Irfan Pathan posts picture with wife, sparks outrage

Irfan Pathan

All-Rounder Irfan Pathan became the latest victim of misplaced outrage on social media after he posted a photograph with his wife on Facebook earlier yesterday.

The bigotry and animosity that prevails among the different religions are perhaps the biggest threat to society. In India, this is certainly not a new issue. Previously, Mohammed Shami had to face the ire of religious fanatics when he posted a photograph of himself and his wife. The fanatics on social media decided to shame the Indian fast bowler for having insulted Islam.

Much like the same way, Pathan’s picture with his wife sparked a mini outrage on Monday. While the picture, which came with the caption: ‘This girl is trouble #love #wifey’, was a simple gesture of love and affection by Pathan, his followers on Facebook took it upon themselves to remind him of his responsibilities as a Muslim.

It all started when Pathan posted this picture with his wife, Safa Baig:

Within a matter of minutes, all kinds of unwanted comments flooded the post:

Apparently, while the fans were happy that Pathan’s wife was covering her face, they were not too impressed by her showing her arms. Many demanded that Pathan should keep his wife behind the purdah ‘as per the norms of Islam’. Some of them even opined that pictures of Muslim girls should not be put up on social media at all.

It is shocking how the so-called fans reacted. Just a few years back, Pathan was the hero when he was wreaking havoc with the ball and had the Pakistani batsmen on their hunches in Karachi. Today, he is the public enemy #1 for posting a picture with his wife.

It must be difficult to be a celebrity. There are so many Muslim men posting pictures of themselves with their wives and no one raises a finger. However, if a celebrity of the same faith does the same and bam! You have a plethora of committees advising them on what is right and what is wrong.

In Shami’s case, the fast bowler had come out to express his thought about the issue. He took to Twitter and stated that he knew what was best for his family and one must look within themselves to see how good one is. It remains to be seen if Pathan reacts, and if he does, how!