We have talked and will talk a lot more about the huge upgrade that Muhammad Salah has made in his ability since joining Liverpool and making him, according to many, the best player in the world today. The Egyptian is probably the symbol of the Mighty Reds’ most successful era in the Premier League, having won with the club its first championship after 30 years and the Champions League, and has already become a true legend at Anfield. But today, we’ll talk about Penn after his career.
Muhammad Salah is a Muslim. But they are of course not exciting news. But he is a Muslim who has become one of the most recognizable and beloved footballers in the world, at a time when the cultural clash between Islam and Western culture is greater than ever. He comes from Egypt, the largest and most glorious Arab country in the world, and alongside the professional process he went through, he also went through a fascinating cultural process, causing a real revolution in the city in which he plays. As with any revolution, of course involving religion, it also provoked anger. Let’s try to examine this.
For quite a few football fans in Israel, Muhammad Salah is first and foremost a Basel striker who in 2013 refused to shake hands with Maccabi Tel Aviv players, teasing them after scoring. The Egyptian suddenly became perhaps the most hated footballer on the Israeli audience. Salah’s move was rare on the football fields, probably in a factory like the Champions League qualifiers. Added to this were the Egyptian’s alleged statements that he intended to “get to play in Palestine, and not in Israel,” a quote he denied in real time, but it was already too late.
In fact, the dilemma of football fans in Israel, some of them even Liverpool fans, whether to support Salah in recent years, is a real dilemma that accompanies quite a few of them. But alongside the same disrespectful act of the Egyptian in 2013, in recent years we are seeing his real distancing from any political involvement, and a fascinating process in which he is getting closer and closer to the West.
Studies prove – significantly reduced Islamophobia
What Muhammad Salah did in the city of Liverpool can easily be called a revolution. It’s not just on the pitch. Numerous studies have shown that the Egyptian’s ability has significantly reduced the effects of Islamophobia and xenophobia in which the port city has been “blessed” over the years.
According to a study by Stanford University that has examined hate incidents in the city of Liverpool since 2017, already in its first two years acts of violence stemming from racism against Muslims in the city have dropped by about 20 percent. Anti-Muslim reactions on the networks have dropped by more than 50 percent. On whom to study, the decline in hate crimes against Muslims is the largest decline of all types of crime not only in the city of Liverpool, but in the whole province.
“If he scores a few more, I’ll become a Muslim too,” became a common song in the Anfield stands, and of course his nickname “King of Egypt.” The use of this language is almost inconceivable in a city like Liverpool, and to one of Stanford’s research operations, William MarbleThere was an explanation for the issue.
“Muhammad Salah has become the most talked about man in Liverpool. He is loved in every city. People understand that Salah’s ‘people’, Muslims, are part of the landscape and they are welcome to live in the city. His ability, his goals, and the love he receives from the crowd sends a clear message. “A world of racism is not accepted with understanding in Liverpool.”
The change that Salah has led in the city is felt everywhere, it is not just a statistic. In 2015, there was a small commotion in Anfield when a significant amount of local fans mocked Muslim fans who were praying near the stadium. In 2018 however, in the Champions League semi-final against Rome, Liverpool fans have already passed by Muslims who prayed, greeted them and sang in Salah’s praise. “We did not believe it was happening to us, it was unprecedented,” said at the time Salim Qassam, a fan of the team who was at the game.
Muslim lite
But as we have said and as one might have guessed, in a world as complicated as the world in which we live, and certainly on sensitive issues like religion and the Arab-Western world relations, not everything is simple. Muhammad Salah, and this is clear to everyone, is “easy to digest.” He is a Muslim and certainly not ashamed of it, and faithfully represents the Egyptian team, but there are those who do not like his approach to Western culture, and in a number of cases it has threatened to provoke a real explosion in his country.
Since that incident in 2013 against Maccabi Tel Aviv, Salah has been moving away like wildfire from any interference in political issues. In the image of Salah.
In recent years, the Egyptian has made sure to post every year a photo on his Instagram account, in which he is photographed with his whole family celebrating Christmas, dressed in the best holiday clothes, with the traditional Christmas tree. Every year anew, the picture “wins” a host of harsh insults and reactions from people who call Salah someone who has betrayed the values of Islam and succumbed to Western culture.
Similar reviews were voiced following an interview he conducted last year. Salah said he did not drink alcohol, but according to extremists in Islam, “was not determined enough against this custom.” The fact that he was photographed for GQ exaggerations in “provocative” photos and a number of photos in which his daughter was seen “not properly dressed” for a Muslim, also contributed to the heated debate in Egypt.
Mohamed Salah & Alessandra Ambrosio for GQ Middle East.
Behind the scenes pic.twitter.com/2s5tONFQjn
– Joffin (@JosphineMamdouh) October 11, 2019
Mohamed Salah. Football legend. Fashion icon.
(via British GQ) pic.twitter.com/jrRhAUe1Wv
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) January 11, 2022
And here, we come to the most explosive subject. Politics, Israel and Palestine. During Operation Wall Guard, we saw record involvement of Muslim footballers in the conflict. Names like Sadio Mana, Paul Pogba and Riyad Mahraz, some of the best players in the world, were not ashamed to express their opinions, celebrated with Palestinian flags and raised tweets of support on the side they see as a victim of the conflict.
Salah, who is considered the pride of the Arab world, was much more cautious. He was one of the last footballers to speak on the subject, and chose a tweet that provoked quite a bit of anger. “I call on world leaders to use their power to make sure that the violence and killing of innocent people is stopped.” Without the use of the word Israel, Palestine, and without any political identification.
Hani Muhammad, an Egyptian journalist, published a fascinating article about a year ago, in which he harshly criticizes the reactions of the local public against Salah, and attributes this to the strengthening of the “Salafi” faction, an extremist faction in Islam in the Egyptian public. This is a strict and extreme current, which does not approve of approaching the West. Salah, for the rest of his life, can in no way satisfy the demands and “standards” of those clerics.
But despite the criticism and anger he arouses among certain currents, it is clear to all that Muhammad Salah has found the “Golden Way.” He is not ashamed of his Islam, he is the most famous Muslim footballer in the world, and he does it his way. His distance from politics and his approach to the West, do the best service to his country and religion. Muhammad Salah made a real revolution on the field, but no less than that, a real revolution on a much larger issue, the relations of the Arab and Western world. How many footballers can boast such success?
I’m very honoured to be a global cover for GQ magazine. Thanks to everyone who worked so hard to make this happen… pic.twitter.com/tvdA8C5QIa
— Mohamed Salah (@MoSalah) January 16, 2022