I must sat white people (Europeans in this case) only seem able to tolerate brown folks when we're doing something for them. Winning goals, picking cotton...hmm.
9
Nice for him and other men but what of the women walking around in full coverage with only their eyes showing?
That is Muslim truth.
8
“Faith comes first.” What a horrible sentiment. Everyone’s “Faiths” clearly state that others, non-believers are going burn forever in hell. How about: “Humanity first, Faith last.”
11
A great investment for John Henry...hope Liverpool wins since Real Madrid always has in the recent past.
2
I'm stunned by what some commentators read into this story.
We have a simple portrait of an outstanding athlete, unknown to most Americans, who happens to be Muslim - and the impact he is having on his fellow countrymen.
And yet some would use this as a prop for their own prejudices about Islam, or religion in general!
Sometimes a soccer star is just a soccer star...
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Great happy, uplifting article. I really want to read some good news once in a while. Can´t wait for the Champions League final in Kiev.
11
No offense, but if you want to write about a really great football player who happens to be Muslim, starting with Zinedine Zidane would make a lot more sense. And, by the way, Zidane has been widely acknowledged as a paragon of virtue and modesty, except without wearing his religion on his sleeve.
10
You missed the point, which is as much about time and place as about the players themselves. At the height of Zidane's career, anti-Islamic feelings were not stoked the way they are now, in England and elsewhere. As a Man U fan I'm very happy for Mo and for Liverpool at his success and to see how comfortable he is just being himself. Sport can be divisive, but here's a case where it brings people together. As for the fans, I think that as ordinary people they are showing more good sense and tolerance than some of their incendiary, xenophobic politicians.
Finally, there's much that I don't like about the financial bubble that is English Premier League, but it would be unable to attract some of the world's best talent if it were not blind to the race, nationality and religion of its players.
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But the politicians do it for a reason . . . a very cynical reason.
3
You miss the point. At the height of ZIZU's career, islamic fascists had NOT murdered more than 280 French citizens, had no decapitated an English soldier in the middle of a street, had not bombed and murdered civilians in Brussels, and run over citizens in Nice, Stockholm, and. and. and...the point is why SHOULD Europeans NOT be wary of muslims who bleat about diversity (when they don't seem willing to embrace it) and tolerance (when their co-religionists are anything but. To hear muslims in Europe whinging about western "islamophobia" after the carnage of the last 5 years or so, even AFTER 9-11--all at the hands of muslims is pure hypocrisy. If you believe this garbage, you are being manipulated by these people--and the pandering press.
5
Any coach in any league would be overjoyed to have "5 Guys Named Mo", and another six to round out the lineup. His work rate is great, and he showed true class against Roma after scoring twice and seemingly backing off with his hands as if to say, "I am happy to score for my new team, but I am not part of this celebration in respect to my old team".
8
Rooting for Mo!
Take down CR7!!!!!!
9
I am a Gooner till I die, but have always had a soft spot for Liverpool - so I have watched a fair number of Liverpool matches. And every time I see Mo Salah play, I wonder, how the heck did we not sign him. Without question one of the best . . .
11
I don't follow football at this point with two small kids taking all my time. But this story brought tears to my eyes. Thanks for this uplifting story during this time of bad-to-worse news. And kudos to Salah for all that he does.
27
If you are a big sports fan, I am, but you can't watch every sport, I can't, to learn about a great player in a league you are not up to date on having a great year and learning that he is an outlier of a type is beautiful. Thank you for this article.
For the haters who have to hate, I pity your condition.
35
What is with all the haters? Mo Salah is by all accounts a delightful, humble, generous young man who has been blessed with a gift for his sport. 25 years old, one of the best at what he does, giving back to his community and raising spirits in his new adopted home. We should all be happy for him and for Liverpool fans. Bravo, Mo!!
