Moeen Ali and the 'Free Gaza' wrist band

[bagapath]

Yeah, it's impossible to play cricket properly while wearing a wristband.

hahaha... i get your humor. but my point is, i am not switching on my TV to know his opinion on palestine, ukraine, nigeria or any other place. he should play cricket and leave quietly. i wish someone had worn a pro israeli band. then all the pseudo activists would have erupted in unison demanding the player be removed from the game and be banned for life, making appropriate noises about how there is no place for politics on a sporting field etc etc . it is quiet sad that the majority support an act of blatant unprofessionalism just because it caters to populist sentiments. but again... the majority is always stupid...

 

[Hurricane]

hahaha... i get your humor. but my point is, i am not switching on my TV to know his opinion on palestine, ukraine, nigeria or any other place. he should play cricket and leave quietly. i wish someone had worn a pro israeli band. then all the pseudo activists would have erupted in unison demanding the player be removed from the game and be banned for life, making appropriate noises about how there is no place for politics on a sporting field etc etc . it is quiet sad that the majority support an act of blatant unprofessionalism just because it caters to populist sentiments. but again... the majority is always stupid...

People as a rule are stupid indeed, but "the majority" usually aren't bad. At work when we talk to individuals to elicit requirements and opinions we get pretty strange comments from the odd person. When we get them all in a room then common sense prevails most of the time.

The ICC did some good steps here so common sense did prevail. The ECB were confused by the fact he was a muslim so felt he should be granted extra latitude. The ICC being more detached from the situation was able to actually apply some logic to proceedings.

Yes he should have been fined ideally. But it could have blown up into a really big issue with a fine so possibly wasn't worth the risk.

 

[Prince EWS]

> bagapath says the majority are always stupid
> Hurricane says this is untrue because he's usually part of the majority

Not gonna end well IMO.

 

[Hurricane]

> bagapath says the majority are always stupid
> Hurricane says this is untrue because he's usually part of the majority

Not gonna end well IMO.

i like your humour usually and take it this was an attempt to get a laugh but I said nothing of the sort.

No-one is a member of the majority. There are just majority opinions on different issues. Sometimes I agree with the majority opinion sometimes I don't. Usually the majority opinion isn't far wrong on each issue which is why democracy is reasonably effective.

 

[CWB304]

Moeen Ali: good cricketer, great bloke. Free Palestine!

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Moeen Ali: good cricketer, great bloke. Free Palestine!

Not quite as compelling as the similar, but different request to Mrs. Heef, "Free the Bristol Two!"

EDIT: I have ready-made placards for this if anyone else wants to stage a similar protest.

 

[Hurricane]

> bagapath says the majority are always stupid
> Hurricane says this is untrue because he's usually part of the majority

Not gonna end well IMO.

I am tempted to have a second crack at answering this as I can now see why you thought this - but I won't be concise so you will have to make do with my first answer..

 

[Jarquis]

Thanks for sharing

 

[Hurricane]

 

[Howe_zat]

cane you're the best

 

[bagapath]

Moeen Ali: good cricketer

Quite promising. Will wait for a couple of more series to be sure. Ashes, whenever it happens next, will be the acid test. Hope he is established in the team by then. Love his batting style. but that awkward poke at lords was really ugly.

great bloke

We don't know. We don't have to know. I personally don't care. Never been a fan of "sachin-is-a-wonderful-human-being" kind of love for cricketers. akhthar has warts. but he bowls super fast and sends stumps flying. warne ***ts to nurses and lonely mothers. but bowls beautiful flippers and flummoxes master batsmen. narendra hirwani is a very dignified man who helps blind women cross busy intersections and saves puppies from rain. but he bowls over after over of solid poop.

Free Palestine!

Yeah yeah yeah yeah... and "stop the fighting in ukraine", "bring back the girls from boko haram", "america! stop using drones over pakistan" whatever whatever whatever... Moen wearing a wristband in a test cricket match was a silly - holier than though idea that got, thankfully, nipped in the bud. There is no place for political rhetoric in a sporting activity.

