Antonio Rüdiger,Real Madrid’s Germany international centre-back, has filed a complaint with the Berlin public prosecutor’s office against journalist Julian Reichelt for linking a gesture in a photo of him to the terrorist group ISIS.
“For all those who do not want to recognise Antonio Rüdiger’s Islamist salute as an Islamist salute: the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution calls this gesture “the ISIS finger” and sees the index finger as a clear sign of Islamism,” Reichelt posted on his social media.
The image Reichelt complains about is an innocent post by Rüdiger as a greeting to Ramadan.
“May the Almighty accept our fasting and prayers”. Now, the defender has given a word in ‘Bild’ where he explains what happened.
“The gesture I used is called a tawhid finger. In Islam, this is considered a symbol of the unity and oneness of God. The gesture is widespread among Muslims all over the world and only in the last few days has the Federal Ministry of the Interior classified it as non-problematic,” he says.
Rudiger acknowledges his religion, but gives some nuances
“As a devout Muslim, I practise my faith, but I firmly distance myself from any kind of extremism and accusations of Islamism. Violence and terrorism are absolutely unacceptable. I stand for peace and tolerance.
Different faiths live together in his family. “Many of my family members belong to different religions. However, we respect each other and celebrate religious holidays together. Respect and tolerance are fundamental principles that we all stand for in our family,” he added.
“However, I also recognise that due to insufficient attention, I have given third parties the opportunity to deliberately misinterpret my publication in order to divide and polarise. But I will not provide a platform for division and radicalisation, which is why I have decided to make a clear statement after our two successful international matches.
“At the same time, I will not allow myself to be insulted and denigrated as an Islamist. That’s why I decided to file a report,” adds the German national team player.
Rüdiger breaks his silence in ‘Bild’ after gesture linking him to ISIS: “I have given third parties the opportunity to misinterpret”.
“It’s all about propaganda and division; I will always resolutely defend myself against this. I hope this clarification will help to clear up misunderstandings and bring the truth to light. I would also like to thank the DFB, who supported me all the way in this matter,” he concluded.
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