SHANGHAI: English soccer club Arsenal tried on Saturday to distance itself from the comments of its star midfielder Mesut Ozil after he posted messages on Twitter and Instagram critical of China's policies toward its Muslim Uighur minority.
"The content he expressed is entirely Ozil's personal opinion," the official account of Arsenal Football Club said in a post on China's Twitter-like Weibo platform."As a football club, Arsenal always adheres to the principle of not being involved in politics."Ozil's posts called Uighurs"warriors who resist persecution" and criticised both China's crackdown and the silence of Muslims in response.
" Qurans are burned, mosques were closed down, Islamic theological schools, madrasas were banned, religious scholars were killed one by one. Despite all this, Muslims stay quiet," Ozil, who is a Muslim, said in his posts.But replies to Arsenal's Weibo post were angry, with one showing a shredded Ozil soccer jersey next to a pair of scissors and others demanding he be expelled from the club.
Weibo frequently censors discussion of sensitive topics, particularly amid a push by Beijing to clean up its internet. The United Nations and human rights groups estimate that between 1 million and 2 million people, mostly ethnic Uighur Muslims, have been detained in harsh conditions in Xinjiang as part of what Beijing calls an anti-terrorism campaign.
We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:
Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Arsenal's Ozil condemns Muslim silence over UighursArsenal's Mesut Ozil, a German footballer of Turkish origin, on Friday expressed support for Uighurs in Xinjiang and criticised Muslim countries ... Everyone should respect others, while Chinazi fanatics never show respect to any human. We support Ozil! FightForFreedom StandWithHK StandwithUyghurs StandwithTibet. antichinazi Respectable footballer Maybe MesutOzil1088 should start with turkey?
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »
Arsenal's Ozil condemns Muslim silence over UighursArsenal's Mesut Ozil, a German footballer of Turkish origin, on Friday expressed support for Uighurs in Xinjiang and criticised Muslim countries ... Everyone should respect others, while Chinazi fanatics never show respect to any human. We support Ozil! FightForFreedom StandWithHK StandwithUyghurs StandwithTibet. antichinazi Respectable footballer Maybe MesutOzil1088 should start with turkey?
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »
Wall Street slips as investors look for concrete details on trade dealWall Street fell in volatile trading on Friday, as investors remained confused about signs of progress on a U.S.-China trade deal despite comments ...
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »
Wall Street ends near flat after US, China announce trade dealWall Street fell in volatile trading on Friday, as investors remained confused about signs of progress on a U.S.-China trade deal despite comments ... The markets and stock exchange don't believe him either - which gives you pause for thought. Why?
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »
Wall Street steady as US, China announce trade dealWall Street fell in volatile trading on Friday, as investors remained confused about signs of progress on a U.S.-China trade deal despite comments ...
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »
New Zealand Olympic legend Snell dies at age 80Famed New Zealand Olympic middle distance runner Peter Snell has died in Dallas at age 80, the New Zealand Herald reported on Saturday. Wow. This man alone inspired millions to take up athletics. What a legend Peter Snell was. RIP the king
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »