WHILE plying his trade in the English Premier League, the Egyptian-born Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah, fondly called Mo Salah, has built quite a reputation for himself as someone who regularly ventures out of his comfort zone. Pep Lijnders, an assistant manager at Liverpool, said of him recently in Dubai, United Arab Emirates: “Look, if you see Mo Salah being concentrated from the first minute of training until the last minute, showing his dribbling skills, his unpredictability, being a leader, speaking with the young kids— I can only say so far, so good. He is the guy who goes out of his comfort zone. Nothing good happens in the comfort zone, so he goes out of it all the time. He left Egypt, it wasn’t easy— a bit of setbacks and with time and with his character and with his personality, he became a leader, in my opinion. Not just a leader on the pitch, but a leader in the dressing room. He’s such an example for the world: how the world could look and how he deals with situations.”
Linjders is right on the money. Salah is one of football’s biggest stars, a hard-working striker whose skills are simply mesmerizing. Yet beyond football he comes across as a compassionate, peaceful personality who cannot bear to see others around him suffer indignity or anguish. Alas, the dilemma being confronted by the Egyptian superstar in a hostile world of religious intolerance and animosity where free spirits are constantly in peril is such a huge one. For years, the Pharaohs of Egypt’s captain has been celebrating Christmas despite being a staunch Muslim. He is the kind of personality who has great respect for other religions and recognises the role of religious harmony in human affairs. Naturally, while millions of people around the world rightly hold him in good esteem, he has often come under threat from fanatics. Salah is apprised of the fact that whether we are Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, adherents of African Traditional Religions or other faiths, we all share a common humanity.
Sadly, the world we live in is a wicked one, and many lives have been ruined due to lack of love, harmony, understanding and tolerance. That should not continue to be the case. In Nigeria, there are great examples of clerics of the Islamic faith who have never stopped showing love to Christians, and vice versa. Indeed, an Islamic cleric once saved scores of Christians from certain death during a riot in Plateau State. The celebration of Eid-el-Kabir by Christians and the celebration of Christmas by devout Muslims across the country are steps that must be encouraged. Adherents of different faiths should be seen simply as neighbours and fellow citizens, not enemies.
Harangued by fanatics, Mo Salah has only been demonstrating his goodwill, not abandoning his faith as some erroneously assert. His laudable example is one that should be emulated and commended to all, especially the very many who continue to wallow in religious intolerance and animosity. While some people continue to ignorantly condemn him for his efforts to stoke religious harmony in the world, it is comforting that a great population of commentators have come to see and acknowledge him as a model for humanity. The world needs love, harmony, understanding and tolerance and less divisions if it is to have peace and development. And it is the kind of goodwill displayed by Salah that could help foster the atmosphere of peace in the world. Salah has submitted that he remains a Muslim and is not out to abandon his faith, only that he sees and validates the need to share a common humanity with adherents of other faiths. Nigerians should take a cue from his great example and shun religious intolerance going forward. This would ensure peace and development in the country.
We salute Mo Salah for his great example and wish him more successes in his already glittering career.
