Moeen Ali, the all-rounder from England recently has stated that religion is above everything for him. Moeen clearly stated that he is willing to give up cricket for Islam because his religion gives him happiness. The Englishman has played 26 Tests and 39 ODIs which includes two tons in each format. He has 66 wickets to his name in Tests and 39 in ODIs.
According to BBC he stated that “At the back of my mind there is a responsibility that I am representing Islam, Muslims and British Asians. It is a positive thing. As long as I perform, which is the most the most important thing and I can behave.”
The Southpaw further added “The most important thing of everything, it is something that, I feel like it makes me feel free and the one I wanted to be all my life. As a youngster, I was far from it. When I was about 18-19, I decided that this is the way I want to live my life. It is the only thing that can give me happiness. Cricket is important but nowhere near as important as Islam, if I have to give up cricket tomorrow, it will be easy”
Ali is an important member of the English squad and is expected to play a vital role in the recent series against Pakistan. When asked about the struggles of being a minority in any country he stated that “It is tough, it does feel like you have be on your guard. For me, it’s a part of life, hopefully, I’ll get through the rough bit and hopefully see a bit of light at the end of it and it will be all right. Muslims have had it tough before, other communities have had it tough before in other countries, it’s part of life.”