How Muslims are changing English football culture (BBC One Documentary)

KhanHaripur

Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
When the Premier League started in 1992, it included just one footballer known to be Muslim, Tottenham's Spanish midfielder Nayim. England's top division now features 40 Muslim players and they are having a significant effect on the culture of the game.
On 5 February, 2012, Newcastle United played Aston Villa at St James' Park and one moment symbolised the impact Muslim players were having on the Premier League.



After 30 minutes, Demba Ba scored for the home side. He raced to the corner flag and was joined by Senegalese compatriot Papiss Cisse. The two devout Muslims then sank to their knees in prayer.


The growing influx of Muslim players has been fuelled by the internationalisation of football.

Scouts have spread their nets wider in the search for new talent and the Premier League has become a much more diverse place.
Young men with origins in remote villages of west Africa or tough estates in Paris have become global stars.



They may have found wealth and fame playing for English clubs, but many still hold on to something that is rooted in their cultural identity, something that guides them and comforts them when the going gets tough - their Islamic faith.


When a player of the calibre of Ba, who left Newcastle last year to join Chelsea, says he is serious about his religion, some might argue clubs cannot afford not to listen.


And there is a genuine willingness, on the part of managers and clubs, to understand and accommodate the religious needs of their players.


Muslim footballers are provided with halal food, have the option to shower separately from the rest of the team and are given time and space for prayer.

Until recently, all Premier League players named man of the match were awarded a bottle of champagne.

Continue Reading Here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/23159023


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Petrolhead

Minister (2k+ posts)
Re: Premier League: How Muslims are changing English football culture

Many thanks for sharing this piece. I didn't know there are 40 odd Muslim footballers in the Premier League and they already have made some cultural impact.

This may sound irrelevant to many people, but for people like me living and working in the western world these factors play a huge role. Life is so easy when you get halal food at work, people do accept you not drinking alcohol, going on prayer breaks, etc. Alhumdulillah I've been very lucky to have enjoyed these comforts and that's one of the reasons I feel so relaxedin the UK. For example, 3 out of my 4 work places (offices) offered halal chicken for lunch and the 4th one didn't have any lunch facility so n/a in that case. But they once arranged an office event in the Lancashire Cricket Club/Old Trafford location and halal chicken was served there.

I don't attend meetings (even important ones) during Friday prayer times and my colleagues don't mind it. Rather the last time it happened one of the directors said that he'd try to avoid arranging important office meetings/events during Friday lunch times.

May be I've just been plain lucky!!!
 
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the.paki

Senator (1k+ posts)
Re: Premier League: How Muslims are changing English football culture

a sentence from the article :

Children playing football in the parks of Newcastle have even been spotted
falling to their knees as if in prayer themselves after scoring a goal.


_68529002_bapraysgetty.jpg
 

ali-raj

Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
Re: Premier League: How Muslims are changing English football culture

Many thanks for sharing the news.

All, do read full post at given links.
 

macbeth

Minister (2k+ posts)
Re: Premier League: How Muslims are changing English football culture

would that muslims had attracted non muslims for other segments of life.. i.e peace , patience , human rights , etc
 

Imranpak

Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
Muslim Premier League

From Sunday 7 July to Tuesday 9 the BBC will air three programmes on Muslim players in the English Premier League. Proud to be a Muslim(clap) http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/proginfo/2013/28/the-muslim-premier-league.html

Twenty years ago there were no Muslims in the Premier League. Now there are nearly 40 - enough for three football teams. To mark the start of Ramadan, this programme explores what impact Muslim players are having on the English game.
Narrated by Colin Murray and featuring football stars including Demba Ba and Abou Diaby, it becomes clear that faith is still alive and kicking - on and off the pitch.
But how has a profession, with a reputation for nightclub brawls, boozing and excess, dealt with teetotal players who value prayer and fasting?
Managers and football commentators including Arsene Wenger, Sam Allardyce and Henry Winter explain how clubs have adapted to accommodate a diversity of faiths. And fans share what they really think of fasting – including what inspired 40,000 Newcastle supporters to start singing about Ramadan.
The programme follows Ali al Habsi as Wigan Athletic triumphs in the FA Cup, and discovers why a goal scored by Wigan is celebrated across the Middle East.
In recent weeks the political spotlight has once again been on the Muslim community. When it comes to Islam, British society needs positive messages of integration now more than ever. This programme goes beneath the stereotypes of football culture to see Premier League changing rooms as home to some of the most multicultural teams in Britain.
Could English football offer our society a surprising model for the future?
 
