Real Madrid defender, Antonio Rudiger has debunked reports circulating in the media that he supports terrorism.
Recall that Rudiger, who is a devout Muslim, posted a photo on Instagram earlier this month of himself in a white robe on a prayer mat pointing the index finger of his right hand toward the sky.
The Real Madrid defender accompanied the post with the caption: ‘Ramadan Mubarak to all Muslims around the world. May the almighty accept our fasting and prayers #AlwaysBelieve.’
Although the gesture was misinterpreted by former BILD editor, Julian Reichel on Sunday, who accused him of being a terrorist.
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He posted on X: ‘For everyone who doesn’t want to recognise Antonio Rudiger’s Islamist greeting as an Islamist greeting: the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution calls this gesture the ‘IS finger’ and sees the index finger as a clear sign of Islamism.’
On Wednesday evening, Rudiger spoke for the first time on the saga, hitting back at the ‘unfounded accusations’
‘To mark the beginning of Lent, I published a post on Instagram,’ he told BILD. ‘This has already been publicly viewable for 13 days (since March 11) and has reached several million followers without any criticism from anyone.
‘But in recent days the photo has been used by individuals to make unfounded accusations.
‘The gesture I used is called the tawheed finger. In Islam, this is considered a symbol of the unity and uniqueness of God. The gesture is widespread among Muslims all over the world and has only been classified as unproblematic by the Federal Ministry of the Interior in the last few days.
‘As a devout Muslim, I practice my faith, but I firmly distance myself from any kind of extremism and accusations of Islamism. Violence and terrorism are absolutely unacceptable. I stand for peace and tolerance.
‘Many of my family members belong to different religions. Nevertheless, we respect each other and celebrate religious festivals together. Respect and tolerance are fundamental principles that we all represent in our family.’
Rudiger continued to hit back at Reichelt and his supporters, while calling for an end to division in society.
He added: ‘However, I also recognise that due to insufficient attention, I have given third parties the opportunity to deliberately misinterpret my posting in order to divide and polarize.
‘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.
‘At the same time, I will not allow myself to be insulted and denigrated as an Islamist. That’s why I decided to file a report. This is about propaganda and division; I will always resolutely defend myself against this.
‘I hope this clarification helps clear up misunderstandings and bring the truth to light. I would also like to thank the DFB, who supported me at all times in this matter.
