Amid The Roza Controversy, A Congress Leader Who Once Called Rohit Sharma Fat Backs Shami

Criticism Over Shami Not Fasting During Ramzan

Congress leader Shama Mohamed has defended Indian cricketer Mohammed Shami after he was criticized by a Muslim cleric for not observing Roza during Ramzan. The controversy began when Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Bareilvi, president of All India Muslim Jamaat, labeled Shami "a criminal" for not fasting, reportedly after seeing him consume an energy drink during the ICC Champions Trophy semifinal against Australia.

Shama Mohamed Defends Shami's Decision

Speaking to ANI, Shama Mohamed emphasized that Islam does not require fasting while traveling or engaging in physically demanding activities. "In Islam, it is clear that fasting is not mandatory when one is traveling. Shami is away from home and playing a high-intensity sport, which makes fasting difficult. No one insists that athletes must fast while competing. What truly matters are one's deeds, and Islam is a very scientific religion," she stated.

Shama Mohamed's Rohit Sharma Controversy

Shama Mohamed recently faced criticism for a now-deleted social media post where she called Indian cricket captain Rohit Sharma "fat" and "the most unimpressive captain India has ever had." Her comments, posted on X on March 2, triggered backlash from various quarters, including BJP leaders. Following the controversy, the Congress party instructed her to delete the post.

Clarifying her stance, Mohamed stated that her remarks were personal opinions and were unnecessarily exaggerated. She expressed respect for Rohit Sharma and said her comments were only about his fitness. In her post, she had questioned how Sharma compared to past Indian cricket legends like Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Kapil Dev, and Ravi Shastri.