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Aleph

MPA (400+ posts)
Re: Premier League: How Muslims are changing English football culture

@KhanHaripur:

This is how you spread Islam. You spread it among the masses FIRST. The people that you follow and often put up posts of them on this website work the other way round. They want to "implement shari'ah" before anything else. Jihad, jihad, jihad... that's all they know. So much Jihad that they want to do jihad against Muslims as well!

Stop supporting these crazies who sit in the UK and give a reason to anti-Islam propagandists to spread their venom. People like Anjum Chaudhry and jihadi groups dont do anything for Islam, but just kill people and talk with their hate-filled lectures that scare non-Muslims away from Islam.

Islam will spread slowly and surely. No need to try and get their ahead of time. There are no shortcuts in the work of Allah. The day you love your 'enemies' is the day you will see Islam flourish. The Sahabah did not go around looking to start wars. And when they were dragged in wars they didn't rejoice after killing their enemies. They WEPT that they had to kill people who could have potentially embraced Islam and could have been saved from the worst in Akhirah.
 

karachiwala

Prime Minister (20k+ posts)
Re: Premier League: How Muslims are changing English football culture

Children playing football in the parks of Newcastle have even been spotted falling to their knees as if in prayer themselves after scoring a goal.

They may not completely understand what it means, but it's a sign that Muslim practices are becoming a more familiar part of popular British culture.

brought tears to my eyes. this is something that everyone of us can be a cause of if remember our duty to Islam.

Happy Ramadan
to you all with the hope that this Ramadan we start a vow to fulfill our duty to our Lord and our Islam.
 

Imranpak

Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
Re: Muslim Premier League

_68542431_ba_cisse.jpg


5 July 2013 Last updated at 07:54
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  • http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/23159023

    Premier League: How Muslims are changing English football culture

    By Rob Cowling BBC Religion
    When the Premier League started in 1992, it included just one footballer known to be Muslim, Tottenham's Spanish midfielder Nayim. England's top division now features 40 Muslim players and they are having a significant effect on the culture of the game.
    On 5 February, 2012, Newcastle United played Aston Villa at St James' Park and one moment symbolised the impact Muslim players were having on the Premier League.
    After 30 minutes, Demba Ba scored for the home side. He raced to the corner flag and was joined by Senegalese compatriot Papiss Cisse. The two devout Muslims then sank to their knees in prayer.
    The growing influx of Muslim players has been fuelled by the internationalisation of football.
    Find out more

    _68529002_bapraysgetty.jpg

    Watch The Muslim Premier League, presented by Colin Murray, on BBC 1 at 12:20 BST on Sunday, 7 July, or catch it again at 23:35 BST on Monday 8 July.
  • The Muslim Premier League


Scouts have spread their nets wider in the search for new talent and the Premier League has become a much more diverse place.
Young men with origins in remote villages of west Africa or tough estates in Paris have become global stars.
They may have found wealth and fame playing for English clubs, but many still hold on to something that is rooted in their cultural identity, something that guides them and comforts them when the going gets tough - their Islamic faith.
When a player of the calibre of Ba, who left Newcastle last year to join Chelsea, says he is serious about his religion, some might argue clubs cannot afford not to listen.
And there is a genuine willingness, on the part of managers and clubs, to understand and accommodate the religious needs of their players.
Muslim footballers are provided with halal food, have the option to shower separately from the rest of the team and are given time and space for prayer.
Until recently, all Premier League players named man of the match were awarded a bottle of champagne.
_68528204_nayimallsport.jpg
Tottenham's Nayim was the only footballer known to be Muslim in the Premier League in 1992

