The German international and Real Madrid defender Antonio Rüdiger has broken his silence to reject accusations of radical Islam that were made against him after a publication on his social networks of a photograph to mark the beginning of Ramadan.
"As a believing Muslim I practice my faith, but I distance myself from all forms of extremism. Accusations of Islamism, violence and terrorism are absolutely unacceptable. I defend peace and tolerance," Rüdiger said in a statement published by the newspaper 'Bild'. .
According to Rüdiger, many of his family members belong to other religions, but they respect each other and celebrate religious holidays together.
"I also admit, however, that through inattention I gave third parties the opportunity to deliberately misinterpret my post in order to polarize and divide," Rüdiger said.
The defender stated that he did not want to make a statement until after the two friendlies he played with Germany against France and Holland.
Rüdiger and the German Football Federation (DFB) have taken legal action against the perpetrators of these accusations.
"I hope that this clarification contributes to resolving misunderstandings and bringing the truth to light. I also want to thank the DFB who has supported me at all times in this matter," said Rüdiger.
The photo that sparked the controversy shows Rüdiger dressed in a white Arab robe and kneeling on a prayer mat. Rüdiger looks at the camera with one arm slightly raised and his index finger extended.
Rüdiger's critics have claimed that the index finger gesture is typically Islamist and is frequently used by the Salafist movement.
"This is not a religious gesture but a political one," Berlin feminist imam Seyran Ates said, for example, in statements to the newspaper 'Berliner Zeitung'. According to Ates, this gesture is not part of the normal process of prayer and does not appear in the Koran or other sacred texts.
However, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said it was a "non-problematic gesture."
The first to make accusations of Islamism against Rüdiger was the former director of 'Bild' and currently head of the right-wing populist platform Nius, Julian Reichelt.
Rüdiger has filed a complaint against Reichelt and the DFB has reported the case to the Central for Combating Internet Crime in Frankfurt.