 

[Pothas]

**** this thread, Moeen just got 6 wickets in a test match.

 

[Marius]

**** this thread, Moeen just got 6 wickets in a test match.

Still only the fourth best cricketer that has a great big beard.

Grace, Amla, and Anwar better than Ali among the bearded wonders of the game.

 

[Dan]

Moeen Ali: good cricketer, great bloke. Free Palestine!

Infracted.

The warning was clear; it was ignored. DO NOT TAKE A POLITICAL STANCE IN THIS THREAD.

 

[marc71178]

I think you look case by case. In this case, he's a young cricketer starting his career, and may not know better, so a verbal reprimand is enough. It may be different for a more seasoned cricketer though.

Being a youngster is no excuse in International cricket.

 

[bagapath]

Being a youngster is no excuse in International cricket.

and he is 27. that is twenty ****ing seven!!! jimi hendrix, jim morrison and kurt cobain were all dead by then. sachin was a legend at 27. botham, kapil, richards and so many other giants had achieved all that they could achieve by this age. young? my foot. naive and stupid? yes.

 

[SOPL]

Although the ICC's stance on the issue is understandable (as it could be argued that they convey across a political message), personally I believe Moeen's actions should be heavily lauded and there was no law-breaking involved with wearing the wristbands.

The controversial matter of Gaza and Palestine is arguably a humanitarian topic rather than any real political one. When Israel has the 'Iron Dome', a strong army - made even stronger by the support offered by USA - and arguably one of the strongest secret services in the world (the Mossad) can anybody truly argue that their attacks upon Palestine aren't disproportionate? Children are being brutally murdered, hospitals are being targeted - all due to this proposed "human shield" tactic that Hamas is utilising - so it is possible to argue that anybody advocating the freedom of Palestine isn't clamouring for the bloodshed and the oppression to stop? I'm pretty sure Ali is wearing the wristbands for the exact same reasons - the majority of the people in support of the Palestinians simply want them to be able to reclaim their rightful homeland and for the Israeli civilians and Palestinian civilians to live together in harmony, not in hostility.

Additionally, even though I'm not trying to be a Pakistani conspiracy theorist nor attempting to instigate an us-Vs-them scenario and subsequently make the Pakistanis in support of an autonomic Palestine victims of a conspiracy, the double standards of the ICC are clear for all to witness. To be frank, if Moeen was wearing a Help for Heroes wristband, I have no doubt that the general consensus from the ICC would be one of agreement to the gesture and Ali would actually most likely be praised for it too (particularly because the English soldiers are deemed to be saints and "just our lads").

P.S: Apologies if I've offended anybody with my forthright view. I don't usually tend to transcribe in such an undiplomatic manner.

 

[CWB304]

Infracted.

The warning was clear; it was ignored. DO NOT TAKE A POLITICAL STANCE IN THIS THREAD.

lol

 

[91Jmay]

Chairman Narayanaswami Srinivasan
President AHM Mustafa Kamal
Chief Executive David Richardson
Australia Walter Edwards
Bangladesh Nazmul Hassan
England and Wales Giles Clarke
India Narayanswami Srinivasan
New Zealand Martin Snedden
Pakistan Najam Sethi
South Africa Chris Nenzani
Sri Lanka Jayantha Dharmadasa
West Indies Dave Cameron
Zimbabwe Peter Chingoka
Associate Member Director Neil Speight (Bermuda)
Associate Member Director Francois Erasmus (Namibia)
Associate Member Director Imran Khwaja (Singapore

Yeah, totally full of 'goras'. What a load of ****e.

 

[SOPL]

Yeah, totally full of 'goras'. What a load of ****e.

I also thought the same, considering how it completely goes against the grain of how the ICC is constructed.

I'm going to remove that statement from my post, given how its inclusion bears no relevance to my actual viewpoint/argument.