Troubled to convert her 20s into 30s in T20 , the star batter of the India’s women cricket team, Jemimah Rodrigues decided to convert people from other faiths. Khar Gymkhana, one of the oldest clubs of Mumbai canceled the membership of Jemimah Rodrigues after they found that her father, Ivan Rodrigues was using the club premises to host religious conversion events. Following the development, several old videos of Jemimah Rodrigues have surfaced on social media, where she is seen actively ‘participating’ in evangelical events.
Ivan Rodrigues, father of Jemimah is a cricket coach who allegedly held a total of around 35 events under Brother Manuel Ministries, an evangelical organization in the club’s presidential hall over 18 months, where attempts were made to convert people. Though Khar Gymkhana invited Jemimah to be a club member and use its facilities last year, the club’s bye-laws prohibit religious activities, prompting the club to hold a general body meeting on October 20, 2024, where members voted to cancel her membership. If Jemimah Rodrigues was a muslim and could have multiplied herself, she could have taken a perfect shape of the Pakistan’s Cricket Team.
Pakistan Cricket Team
The world has often been harsh towards the Pakistan Cricket Team. From seasoned cricket analysts to young fans, criticism flows readily, especially for their subpar fielding performances. But have we ever paused to ask why Pakistan’s fielding often falls short? Unfortunately, it is a mark of a cruel world—it delights in witnessing failure but rarely seeks to understand or empathize with the reasons behind it. Instead of analyzing the challenges or circumstances contributing to these shortcomings, many are quick to condemn without reflection.
If the world truly understood the underlying reasons for the Pakistan Cricket Team’s subpar fielding performance, it would likely refrain from mocking them. It is essential for society to recognize the truth: during their fielding practice sessions, the team engages in classes with Maulvis to learn how to promote Islam and convert non-Muslims. This focus on religious education diverts attention from their training, ultimately impacting their performance on the field.
Let us see how Pakistan cricketers have executed their teachings-
Discrimination against Danish Kaneria-
Danish Kaneria, Pakistan’s second Hindu cricketer many a times has mentioned the religious discrimination he faced within the Pakistani cricket team for being a Hindu. He has mentioned that some teammates refused to eat with him solely because he was Hindu. This was confirmed by Shoib Akhtar on a chat show. He also revealed that some of his Pakistani teammates, including Shahid Afridi, persistently pressured him to convert to Islam. Despite his talent and performance on the field, Kaneria was never fully supported by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), which, he claims, discriminated against him because of his faith. Akhtar also recalled how religious prejudice influenced former cricketer Yousuf Youhana’s conversion from Christianity to Islam, further highlighting the systemic discrimination faced by non-Muslim players in Pakistan.
Discrimination against Yousuf Yohana-
Yousuf Yohana (now Md Yousuf) ,originally a Christian, was compelled to convert to Islam after enduring significant discrimination from his Pakistani teammates and the management. His parents strongly opposed his decision and requested him not to change his faith. Former cricketer Rashid Latif once commented, “Yousuf Yohana faced a great deal of bullying. He was also an incredibly talented player.” Shoib Akhtar too confirmed the discrimination Yousuf Yohana had to go through for being a Christian.
Saqlain Mushtaq-
The former Pakistan’s right arm off-break spinner who is known for inventing Doosra, had come out with his “Doosra” invention where he invented that converting to Islam doubles down the batting average of an individual. To back his claim he cited the example of Mohammad Yusuf. He claimed that the batting average of Mohammad Yusuf was close to 40 when he was a Christian but then jumped up to 80 after he accepted Islam.
Saeed Anwar-
Former Pakistani left-handed batsman in the meeting spoke vile against non muslims. He asked muslims to keep it as a duty to convert non-muslims as they are going to be incinerated in hell fire upon death. Saeed Anwar said “ “There are 6 billion non-Muslims in the world, all of whom are believed to face eternal punishment in hellfire. It is considered the duty of Muslims to save them by guiding them toward conversion to Islam”
Ahmed Shehzad-
A video featuring Ahmed Shehzad, the former Pakistani opener surfaced where he could be asking Sri Lankan Batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan to accept Islam. In the video he could be seen saying “If you are a non-Muslim and you turn Muslim, no matter whatever you do in your life, straight to heaven.”
