"Pride in Islam"...

Tonight is Morocco v France, the second semi-final, to see who will play Argentina in Sunday’s grand final. I’ll be rooting for the Moroccan team (supporting the underdogs, in any sporting contest, is a trait I inherited from my dad). A short article in today’s Guardian is entitled “Morocco’s pride in Islam should inspire us all”. The writer rhapsodises, rightly, about what the occasion will mean for Morocco and the Moroccan diaspora, dispersed around the world.

So far, so good. But then he continues. “There is no World Cup of discrimination nor should there be; every minority and every ethnic group has its challenges, and the way these are overcome is with unity not rivalry. But anyone whose eyes are prepared to see knows that Muslims are persecuted in many nations. And as with many forms of prejudice, it is women who often bear the brunt”.

Hmmm… there is nothing in Islam about this kind of unity. Even before they open the Quran, or lick a finger to turn a page, Muslims know that paradise is reserved for fellow Muslims. For the rest of us - atheists, agnostics, Hindus, Christians, Jains, etc - the fires of hell are stoked. As for women “bearing the brunt" of Islamophobia, the Quran is the source - not the solution - of this kind of discrimination.

The writer swoons. "To see Moroccan players paying homage to Allah before applying Allah’s teaching to pay homage to their mothers - who were wearing hijab! At the game! On global television! - was not only beautiful, moving and uplifting, but important".

This match is the first occasion that an African country has reached the semi-final of the World Cup. That’s something worth celebrating. But the “unity” and inclusiveness of Islam? Not so much. And instead of the "beauty" of the hijab, I see coercion, oppression and control...