What Muslims can learn from Football Fans

Very thought provoking article on "glorification of terrorism" below, taken from Stop Political Terror

You’ll Never Walk Alone - What Muslims can learn from Football Fans

By Fahad Ansari

13th Apr 2006

Last May, British football fans rejoiced as Steven Gerrard raised the European Cup after Liverpool had defeated Italian giants AC Milan in a gripping penalty shoot-out. The glory was all the more remarkable in that Liverpool had overcome a three goal deficit to bring the match to penalties. Those of us with a few grey hairs on our heads may recall Muhammad Ali’s 1974 knockout defeat of the then unbeaten champion George Foreman in Kinshasa following eight rounds of pummeling by Foreman. And I am sure all of us can remember some personal incident where a small child finally stood up to the school bully and beat him senseless.

In all these instances, Liverpool, Ali and the bullied schoolboy were the underdogs who seemed down and out with no chance of survival. Yet amazingly they all fought back like lions to not only hold their own against their opponents but go on to emerge victorious from the battlefield. What was it that moved these wounded soldiers to rise to their feet and turn agony into ecstasy? Ability? No doubt. But what was it that motivated them to simply believe they could fight another day and envisage the coming victory? The answer is simple – their supporters.

It is the supporters, the followers, the fans, who through their energy, enthusiasm and indomitable spirit imbue passion into their heroes, thus operating as the catalyst to victory. Passion is contagious and when supporters display passion in their encouragement, it has an almost magnetic effect upon the team causing them to inject passion into their own efforts on the field. It is not completely illogical to assume that had these supporters gone quiet and walked away abandoning their heroes while they suffering, they would have been defeated and in the schoolboy’s case, crushed.

Now, jihad today is a bit like sport where you’re backing the underdog – you have a team of individuals, usually amateurs, taking on a better equipped, better paid, professional outfit with a terrifying track record and who aren’t afraid to bend the rules of the game when it suits them. And we have a number of teams playing ‘home’ games today in a number of arenas around the world – Palestine, Chechnya, Iraq, Afghanistan, Kashmir, Ogaden, and the Philippines to name but a few. Traditionally, Muslims have been brilliant supporters – roaring their support for their favourite teams, flying their flags, wearing their t-shirts, purchasing merchandise and occasionally even traveling to watch a live game.

This support has been instrumental to many of the victories our teams have had in recent years. Knowing that their supporters around the globe are fully behind them instills in them the belief that they can emerge victorious. Seeing images of millions of people around the world on the streets demonstrating in support of them empowers them to keep the struggle alive. Discovering that some supporters have been banned from the stadium for singing too loudly only strengthens their conviction that we are all wearing the same shirt.

The British government has also realised this; the new offence of ‘glorification of terrorism’ which came into force this week aims to silence us supporters. Its objective is to weaken the team’s morale by emptying the stadium and gagging the fans. Symbolic of the sheer hypocrisy of this entire game, it will not be a crime to root for the ‘away’ teams – Israel in Palestine, Russia in Chechnya, India in Kashmir and the US and UK in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Muslims in Britain and around the world need to wake up to the reality of this new law which aims to cut us off from our brothers and sisters suffering and struggling around the world. If we are too unskilled, untalented and cowardly to try and break into the team, we should at least remain defiant and steadfast in our support. This is not an option but an obligation. Allah (swt) commands us in the Qur’an to “incite the believers” to fight (4:84) so let us continue to do so. Let us not be silenced by this blatant effort to divide the Ummah even further. Let us continue to celebrate victories where the oppressors in Palestine, Chechnya and elsewhere are defeated and humiliated. Let us encourage our brothers and sisters to carry out even greater acts of resistance against their oppressors. Let us glorify those who fight and die in the way of Allah as Allah glorifies them in His book, the Qur’an.

No team needs fair-weather fans – their fickleness means they are universally despised by both the home and away teams. What are needed is committed, dedicated and loyal supporters, prepared to stick with the team through thick and thin. So let us be proud of our team and assist them in these difficult times. Let us remember that at the end of the day our team has the best manager in the business. So stand up, be proud and adopt the ultimate anthem of Liverpool supporters, “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”

By Fahad Ansari

Islamic Human Rights Commission