Inzamam-ul-Haq-
Former Pakistan Captain and one of the finest batsman in the history of Pakistan cricket Inzamam-ul-Haq in an interview said that if Muslims started showing their Muslimism, no one in the entire earth will remain non-muslim. Inzamam-ul-Haq once revealed how the Pakistani dressing room served as a space for spreading Islam. He mentioned that Indian Muslim cricketers were invited to listen to a mullah in the Pakistani dressing room and even claimed that Harbhajan Singh had come close to converting to Islam.
Mohammad Yousuf–
Mohammad Yousuf, who converted to Islam from Christianity once mentioned that no non-Muslim could ever enter Jannat, while even the worst Muslim criminal would ultimately be granted entry by Allah.
Imran Khan-
Former Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan, G Parthasarathy once revealed that Former Pakistan cricket captain and former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan viewed matches against India not as mere sporting contests but as a form of jihad. He shared that a Pakistani journalist had asked Imran how he managed to bowl with such intensity against India. Imran reportedly responded, “Whenever I play against India, I don’t see it as just a game; I think of Kashmir and approach it as a jihad.”
Shoib Akhtar-
Shoaib Akhtar, the former Pakistani fast bowler, once expressed support for the Islamist notion of ‘Ghazwa-e-Hind,’ a prophecy suggesting Islamic forces will conquer Kashmir and invade India. He referenced Islamic scriptures, claiming it is foretold that the river in Attock will run red with blood twice. According to Akhtar, forces from Afghanistan will reach Attock, and reinforcements from regions like Uzbekistan, referred to as Khorasan, will join the battle. He stated that these forces would first conquer Kashmir and then, inshallah, proceed further into India. Shoib Akhtar also endorsed the 2 Nation Theory in a cricket show organised by Aaj Tak.
Waqar Yunus-
In 2021, Pakistan defeated India in a T20 cricket match in the group stage of the T20 World Cup. Md Rizwan who was the opening batsman offered namaz in the cricket ground in mid of the match. Following this, former Pakistani fast bowler Waqar Younis after the match, in live television stated that Md Rizwan performing namaz in front of thousands of Hindus was the most memorable thing for him in the match.
Mohammad Rizwan – Mohammad Rizwan in a press conference in Pakistan stated that Pakistani cricketers are the brand ambassador of Islam before Pakistan. He said “I believe that a human being is a brand ambassador of two things. If a person is a Muslim, he represents Islam wherever he goes. 2nd thing he is a brand ambassador of Pakistan. It doesn’t matter what anyone says.”
Also Md Rizwan on 5th of February wrote on twitter “Mera dil, duaaain or dard Kashmir or Kashmirio k saath hai. Allah pak ap sab k liye be-inteha asaani karain, Ameen. #Kashmirsolidarityday” which roughly translates to “My heart, prayers and pain are with Kashmir and Kashmiris. May Allah Pak make it easy for all of you, Ameen. #KashmirSolidarityDay”. Md Rizwan had to face the wrath of Indians for his propaganda tweet for Kashmir.
Shahid Afridi-
Former Pakistani all-rounder Shahid Afridi has repeatedly attempted to spread propaganda against Kashmir and has not shied away from expressing his disdain for Hindus and Hinduism. In an old video, he can be heard stating that he broke his TV after seeing his daughter imitate an ‘aarti’ scene from an Indian television show. When asked by the anchor if he had ever destroyed a TV in anger, Afridi admitted, “Yes, I once broke the TV because of my wife. There were many popular Star Plus dramas at the time. I used to tell my wife to watch them alone and not let the kids watch. One day, I walked out of my room and saw one of my children mimicking an ‘aarti’ scene from a Star Plus show. I saw that and smashed the TV against the wall.” Former Hindu Pakistani spinner Danish Kaneria also alleged that Shahid Afridi discriminated against him and tried to forcefully convert him.
Hope the world will come to know the struggles Pakistani Cricketers have made to spread Islam in every corner of earth and this cost them their fielding!!!!! Also lets hope that our Desh Ki Beti Jemimah Rodrigues too someday achieve the same feat like Pak cricketers without much compromising on her fielding!!!