This reminds me of the furor that erupted when John Lennon proclaimed that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus. That was in 1966, but it caused such a kerfuffle—one I well remember—that it has its own Wikipedia page. You wouldn’t believe how pissed off religious America was!
A similar fracas is brewing in Pakistan, but it’s not really about religion—although it has religious roots. Shahid “Boom Boom” Afridi, captain of the Pakistan national cricket team, put his foot in it last Sunday when he said something really bad—if you’re a jingoistic Pakistani. The Express Tribune reports:
LAHORE: Pakistan T20 cricket team skipper Shahid Afridi was served a legal notice on Monday over his ’more loved in India than Pakistan’ statement.
Afridi on Sunday said during a press conference in Kolkata, the capital of India’s West Bengal state, that his team always enjoyed playing in India and was loved by Indian crowds more than back home. “We have always enjoyed playing in India and have been loved by Indian crowds more than crowds back home in Pakistan. Cricket has always brought people together and I think politics should be kept away from cricket,” he said.
However, his remarks did not settle well with everyone. “Your remarks have hurt the feelings of Pakistanis,” the notice which was sent on the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)’s official address by Judicial Activism Panel Chairman Azhar Saddiq read.
The notice pointed out that establishing diplomatic relations or otherwise is the duty of the government and not of a player, adding the Pakistan team captain should not have issued such a statement.
Further, it demanded Afridi to issue a clarification of his statement otherwise an application would be filed to try him for treason charges under Article 6 of the Constitution.
This would be just another “I’m offended” statement to ignore, save the threat of treason. Of course Afridi will “explain,” and Pakistan can’t afford to lose someone like him. It will all blow over, but the threat of a treason trial is reprehensible. Such is modern-day Pakistan, or should I say medieval Pakistan.
Other cricketers have criticized Afridi as well:
In an interview with a local TV channel, [former Pakistan captain Javed] Miandad described Afridi’s act as shameful.
“These cricketers should be ashamed of themselves for saying such a thing. Shame on you!” said the former skipper.
The 58-year-old said Pakistan should focus on cricket rather than pander to the hosts.
“What have the Indians given us? Speak the truth even while in India. For the last five years what have they given us or done with Pakistan cricket? Having served Pakistan cricket for so many years, I am shocked and hurt to hear such comments from our players,” he said. “The job of this team is to go and play well in India, not make such unnecessary comments.”
And so the animus between Pakistan in India, begun in 1947 with hundreds of thousands slaughtered by each side, goes on. At least it’s over cricket and not borders, for both sides have nuclear weapons. I once thought that if World War III were to begin, it would start between Pakistan and India, but now I think it will begin, if it does, in the Middle East.
h/t: Steve
Yes – & India is becoming more more controlling in its nationalist Hinduism.
PCC[E] may be interested in this new book on India
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/mar/14/incarnations-india-in-50-lives-fifty-sunil-khilnani-review-ghandi-nehru
The crazy reaction to his comments does reek of jingoism – you are right about that. But let me offer some perspective here. Shahid Afridi is in still in the team (despite unsatisfactory performances in recent times) only because he has a huge fan following in Pakistan. People worship him here.
Moreover, the atmosphere in India has been rather hostile towards Pakistani cricketers. They are not even allowed to participate in India’s domestic IPL for example.
So his comments did strike a lot of Pakistanis as rather odd.
I was certainly surprised to hear something like that from a Pakistani cricketer!
I can’t imagine Brendon McCullum saying he was more popular in Australia than NZ. That would cause a bit of a stir too, and make everyone wonder what he was talking about. However, there’d not even be a suggestion of treason.
Either way, I’m looking forward to the tournament, especially because NZ is in such good form! 🙂
You never know quite where discussions on PCC’s website will lead but I certainly never expected it to encompass the likely outcome of a cricket tournament! 🙂
NZ had a big win yesterday against India in the tournament’s opening match! Yippee! The women are having a parallel tournament too, and the NZ women won as well (against Sri Lanka).
