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"Police Were Called": AUS Opener On Disturbing Incident With Mother During BGT

Arnav Chopra

Usman Khawaja with Mother (Source: @codesportsau/X.com)Usman Khawaja with Mother (Source: @codesportsau/X.com)

In a disturbing incident, Australian Test opener Usman Khawaja has revealed a tough experience his mother had to endure during the Boxing Day Test against India. In December 2024, when India were playing against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Usman Khawaja's mother had to face racist comments.

Khawaja's Mother Faced Racism During The Boxing Day Test

A report titled "A National Response to Islamophobia" released by the Australian government, features an event written by Australian Test opener Usman Khawaja. Khawaja, who's 38 years old, has since then been quiet about the incident, as he hasn't even talked about it to his teammates.

Writing about the horrifying happening, Khawaja revealed that his mother, Fozia Tariq, came out to watch him play Australia play India in the Boxing Day Test in December 2024 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), when she was targeted by two young men who sat behind her and said some mean words for wearing a hijab.

"Hate is everywhere in today's society - and my mother, of all people, experienced it last year during the Boxing Day Test match. She had come to watch me play with my family. It's always a momentous occasion. Unfortunately, this time two young men decided to walk behind my mum and scream obscenities in both ears, simply because she was wearing a hijab," Khawaja wrote.

Khawaja explained that his mother was terrified as she couldn't get over the incident that frightened and disturbed her to the core. The left-hander then revealed that the police were also involved in this, as those two guys were kicked out of the stadium.

"Imagine yourself, just walking along, minding your own business at the MCG and 2 guys walk behind you out of nowhere only to scream insults in your ear. She was terrified. My mum was distraught; she didn't know what to do and she was extremely frightened, shocked and upset by the incident," Khawaja further added.

Big-hearted Khawajas Avoided Pressing Charges

Following this, they were detained, but thanks to her mother's big heart, she decided not to press charges. As a result, they were released from police custody, considering it would be too harsh for the two guys to face the consequences for the rest of their lives, just for this one incident.

"A security guard saw everything. The guys were detained, and the police were called, and they were taken away - but god bless my mum's soul, she didn't want to proceed any further," he mentioned.

Khawaja said he was fuming about this, but decided to adhere to her mother's wishes, which is why he decided not to tell anyone, even in the Australian lineup.

"I don't want to ruin the rest of these young boys' lives over one incident. I was furious that someone treated my mother that way, but I respected my mum's wishes, and we kept it quiet and hidden, even from my teammates," he concluded.

Interestingly, Khawaja has been a staunch supporter of human rights and has openly supported and criticised various movements in the past, including the Israel-Palestine war.