The horrific mass shooting that took place on December 14 at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia shocked the entire country. This is considered to be one of the most horrific incidents in Australia in nearly 30 years, in which 15 people lost their lives. The attack occurred during the Jewish community’s Hanukkah festival, when people were celebrating on the beach. After this painful incident, the family of Australian cricket team player Usman Khawaja also became a victim of hatred and racist comments.
Usman Khwaja’s family received hatred
Usman Khawaja, who comes from the Muslim community and is currently playing the Ashes series, has not publicly reacted to these comments. However, his wife Rachel Khawaja has shared screenshots of some very objectionable messages on social media, in which their innocent daughters were also targeted.
Rachel wrote, “I have collected a small sample of some of the messages we have received over the past week. I wish I could say that this is all new, but the truth is that we have had to face this kind of hate before. After this incident, these comments have increased even more.”
In these messages, his daughters were called with hateful terms like “future school attackers”. Some people even asked the family to “go back” to Pakistan. These comments have once again exposed the Islamophobia and racism present in the society.
Rachel Khawaja appealed to people to remain united, saying, “Today more than ever, it is important that we all stand together. Be it anti-Semitism, Islamophobia or racism. We must not accept any kind of hatred.”
Usman Khawaja and cricket world’s reaction on the attack
Earlier, Usman Khawaja had strongly condemned the Bondi Beach attack. He had written on social media that this incident is heart breaking and people have lost their lives unnecessarily. He expressed condolences to the victims’ families and the Bondi community. Khawaja also shared a statement from the Jewish Council of Australia, which called the attack horrific and shocking.
Cricket Australia (CA) and England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) also issued a joint statement expressing grief over this tragedy. Both boards expressed solidarity with the victims, their families and the Jewish community.
Australian team captain Pat Cummins also expressed deep sorrow over this incident and appealed to the people to donate blood. He said that it is very important to support each other in this difficult time.
