Usman Khawaja. (Photo Source: X(Twitter)
In a philanthropic gesture, Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja has decided to auction off his “All Lives Are Equal” shoes, which were deemed controversial and led to his ban during the Pakistan Test series. Khawaja, 37, took to social media to announce his partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and pledged to donate the auction proceeds to the Children of Gaza appeal.
Last week, Khawaja released a line of T-shirts featuring his banned shoes adorned with messages like “freedom is a human right.” The ICC had prohibited him from donning the shoes, citing references to the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict during Australia’s Test series against Pakistan.
“Hey everyone. Want to announce I’m auctioning off my shoes … all proceeds will go to the ‘Unicef Children of Gaza’ appeal. The kids need your help now more (than) ever and as always thank you for your support and generosity. All you guys have been amazing,” Khawaja wrote on Instagram.
“I’m trying to do it in the most respectful way possible. What I wrote on my shoes, I thought about it for a while what I was going to write. I made sure that I didn’t want to segregate different parts of the population, religious beliefs, communities, hence why I’ve kept religion out of this. I wanted to be really broad and open mind speaking because I’m talking about humanitarian issues and talking about Article One of the UN Declaration of Human Rights, that is literally the crux of it,” he said as quoted by The Australian.
Here’s the latest post of Khawaja on Instagram:
Khawaja’s bitter-sweet rapport with ICC
The Perth Test saw the Pakistan-born cricketer face reprimand from the sport’s governing body for sporting a black armband without official approval. Additionally, he was barred from displaying a dove symbol on his shoes in Melbourne. Khawaja criticised the ICC, alleging “double standards” in rule enforcement regarding political symbols. He clarified the black armband was a mark of “personal bereavement,” and questioned the consistency of regulations.