No compulsion in religion: Anoushey schools journalist questioning Pakistan football team's clothes

Journalist drew flak for asking football coach why female players wore shorts instead of leggings

After eight long years, Pakistan women’s football team made history by claiming its first victory in international football when they outclassed Maldives 7-0 in their farewell game of the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Women’s Championship 2022 on Tuesday. Despite the huge accomplishment, a journalist only had questions about what they wore and it made social media mad for all the right reasons.

Sharing her two cents on the matter, Anoushey Ashraf shared the viral clip on her Instagram stories which saw a journalist ask the team’s coach why players wore “knickers (shorts)” instead of leggings since they’re representing the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Finding the query “cringe-worthy,” she urged for the said journalist to be “banned” from reporting on anything outside his actual job—that is documenting their phenomenal game and the tournament.

“This reporter should know that this country became an “Islamic” republic much after the death of the Quaid. This country was made for oppressed Muslims, and not in the name of Islam to suppress Muslims of their choices. The girls chose [what to wear.] We’ve all been exposed to religion as much as anyone else and we make informed choices. But as a man, his worrying about their “nikker” is cringe-worthy,” read her note.

She continued to defend her argument and vouched against imposing religious values on other people by giving the example of the Holy Prophet. “A true definition is a person who doesn't judge but only leads by example. Remember people came to Islam for the respect and grace shown by our dear prophet (SAW), not by nasty comments he never gave anyone. There is no compulsion in religion.”

Ashraf added that asking sexist and misogynistic questions isn’t actually a part of his job. “He should be banned from reporting on anything else besides his actual job, covering their play and the tournament of football,” concluded Ashraf with the hashtags “ignorance is bliss” and “a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.”