Mohammed Shami: What’s the problem in saying Jai Shri Ram? Say it 1,000 times
Senior Team India Mohammed Shami has stated that he doesn’t see any issue with people chanting Jai Shri Ram slogans. At the same time, he added that he would happily say Allahu Akbar as well if he wanted.
Jai Shri Ram chats reverberated across the country as the Ram Temple in Ayodhya was inaugurated recently by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. While the whole country celebrated the mega event, there were a few stray incidents that raised concerns among some.
At News18 India’s event ‘Chaupal’, Shami was asked a question regarding the targeting of religious minorities in India. Downplaying the concerns, he replied:
“In every religion, you will come across 5 to 10 people who won’t like the person from the opposite religion. I don’t have any objection against it. Like how the topic of Sajda came up… If Ram Mandir is being built, then what’s the problem in saying Jai Shri Ram? Say it 1,000 times. If I want to say Allahu Akbar then I will say it 1,000 times… what difference does it make?”
Meanwhile, a report in the Indian Express also quoted him sharing his views on the Sajda controversy during the 2023 ODI World Cup. As per the report, the 33-year-old, while speaking recently, had slammed claims that he was afraid of doing a Sajda after claiming five wickets in the league match against Sri Lanka.
“I was bowling a fifth over in a row, I think, and was bowling with effort beyond my ability. I was tired. The ball was beating the edge so often, so when I finally got that fifth wicket, I went down on my knees. Someone pushed me, so I moved forward a bit. That photo was widely circulated across social media. People thought I wanted to do Sajdah but didn’t. I’ve got only one advice for them, please stop such nuisance,” the right-arm pacer was quoted as saying.
Shami was the leading wicket-taker at the 2023 World Cup. He claimed 24 scalps in seven matches at an average of 10.71.
Mohammed Shami has not played any match for India since the World Cup
The seasoned right-arm pacer has been out due to an ankle injury since the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup, in which India went down to Australia at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
He was initially named in the Indian squad for the South Africa Tests but was subsequently ruled out as he could not prove his fitness.
Shami was not picked in the Indian squad for the first two Tests of the ongoing series against England and is unlikely to be part of the team for the last three matches as well.