Yet for Muslims, alcohol is forbidden. So when Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure politely refused to accept his award on religious grounds during a television interview, the competition organisers were forced to sit up and take notice.
Champagne was phased out and now all players receive a small trophy instead.
When Liverpool won the League Cup final in 2012, players had the sensitivity to move the clothes of their team doctor, a devout Muslim, out of the changing rooms so that alcohol wasn't sprayed over them.
Yet there are challenges to managing Muslim players and Ramadan is a particular pressure point.
How can players who aren't eating or drinking for up to 18 hours of the day perform at the highest level over 90 minutes of a game?
Some players insist on fasting every day. Others may fast during training but not a match day. Clubs tend to muddle through with some kind of compromise, but it can't be an easy period for players or managers.
_68528916_champagne304getty.jpg
Celebrating victories with champagne does not sit comfortably with Muslim players

Arsenal midfielder Abou Diaby, 27, says: "Arsenal would prefer me to not fast, but they understand this is a special moment for me and they try to accommodate things to make me better."
Ba, 28, admits he has had some issues with managers about Ramadan, but says he has been steadfast.
"Every time I had a manager that was not happy with it, I've said: 'Listen, I'll do it. If my performance is still good, I'll keep playing; if it's bad you drop me on the bench, that's it.'"
Former Stoke striker Mamady Sidibe, 33, insists: "You have some players who are fasting on a match day and doing very well, it's no problem. I make sure that on match day I'm not fasting and not to give excuses to people."
Ramadan this year ends on 7 August, 10 days before the start of the Premier League season.
Sponsorship deals have also been a source of tension. Teams who advertise gambling and pay day loan companies on their shirts put their Muslim players in a difficult position, as it means they are being used to promote activities which contradict Islamic teaching.
_68528353_alhabsi464.jpg
Goalkeeper Ali Al-Habsi, from Oman, has played in the Premier League for Bolton and Wigan

Last month Cisse said he planned to talk to Newcastle and their new sponsors, Wonga, because he was worried his Muslim beliefs would be compromised if he were seen to promote the company.
Crewe striker Nathan Ellington, 32, who has also played for Wigan and West Brom, takes the view that he cannot affect which sponsor his club chooses.
He said: "I think that's usually out of the hands of the Muslim. Although he's not allowed to gamble, that's something you cannot affect really."
Wigan keeper Ali Al-Habsi, 31, agrees: "We are players and these are things that are coming from the football club. We can't do anything about it, we just do our job."
Fans are also getting an education in Muslim practices.
When manager Alan Pardew suggested Ba's slow start to the 2011-12 season was due to his fasting, fans picked up on it and marked every subsequent goal with a song celebrating how many goals he had scored since Ramadan, to the tune of Depeche Mode's Just Can't Get Enough.
Children playing football in the parks of Newcastle have even been spotted falling to their knees as if in prayer themselves after scoring a goal.
They may not completely understand what it means, but it's a sign that Muslim practices are becoming a more familiar part of popular British culture.
Watch The Muslim Premier League on BBC1 on Sunday, 7 July at 12:20 BST or catch it again on Monday 8 July at 23:35 BST.
 
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KhanHaripur

Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
Re: Premier League: How Muslims are changing English football culture

Anjum is a joke so as the liberals like MPACUK.

@KhanHaripur:

This is how you spread Islam. You spread it among the masses FIRST. The people that you follow and often put up posts of them on this website work the other way round. They want to "implement shari'ah" before anything else. Jihad, jihad, jihad... that's all they know. So much Jihad that they want to do jihad against Muslims as well!

Stop supporting these crazies who sit in the UK and give a reason to anti-Islam propagandists to spread their venom. People like Anjum Chaudhry and jihadi groups dont do anything for Islam, but just kill people and talk with their hate-filled lectures that scare non-Muslims away from Islam.

