Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger has apologised for liking an Instagram post from Khabib Nurmagomedov which called for ‘the Almighty to disfigure the face’ of French president Emmanuel Macron following his comments about Islam.
Former MMA star Khabib, who is a practicing Muslim, posted a photo of Macron with a boot print on his face after the president alleged that Islam was the source of international terrorism.
Rudiger, also Muslim, liked the post along with his former Germany team-mate Mesut Ozil but both the defender and midfielder have since unliked the photo and the Chelsea man has also issued an apology.
Chelsea’s Muslim defender Antonio Rudiger has apologised for liking a post that called for ‘the Almighty to disfigure the face’ of Emmanuel Macron
The post came from ex-MMA star Khabib Nurmagomedov after Macron’s comments on Islam
‘That was a mistake,’ he told German outlet Bild.
‘Of course, you shouldn’t like articles that are written in languages (originally in Cyrillic) that you don’t understand at all. I reject any kind of violence and would therefore like to distance myself clearly from this content.
‘If there is one overarching topic in my life, then it is the fight against violence and racism, which I also experienced myself.
Khabib (above) is also Muslim and shared a photo of Macron with a boot print over his face
‘Believe me that I will continue to walk this path from the bottom of my heart. Therefore I would like to make it clear once again that I am a firm believer, but also a resolute opponent of all violence.
‘I apologise for this like, which I have since withdrawn. Because of course I don’t support such content as in this Instagram post at all.’
The full post from Khabib read: ‘May the Almighty face of the creature and all his followers who, under the slogan of freedom of speech, insult the feelings of more than one and a half billion Muslim believers.
‘May the Almighty humiliate them in this life, and in the next. Allah is fast in calculation and you will see it. We Muslims love our Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him) more than our mothers, fathers, children wives and all other people close to our hearts. Trust me, these provocations will come out to them sideways, the end is always for the God fearing’
The Germany defender said it had been a mistake and withdrew his original like from the post
Macron’s comments were made after French teacher Samuel Paty, 47, was murdered on his way home from the junior high school he taught at in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, 40 kilometres northwest of Paris.
The French government bestowed the country’s highest honour on the teacher, who had shown images of the prophet Muhammad to schoolchildren in his class before being attacked.
Macron described the murder as an ‘Islamic terrorist attack’ that took the life of the French teacher and later added: ‘Unity and firmness are the only answers to the monstrosity of Islamist terrorism.’
The French president has caused further controversy and was accused of spreading ‘fake news’ after claiming that Muslim girls as young as three are being forced into full-face veils while being ‘raised in hatred of France’s values.’
The French president alleged that Islam was the source of international terrorism following the murder of teacher Samuel Paty in October
He also claimed there were ‘hundreds of radicalised individuals’ who could strike with a knife at any moment.
‘Visit the districts where small girls aged three or four are wearing a full veil,’ the French head of state wrote in a letter published in the Financial Times.
He said all have been ‘separated from boys, and, from a very young age, separated from the rest of society, raised in hatred of France’s values’.
Macron added: ‘Speak to government prefects who are confronted on the ground with hundreds of radicalised individuals, who we fear may, at any moment, take a knife and kill people.
‘This is what France is fighting against — designs of hatred and death that threaten its children — never against Islam.’
The letter was published in the Financial Times after he complained about an opinion piece written by a female Muslim journalist who accused him of spreading hatred against Muslims. The article has since been removed after readers pointed out inaccuracies, the publication said.
There had been claims from the Middle East that Paul Pogba, who converted to Islam in 2011, was set to quit the French national team because of Macron’s comments last month but the Manchester United midfielder slammed the reports as ‘unacceptable fake news’.
The 27-year-old was today named in Didier Deschamps 26-man squad for the upcoming friendly against Finland and UEFA Nations League games with Portugal and Sweden.
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