Australian PM praises Usman Khawaja for showing 'courage' to support people of Gaza

Usman Khawaja made headlines recently after he was denied from expressing his support for people of Gaza. The Australian cricketer was barred from wearing shoes that featured hand-written slogans like “Freedom is a human right” and “All lives are equal” during the first Test in Perth against Pakistan. Australian Prime Minister (PM) Anthony Albanese has now praised Khawaja for showcasing valiance and courage in fighting to express his solidarity with the victims of warfare in Gaza. “I’d like to congratulate [Khawaja] for the courage he has shown standing up for human values. He has shown courage, and the fact that the team has backed him in is a great thing. When Ussie and Dave go out, it will be a very special moment, when you walk on to the SCG,” Albanese said. Pakistan-born Khawaja was spotted in a training session with the phrase “All lives are equal” and “Freedom is a human right” written on his Nike-branded footwear. Khawaja would have breached the International Cricket Council's (ICC) rules had he worn those shoes during the match against Pakistan. The 37-year-old also posted a video saying, “The ICC have told me that I can’t wear my shoes on field, because they believe it’s a political statement under their guidelines. I don’t believe it is. I will respect their view and decision but I will fight it and seek to gain approval.” “All Lives are Equal. Freedom is a Human right. I’m raising my voice for human rights. For a humanitarian appeal. If you see it any other way. That’s on you,” read the caption of the post shared on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

All Lives are Equal. Freedom is a Human right. I'm raising my voice for human rights. For a humanitarian appeal. If you see it any other way. That's on you... pic.twitter.com/8eaPnBfUEb

— Usman Khawaja (@Uz_Khawaja) December 13, 2023

During the second Test, he was stopped from displaying dove logo on his bat. He then hit back at ICC for showing double standards while posting photos of many cricketers with logos on their bat towards a cause. The batter eventually wore shoes with the names of his daughters on them. On the field, he was in sublime form in the opening Test. The Aussie batter played a stupendous knock of 90 runs in Perth. The hosts had won that match by a massive margin of 360 runs. The Pat Cummins-led side extended their lead in the Test series by beating Pakistan by 79 runs in the second Test.