NRL and All Blacks great Sonny Bill Williams has kickstarted a debate about Muslim clothing simply by posting a photo of his family to social media.
The footy star turned boxer marked the end of Ramadan by showing his followers on X a photo of him with his family – wife Alana and kids Zaid, Aisha, Imaan, Essa and Mohammed – along with the words, ‘Eid Mubarak from the Williams’.
That post by Williams – who converted to Islam in 2009 – was picked up by Ali Al-Hadhrami, who re-posted it with the comment, ‘Refreshing to see converts dress like Malaysians instead of Arabs for once.’
Williams then reposted Al-Hadhrami’s comment, which refers to the former Bulldogs and Roosters star wearing a Baju Melayu top and songkok cap, like his sons, with his wife donning a tudong head covering.
Those pieces of clothing are traditional in Malay culture, and Williams has close ties to Malaysia now that he is the pro chancellor of Albukhary International University, which is located in the city of Alor Setar, north of the national capital of Kuala Lumpur.
Al-Hadhrami’s comment set off a wide range of reactions on X, with some commenters taking it as an insult to Muslims who wear Arab-style clothing.
Williams posted this photo of him with wife Alana and their children Zaid, Aisha, Imaan, Essa and Mohammed to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan
The former NRL star’s tweet attracted this comment about the clothes the family were wearing
A debate soon followed as some commenters believed the Arab style of dress was coming under attack
‘What’s your point? What’s the problem if they wear Arab clothes? No one sees a cultural erasure problem if they wear jeans or a suit, but when it comes to Arabs, everything is different,’ one wrote.
‘What’s non-arabs beef with arabs? Always hating when converts try to make it apparent that they’ve converted by wearing modern muslim clothing like thobes and abayas. Are you jealous of arabs or feel inferior because ppl choose to dress like them? Wallahi it’s getting ridiculous,’ another commenter said.
‘It is a cultural erasure, because I am Malaysian, and I know it is true ! We can be Muslims but we can wear anything we like, but the obsession with Arab clothes to show that they are Muslims, a no no !’ added another.
‘Arab hatred is so forced,’ wrote a third, with another commenting ‘Non Arab clothing is haram’, referring to an Arabic word meaning forbidden.
Takes like those led to Al-Hadhrami trying to clarify his message by writing, ‘Some people seem to think this tweet is anti-“converts wearing arab clothing.” no it’s not, anybody can wear whatever they want idc, stop trying to read between the lines and take this tweet at face value.’
Other commenters on the post brought up Williams’ ties to Malaysia, with one pointing out that he has been in the state of Johor during the holy month of Ramadan at the invitation of the area’s sultan.
Williams has become a devout Muslim since adopting the religion while he was playing rugby union in France.
Last year he admitted he tried to force his wife to wear a hijab during the early days of their relationship.
The commenter who set off the debate tried to clarify what he meant with this tweet
Williams, who has been a devout Muslim since converting to Islam in 2009, has a top job with a Malaysian university and had been staying in the country (pictured) during Ramadan
He married Alana in August 2013 after a four-week whirlwind romance despite admitting they were not in love at the time, instead adhering to Islamic tradition.
‘Straight away we said we’re going to do it Islamically correct, so even in that first four weeks I wasn’t with her by myself, we always had a chaperone,’ he previously admitted.
Williams was named the guest speaker at the first of a series of Faith Events’ Islamic educational events for 2024 in Malaysia and was speaking with Shaykh Wael Ibrahim when he was asked about his wife’s head scarf.
The former NRL premiership winner and New Zealand All Black World Cup winner admitted that he tried to pressure Alana into wearing the hijab early in their relationship as he began his journey into Islamic faith.
‘When I started getting religious, started learning more, because I was on this journey, I expected those close to me, I started expecting them to be on the same journey,’ he said.
‘Where everyone’s on their own journey.
‘So I started putting pressure on my wife at a time, you need to put the head scarf on.’
At the time, Alana was having none of it.
‘My wife being the feisty Cape Malay [Muslim community in South Africa] that she is, she told me look, this is my journey, you worry about yourself and stop pointing the finger,’ Williams said.
‘So Subhanallah [Glory be to Allāh] I just went on my own journey and I understand I am the shepherd of my family.
‘I had to lead by my actions and that’s what I’ve always done as a rugby player.
‘So I started leading by my actions.’
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