I’m certain that, American religious people being the virtuosic hypocrites that they are, most of them could have recited far more Beatles lyrics than scriptural passages.
I wonder how many good Christian teenagers screamed their heads off in ecstasy over The Beatles but not over Jesus?
Most of them? 😉
cr
Would never pass the Treason test in the U.S. but in Pakistan, who knows? If personally offending another person can result in Treason, we would have all kinds of cases going on campuses around the U.S.
Very hard to convict in the U.S. as Thomas Jefferson discovered when he attempted to get Aaron Burr for Treason in 1807. If they had been able to produce some real hard evidence and a couple of witnesses to what Burr was doing, they may have had a chance.
I’m reminded of the furore over Natalie Maines’s comment in a concert in 2003 that she was ‘ashamed the POTUS is from Texas’. (Dubya was about to invade Iraq).
I guess it is to the credit of the US constitutional system that, notwithstanding the public fury, there was never any suggestion of official legal repercussions against the Dixie Chicks.
cr
Honor culture mentality, in which personal identity is equated with the status given to one’s tribe — and vice versa. Insults cause actual harm. Though it’s rather woo-ey, I suppose it could exist without religion. Religion raises the stakes, though.
Cricket is a religion in Pakistan and India. It’s popularity is beyond anything the average USian could imagine.
You are not familiar with football? In fact, half the players are apparently born again. Must be the concussions.
🙂
If my country issued me a notice saying it might try me for treason unless I took back a statement about being liked more somewhere else, I’d be looking to emigrate.
To somewhere they like you more?
“I once thought that if World War III were to begin, it would start between Pakistan and India, but now I think it will begin, if it does, in the Middle East.”
I’d bet on India/Pakistan, then Korea. I don’t expect the Iranians to commit national suicide by attacking Israel.
If WW III started between Pakistan & India, it could be averted by letting it stay just between Pakistan & India. But of course so many other countries would be jumping in on behalf of whichever country was their putative ally…
No countries want to play cricket in Pakistan for fear of terrorism. NZ has not played any cricket there for some time, it is deemed not safe, why?
This sort of thing about does it:
“In 2004 Lashkar-e-Taiba had issued a fatwa against playing cricket, calling it against Islam.”
“12 gunmen were hiding near Liberty Square, in the centre of Lahore, waiting for the Sri Lankan team to pass on their way to the Gaddafi stadium. When the bus crossed the road they started firing, targeting the bus”
Wikipdia.
They have more pressing problems, but life goes on and dissing your own tribe is not cricket.
These laws are depressingly common outside of western Europe and North America. I read about someone being charged for insulting national pride about once per month. Even largely secular Turkey imprisons journalists for ‘insulting Turkishness’ if they criticize government policy or more recently if they criticize/’insult’ Erdoğan. About 1900 people have been sent such legal threats relating to insulting Erdoğan alone. And that’s just one country. I could go on…
To me, this hypersensitivity reaction shows that Mr. Afridi had a point.
Any relation to Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini who won the WBA lightweight title back in the ’80s?
No, but he is a first cousin of Basil ‘Boom Boom’ Brush.
And a distant cousin of Boomer Esiason’s.
Well, it’s cricket in Pakistan and pork barbeque in North Carolinastan, per an op-ed in the NY Times a few days ago.(I wonder if the NC author possibly has any other interests in life. Couldn’t resist “fleaing” and critiquing Michelle Obama on this crucial strategic issue.) They know how to wear it out in NC, and how to wring the most tenuous chest-thumping NC connection out of any event on the planet, however remote. Almost as bad about that TN and TX.
HI! Shahid Afridi is very good player of pakistan.and he is the one who ignore IPl and he does not participate in this biggest tournament.For what.Because he love his country.But pakistanis does not love Afridi they are talking very bad about Shahid Afridi.I am Supporting Him i this tournament