Fnational footballer Antonio Rudiger After his much-discussed Instagram post at the beginning of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, he “decisively distanced himself from any type of extremism and accusations of Islamism.” The newspaper “Bild” published on Wednesday night a complete statement from the Real Madrid professional, who commented for the first time on the photo that he had already published on his account on March 11. The 31-year-old placed great emphasis on the statement that he clearly distanced himself from Islamist and extremist views.
In the post, the practicing Muslim posted a photo of himself in a white robe on a prayer mat. The index finger of his right hand points to the sky. “May the Almighty accept our fasting and our prayers,” Rüdiger wrote in greeting to Ramadan.
Now he explained in writing: “The gesture I used is the so-called finger tawhid. In Islam, this is considered a symbol of the unity and oneness of God. The gesture is widespread among Muslims around the world and only in recent days has it been classified as non-problematic by the Federal Ministry of the Interior.” In recent days, the photograph has been “used by people to make unfounded accusations, “, wrote the professional. He was probably also referring to the journalist Julian Reichelt, former editor-in-chief of “Bild”.
According to Reichelt, Rüdiger made an Islamist gesture by raising his index finger. Reichelt's criticism led to Rüdiger filed a criminal complaint against him with the Berlin prosecutor's office.the German Football Federation (DFB) also reported the matter to the Central Office for Combating Internet Crime (ZIT) of the Frankfurt Public Prosecutor's Office.
“Violence and terrorism are absolutely unacceptable. “I am in favor of peace and tolerance,” Rüdiger now wrote: “Respect and tolerance are fundamental principles that we all represent in our family.”
But he also recognizes that “due to insufficient attention, I gave third parties the possibility to deliberately misinterpret my message to divide and polarize,” Rüdiger emphasized: “But I will not offer a platform for division and radicalization, which is why “I have decided to make a clear statement after our two successful international matches.” The statement goes on to say: “I will not allow myself to be insulted and denigrated as an Islamist,” and will therefore take legal action against the accusations: “This is about propaganda and division; “I will always defend myself resolutely against this.”
Rüdiger did not comment on the issue either before or during Tuesday's international match against the Netherlands.