On Tuesday (March 7), Muslim Twitter users on social media targeted Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan for posing with ‘married, non-hijabi Muslim’ tennis legend, Sania Mirza at her retirement bash.
They lambasted him for putting his hand around her shoulders at a time when she was not wearing her ‘head cover.’ The Islamists also regretted the supposed loss of his ‘Iman (Faith)’ in the teachings of Allah.
Irfan Pathan had uploaded a picture with Sania Mirza on Twitter with the caption, “You have been unstoppable exactly like this song. So proud of your achievement. The real journey starts after retirement, Sania Mirza.” The archived version of the tweet can be accessed here.
“Fame can destroy one’s Faith,” one Dr Muhammad Shahab cried foul.
“I thought your father was a big-time Islamic cleric (suggesting that Irfan Pathan has deserted all ideals of Islam),” wrote one Islamist.
“Shoaib Malik (husband of Sania Mirza), I send you lanat (curse) for pretending to be a Muslim. And this Pathan guy is complete nonsense with no iota of shame. Shame on him for spreading such obscenity,” an Islamist went on a tirade on the micro-blogging platform.
One Mohammed Zakir warned Irfan Pathan to remove his hand from around the shoulder of Sania Mirza. “You make your wife wear hijab but have no qualms in ‘touching’ someone else’s wife,” he wrote.
Earlier in May 2021, Irfan Pathan found himself in hot water when a video accusing him of being in an illicit extra-marital affair went viral on social media. The video depicted Syed Ibrahim, the aged father-in-law of a girl who accused her of being in an illicit affair with the cricketer.
“She has an affair with cricket Irfan Pathan, she sleeps with him”, said Syed Ibrahim in the video. He claimed that his daughter-in-law had confessed to the alleged affair.
Syed Ibrahim, who claimed to be a retired police officer from Ahmedabad, accused Irfan Pathan of putting pressure on his son to let the affair continue. He also alleged that the police are not willing to take their complaint because of the political pressure that Irfan Pathan exerts on prominent officers.