Shahid Afridi is a famous and talented former Pakistani cricketer, social activist and philanthropist. Afridi is also associated with Samaa TV as a cricket analyst. Lately, the former cricketer is in hot water after a picture of him went viral on internet. Well, yesterday, a selfie of Shahid Afridi with Israelis was shared by the page NW Friends of Israel. In the picture, they thanked Shahid Afridi for supporting them in their vigil. See the picture:
Also read the caption of X post: “Pakistani international cricketer @SAfridiOfficial stopped to offer his support for our call to release the hostages at our NWFOI vigil last Sunday in Manchester. Shahid is pictured with NWFOI co Chair Raphi Bloom & deputy Chair Bernie Yaffe. Thank you for your support, Shahid!”
This NW Friends of Israel post created a buzz on social media and everyone was condemning it. Well, Shahid Afridi soon shared a clarification in which he said that he was passing by this vigil when a few foreigners asked him for a selfie and he listened to their humble request and snapped a picture. Read his words: “Imagine strolling down a street in Manchester (UK) and so-called fans approach you for a selfie. You oblige, and moments later, they upload it as some form of Zionist endorsement. Unbelievable! Please don’t believe everything that is uploaded. Seeing innocent lives in Palestine suffer is truly heartbreaking. Thus, any photo or association shared by them does not reflect my support for any situation where human lives are at stake. I take pictures with fans from all over the globe, and this situation was no different. I pray for peace, I pray for an end to this war, I pray for freedom. #HumanityFirst #PeaceMiddleEast. See his X post:
This ignited severe public backlash and fans started believing that Shahid Afridi has been supporting Israelis. A few believed that Shahid Afridi just took a selfie after fans’ request which was posted on social media by them but others aren’t agreeing with his clarification. Well, here are the condemnation posts shared by Shahid Afridi fans and the other social media users. Read the comments:
