"It is not an act of betrayal": Shahabuddin Razvi Barelvi on Shah Rukh Khan's KKR selecting Bangladeshi player in IPL

New Delhi [India], January 2 (ANI): National President of the All India Muslim Jamaat, Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Barelvi, has said that there is no act of betrayal in Bollywood star and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) owner Shah Rukh Khan selecting Bangladesh cricketer Mustafizur Rahman for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season.
Various opinions have been raised on Bangladesh cricketer Mustafizur Rahman being picked by KKR for the IPL 2026 season.
Rahman was picked up by the Kolkata-based franchise for a whopping Rs 9.20 crore at the IPL auction.
Many have argued that Mustafizur should not play in the IPL tournament after repeated violent incidents against religious minorities in Bangladesh.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sangeet Som called Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan a traitor and accused him of investing money in players from a country working against India.
"The way Hindus are being persecuted in Bangladesh, women and girls are being raped, their homes are being burned, and anti-India slogans are being chanted there. Despite all this, traitors like Shah Rukh Khan, I'm calling him a traitor because everything he has is given by India, given by the people of India, but where do they invest this money? They invest it in players from a country that is working against India. I want to tell people like Shah Rukh Khan that they will not succeed. At any cost, they will not be able to get Mustafizur Rahman to play here. Rahman won't be able to step outside the airport," Som told ANI.
"People like Shah Rukh Khan are traitors; they eat in India and sing praises of Pakistan and Bangladesh," he added.
Reacting to Sangeet Som's comment on the Bollywood icon, Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Barelvi said that Indian muslims are concerned about the attacks on minorities in Bangladesh. Still, if Shah Rukh Khan has picked up a cricketer, it is not an act of betrayal.
"Devkinandan Thakur and Sangeet Som should understand that Indian Muslims are also concerned about the attacks on minorities in Bangladesh and stand in solidarity with them, raising their voices in support of their protection and safety. In such a situation, if Shah Rukh Khan makes any agreement with a cricketer there, it is not an act of betrayal. This cannot be justified under any circumstances," Barelvi told ANI.
Amid the ongoing row over Mustafizur Rahman, Imam Association President Maulana Sajid Rashidi said to ANI that blindly opposing anything without understanding the constitution has become a habit in this country.
"In this country, blindly opposing anything without thinking or understanding the Constitution has become a habit. Whenever a Muslim name comes up, protesting becomes very easy. Shah Rukh Khan is Muslim, and the Bangladeshi cricketer he bought is also Muslim, so the protest is inevitable because the hatred against Muslims here immediately comes to the surface... What concern is it of the people?... If they do something against the constitution, the law will deal with them, won't it? The government will take action against them. Who are you to protest and say that Shah Rukh Khan shouldn't do this?
On KKR selecting Mustafizur in the IPL auction, AIMIM's national spokesperson Waris Pathan stressed on the India vs Pakistan match, which was allowed by the Indian government after the Pahalgam attack.
"I condemn the atrocities being committed against the Hindu minorities in Bangladesh... Violence should not be done... Even in India, atrocities are committed against Muslim minorities... When it comes to cricket, how does it matter who supports what? Some time ago, the Indian government allowed the India vs Pakistan match. We had objected to it because Pakistan has been the biggest propagator of terrorism, and India has greatly suffered because of it... In Pahalgam, they came and killed innocent tourists in the name of religion. India still played a match against Pakistan for money. I reject the money which brings my country's pride and dignity into question," he told ANI. (ANI)