“Again and again” – it’s almost becoming a Christmas tradition: Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah has once again indirectly triggered a mega-shitstorm on social media! And all because he posted a snapshot showing him, his wife and his two children – all devout Muslims – lying in front of a brightly lit Christmas tree. Caption: “Merry Christmas!” Reason enough for parts of the Muslim community around the globe to ” bestow” criticism on the Egyptian for his alleged affront to Islam …
One thing you can’t blame Salah for is caving in to his critics and extremists. The 29-year-old star striker had already made similar posts in the previous years 2020 and 2019 – with similar backlash from particularly devout Muslims.
“Every year you have the same kind of an issue: do you want to provoke the feelings of Muslims who support you all over the world?”
“There are only two major feasts in Islam, no more and no less! It is ‘haram’ to celebrate Christmas because it contradicts what Allah proclaims. The fact that we believe in Jesus does not mean that we celebrate Christmas!”, says @misfermo2.
User @HamzaQ__ again doesn’t dwell long on arguments, but simply issues an instruction to act: “Delete this immediately!”
Admittedly: Many, many followers also defended Salah for his Christmas greetings – against repeated lectures about what a Muslim should and should not do. “I absolutely love this! Mo Salah is a great example of someone who builds bridges without worrying about the clamour. The world needs more Mo Salahs!” wrote @Mobyhaque1, for example.
And @Omardmq calls on his fellow Muslims to be more calm: “I am a Muslim, I love my religion, I love Mo Salah and I love Christmas trees! Why are you all bothered by a simple symbol? It’s just a tree with some fancy lights. Come on people, calm down. A tree doesn’t change a person’s faith!”