Out of favour Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil has revealed the best way to 'disarm' Islamophobia and silence the 'anti-Islamists'.
Ozil believes 'islamophobia' and 'anti-islamism' is growing in Europe and in other parts of the world with media playing a big role in that. According to the midfielder, the best way to tackle the situation is by "responding to Islamophobia & Anti-islamism in a way that will not reinforce it, but rather disarm and silence it with kindness".
Last month, Ozil penned an emotional note to the fans expressing his disappointment at being left out of the Premier League squad. Ozil, however, promised that it will not change his mindset.
Ozil, who has not played for Arsenal since March 7, was left out of both the Europa League and domestic lists. That means, the 32-year-old will not be available until at least January and has most likely played his last match for the club.
The German midfielder, however, believes that Arsenal's tie-up with China resulted in his exclusion from the Premier League and Europa League squads. In December 2019, Ozil launched a scathing attack on the Chinese government for allegedly mistreating the Uyghur Muslims in the Xinjiang province. It was a statement which was quickly disowned by Arsenal but managed to have a damaging effect on the club's commercial business.
Following Ozil's comment, Arsenal's Premier League fixture against Manchester City on the next day was not broadcasted by the Chinese CCTV. The Chinese foreign ministry and the Chinese FA also condemned Ozil's comments.
Ozil was no longer a part of the Chinese editions of Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) video game. His account from the Chinese social media platform Weibo was erased.
The midfielder's exclusion from the squads could be the 'Arsenal' way of repairing the relationship with China, where the club owns a restaurant chain and have an official lottery partner and vehicle provider.
Accusing Arsenal of disloyalty, Ozil pledged to use his global profile to fight against inhumanity.
The publishers permit sharing of the paper's PDF on WhatsApp and other social media platforms.)