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He is, for the moment, the perfect anti-venom to the right's poison. The fact that ordinary people, clueless about Islam, can now learn to at least make a distinction between a 'good Muslim' and a terrorist, it's a start.
Not ideal, but rather Mo Salah champions Islam positively than a terrorist and media does so negatively.
9
Most muslims don't seem to be able to see the difference between a "good muslim" and a terrorist. One could point out that more UK muslims joined ISIS than ever joined the English army. And a majority of muslims in the UK said they would support Sharia law. No poison. Just facts. Maybe you are clueless about islam. The 230 or so French citizens who have been murdered by muslims since 2015 might have been clueless about islam also--or is that why they were killed. Nonbelievers?
3
So, all it takes supposedly to give Islam a positive image is to have a Muslim sports star? How about the positive image shown by the 99.5%+ of Muslims who are not violent extremists or terrorists?
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That's untrue. Majority of them are not committing murder but they are not about peace and freedom. Encourage you to watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7TAAw3oQvg
3
Mo Salah is having a legendary season. All the best to him and the rest of the lads today vs Roma.
12
I am an avid soccer fan. I love Europe for recruiting best players for their talent only. I watch European leagues on TV and see the fans cheering players for their game, their religion and color is irrelevant. Mo Salah is one of the best players right now. Liverpool is lucky to have him!
11
Funny how all of a sudden he becomes super talented. He’s been around for years and now he’s a extraordinary? If this were cycling or running I would have questions about where he gets his new found energy and talent.
2
he's worked extremely hard to improve his finishing (though still misses a lot of big chances), and now operates in a system that plays to his strengths. nothing suspicious about it. he's always been extremely quick, and no drugs on earth could help with the technical improvements to his game that have made him such a success.
15
Wow. As easy as that? I guess Poch & Arsene & Jose didn’t get the memo.
That's an absurdly ignorant comment. He's having a better year than Messi, Ronaldo, et al due to 1) hard work, 2) the system he's in, and 3) his world-class playmaking teammates. There's a reason Liverpool is on the brink of the UCL Championship game. Salah is the best scorer on a supremely talented offensive team.
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I love how one-dimensional this article makes him look. He's a "good Muslim". That's what this whole article boils down to.
7
Don't agree. It makes the valid point that he can both be a good Muslim AND a good Liverpool resident and Englishman.
11
He's not an Englishman, he's an Egyptian. I know it's a minefield these days but I'm pretty sure he's a proud Egyptian.
2
Good Muslim, great footballer, proud Scouser and a quintessential representative of modern Britain. That's pretty good going.
3
A great ambassador for his country (as Jürgen Klopp is for Germany) and a wonderful football player.
13
Finally an uplifting story that celebrates a human's capacity to perform, be humble, and incite others to be accepting of their religion while joining in his good fortune to possess such fantastic genetic (some might even say god-given) and nurtured physical gifts!
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I skimmed this. What odes "positive image of Islam" mean? Either Islam is a backwards religion that oppresses women and vilifies infidels or it is not. It's not about any image. It's about the core beliefs. Just because some good athlete is Muslim and not a terrible person doesn't mean the religion he embraces is good for communities or the globe.
I'm an atheist. I tend to think all religion is barbaric, medieval. Sure, some believers are nice people, but that doesn't change my attitude toward religion.
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Ridiculous. A belief system doesn't have to be either/or. An atheist can do wonderful things, or another can do despicable things---so which is atheism? Of course, it is both, which describes ALL belief system. The attempt to reduce complex things to simpleton descriptions is the sign of an uneducated mind.
5
Just like all atheists are amoral and immoral. Sure, some atheists are nice people, but doesn't mean atheism is good for Men and the world.
2
What religion or atheist doesn't have prejudices? People evolve. We all should help each other evolve. The story is about evolution. Can there be respect for each other? There have been some very famous atheists who have shown that atheists are not above barbaric & medieval practices. Salah demonstrates pride & humility at the same time without condemnation.
