICC regulations, he dropped his plan but wore a black armband.
Usually, black bands are donned to mark the deaths of former players or other significant individuals, but they need permission from the national board and the ICC. In Khawaja’s case, the governing body found it a breach of their clothing and equipment regulations.
“Usman displayed a personal message (armband) during the first Test match against Pakistan without seeking the prior approval of Cricket Australia and the ICC to display it, as required in the regulations for personal messages,” the ICC said late Thursday.
Speaking about the matter at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Friday, an emotional Khawaja said he didn’t have any agendas and felt like his responsibility to speak up on Gaza unrest.
“I don’t have any agendas other than to shine a light on what I feel very passionate and strong about. I’m trying to do it in the most respectful way possible. What I wrote on my shoes, I thought about it for a while. I made sure I didn’t want to segregate different parts of the population, religious beliefs and community. I wanted it to be really broad because I’m speaking about humanitarian issues. I’m talking about article one in the Unified Declaration of Human Rights. The reason I’m doing it is because it hit me hard,” Khawaja said in a video shared on his Instagram profile.
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“I told Nick that when I’m looking at my Instagram and seeing innocent kids, videos of them dying, passing away, that’s what hit me the hardest. I just imagine my young daughter in my arms and the same thing. I get emotional talking about it again. I don’t have any hidden agendas.
“If anything this brings up more negativity towards me…I don’t get anything out of this. I just feel like it’s my responsibility to speak up on this. We live in such a beautiful country. I’m blessed to live in Australia. I can walk outside, don’t have to worry about a thing. My kids can do the same. I just want that for the rest of the world,” he added.
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