Islam will spread slowly and surely. No need to try and get their ahead of time. There are no shortcuts in the work of Allah. The day you love your 'enemies' is the day you will see Islam flourish. The Sahabah did not go around looking to start wars. And when they were dragged in wars they didn't rejoice after killing their enemies. They WEPT that they had to kill people who could have potentially embraced Islam and could have been saved from the worst in Akhirah.
 

Imranpak

Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
Re: Muslim Premier League

Hey world the Muslim's are not going anywhere so live with it! We're here to stay, inshallah!
 

Aleph

MPA (400+ posts)
Re: Premier League: How Muslims are changing English football culture

May Allah guide you (and all of us) to the truth so that you may one day see how Anwar Al-Awlaki (whom I really respected till one time) was a joke as well.

You will start seeing how all these jihadi groups are INFESTED with double-agents and almost all of them are being controlled by someone that they themselves are not aware of. Read the story of Anwar Al-Awlaki and how the Americans caught him, 'released' him and then used Awlaki's right hand man (a Danish convert, Morton Storm) to track him down through a marriage they arranged for him with a Croatian girl!

So these are the LEADERS of these jihadi groups: Who don't even know that their marriages are being set up by double agents and the CIA. Parhna zuroor: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/international/cia_arranged_marriage_in_plot_to_WdflJ6Bycd9g4QUlq20JdI

If you look hard enough you might even find the videos of Awlaki and the Croatian girl as they sent messages to one another for their proposal. Yeh hain aapki Jihadi Tanzeemain.

Anjum is a joke so as the liberals like MPACUK.
 

desan

President (40k+ posts)
Re: Premier League: How Muslims are changing English football culture

Africans appear to be more devout than us desis.

Thanks for sharing.....
 

KhanHaripur

Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
Re: Premier League: How Muslims are changing English football culture

I don't need NYPOST to tell me the reality of anwar al awlaki though I dont agree with few of his statements but hes one of my fav Sheikh May Allah SWT have mercy on him.
May Allah guide you (and all of us) to the truth so that you may one day see how Anwar Al-Awlaki (whom I really respected till one time) was a joke as well.

You will start seeing how all these jihadi groups are INFESTED with double-agents and almost all of them are being controlled by someone that they themselves are not aware of. Read the story of Anwar Al-Awlaki and how the Americans caught him, 'released' him and then used Awlaki's right hand man (a Danish convert, Morton Storm) to track him down through a marriage they arranged for him with a Croatian girl!

So these are the LEADERS of these jihadi groups: Who don't even know that their marriages are being set up by double agents and the CIA. Parhna zuroor: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/international/cia_arranged_marriage_in_plot_to_WdflJ6Bycd9g4QUlq20JdI

If you look hard enough you might even find the videos of Awlaki and the Croatian girl as they sent messages to one another for their proposal. Yeh hain aapki Jihadi Tanzeemain.
 

Aleph

MPA (400+ posts)
Re: Premier League: How Muslims are changing English football culture

It is the truth no matter how much you hide from it. In case you did not know, there was a 132-page fatwa given against him by the Lajnah Ad-Dai'mah (Saudi's Permanent Fatwa Council). The signatories on this fatwa consisted of Shaykh Salih Al-Fawzan (the Chief Qadi of the Saudi Supreme Court), Shaykh Jaza'iri and some other major Salafi scholars. In this fatwa, Awlaki was referred to as "misguided" and a "khariji". You can look up the fatwa on the internet and if you have problems finding it then let me know and I can share the link with you.

Just because I gave you a NY Post link doesn't make the news wrong. Unfortunately, Western news agencies show more objectivity and accuracy in their reports than those who call themselves "Muslims". Al-Nusrah in Syria is headed by two of the most SHADY persons today. They have a history of collaboration with foreign intelligence agencies. I am not supporting the Rafidhah here, but if you are going to support anyone just because they oppose the Rafidhah then you should be very careful.

I don't need NYPOST to tell me the reality of anwar al awlaki though I dont agree with few of his statements but hes one of my fav Sheikh May Allah SWT have mercy on him.
 

Hippie

Banned
Re: The Muslim Premier league - bbc one video

Its a good step from civilized world. More should be done to integrate Muslims in civilized societies.
 
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