6
perfect Mo Article! He's scoring goals, thanking god, helping the place he came from and doing his best to handle his insane mega fame that comes with all of it...he's not out spoken or overtly managing his public narrative; hes just himself. All the noise around him about how much he's helping the sport and international relations etc etc only works because hes just doing his thing.
14
I am a huge fan of the player but I'm not sure what the point of this article is. Should it really have to take footballing brilliance to put an end to Islamophobia ? Whatever happened to the art of self-reflection...
7
Chalk this up in the predictable NYT "dream on intellectuals, let's see what we want to see" category. A devoutly religious Muslim soccer player will change British public opinion with his aggressive public displays of faith.
The truth? Most non-Muslims in the UK (and across Europe) want to ban all Muslim immigration. And hardening opinions about Islam across that continent are fueling the rise of right wing extremists, who are more in evidence in soccer stadiums than anywhere else.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/most-europeans-want-musl...
And this was before a rash of Muslim terror attacks in England and across Europe. And the reasons are evident in poll after poll--Britons do not feel Muslims fit in the UK, are a force for violence and disruption, and place their religion above the state--all ideas with significant support in opinion polling.
And if the NYT crowd believes a soccer player can change that, dream on.
7
This is one sports star any kid could genuinely look up to.
23
The Arab world is full of talents like him, unfortunately, the corrupt regimes are dictatorships are stifling dreams and potential. Happy for Salah and Good luck to many like him who were not afforded the opportunity.
21
I spoke to a guy friend who is an avid soccer fan recently and he told me about this kind of beautiful unifications between fans and players. He mentioned specifically a black african plays in England that is really really beloved by his fans. But I think its too naive to think it that way. They (fans especially from the west ) love them( black/ Muslims or others ...)because they were recruited to do specific jobs. And they are doing that “job” very well...what not to like???. Another people just like them outside the stadium doing his/ her every day life but being harassed and called names, sometimes for no reasons other than being in the minorities .
But it’s good to see love shared for everyone for 90 minutes than none, I guess! We have a long long way to go but this is a good beginning . Go sports !
5
This is a perfect Times’ article. The problem isn’t Islamists blowing themselves up. It’s the Islamaphobia of the West. That’s the problem!
8
All the world needs Mo Salah's :)
3
Congratulations to Mr. Salah for his extraordinary success on the field and off the field. I am an avid followers of English soccer, the premier league primarily.
Watching Mr. Salah is a joy. The speed by which he moves with or without the soccer ball is a beautiful thing to watch.
Thanks for the coverage; I had no idea what type of impact Mr. Salah has had off the field.
20
I like Mo Salah, I think he is a good hardworking player. But what I really love about him is the fact that he recognizes all the things that contribute to his success, namely his faith, LFC fans, his team mates, his manager and style of football Liverpool plays. I think he is in the right place now and I hope he sticks around Liverpool.
30
Another wonderful article by Rory Smith on an extraordinary player and person, Mo Salah! The generosity Salah has shown is unreal and showing up some so called leaders of the world.
14
While many criticize sports and demean it's importance, Mo Salah's story is a perfect example of how it can break down cultural barriers and connect people in a time when not much else seems to.
His philanthropic efforts are icing on the cake, proving that athletes are more than just how they perform on the field or court. We should be applauding these efforts just as much, if not more, than the beautiful goals he scores at Anfield
30
Yay Mo Salah! He is fun to watch and it feels good cheering for him. Go Liverpool!
20
All of that, and...
Anyone who watched him in the first leg of the Champions League semifinals against AC Roma could be forgiven if they mistakenly thought they were watching Lionel Messi.
34
Messi at double speed! ;}
5
We need more sports stars to be like Salah-humble, generous, and caring. How much money does one really need? I liked that after he scored 2 goals against Roma he wouldn't celebrate because he didn't want to offend his former teammates and fans. God bless him!
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