Harun Nasrullah
Australian cricket star Usman Khawaja has revealed his mother was subjected to vile, Islamophobic abuse during last year’s Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground because she was wearing a hijab.
In a powerful and emotional account, Khawaja detailed how two men screamed obscenities into his mother Fozia’s ears in a terrifying incident that left her “distraught” and “extremely frightened.”
The cricketer, a proud Muslim and advocate for diversity, shared the story in the foreword to the government report A National Response to Islamophobia, released on September 12.
Khawaja, born in Pakistan and Australia’s first Muslim cricketer to represent the national team, said he has kept the incident secret until now out of respect for his mother’s wishes. Despite security detaining the men and police being called, Fozia Khawaja chose not to press charges.
“’I don’t want to ruin the rest of these boys’ lives over one incident,’ she told me,” Khawaja wrote. “I was furious that someone treated my mum that way but I respected my mum’s wishes… My mum’s mercy was inspirational to see. Something she had learned from Islam, the religion of so-called ‘violence and hate.’ But don’t tell me Islamophobia doesn’t exist.”
The 38-year-old cricketer, who has scored over 5,000 Test runs, also revealed the profound, everyday impact of prejudice on his family. He described the “disturbing” looks his hijab-wearing mother receives in public and disclosed a poignant personal measure he takes to ensure her safety.
“Many times, I purposely walk slightly behind my parents in case someone tries to do something out of hate, just so I can see and respond and defend them adequately,” he confessed.
Khawaja, a key player for Australia in the upcoming Ashes series against England, has faced abuse throughout his celebrated career. He has since become a respected voice on inclusion in Australian sport, using his platform to challenge discrimination.
In his writing, Khawaja articulated the unique vulnerability faced by Muslim women who wear the hijab, stating he believes “there is nothing more difficult.”
“They literally wear their religion on their sleeves,” he explained. “As a Muslim man, no-one knows what I am… but a Muslim woman who covers her hair is out there for the world to see; she can’t hide and she automatically becomes a target for hate and prejudice.”
Photo: Australian cricket star Usman Khawaja has revealed that his mother, Fozia, was subjected to Islamophobic abuse at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 26 December 2024, reportedly because she was wearing a hijab. (Credit: David Molloy/Flickr)
