Salah Eliminates Bad Stigma Against Islam On Merseyside, But He Was Once 'Sorted By God' With Injury For Not Fasting

JAKARTA - It must be admitted, the presence of Mohamed Salah at Liverpool not only had a positive impact on the team from Merseyside. But also to the Islamic world, the religion of Salah.

A few years ago, a study conducted by researchers at Stanford University revealed that since Mo Salah started playing for Liverpool, hate crimes in the Merseyside area have fallen by 19 percent.

In a report released by ESPN, it also said that online anti-Muslim comments had decreased by 50 percent since the Egyptian striker wore the Reds uniform.

Salah is a devout Muslim. He always poses like people prostrate when celebrating the goals he scored. In the month of Ramadan, the former Fiorentina and AS Roma player also often fasts.

Class from you, Mo pic.twitter.com/MMspshNk1B

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) September 12, 2021

The Reds coach, Jurgen Klopp said in an interview with Channel 4 News some time ago. Salah - along with Sadio Mane and Emre Can - kept his faith in his religion by becoming a professional footballer.

"Salah is a Muslim. He did everything that Muslims do," Klopp said, as quoted by the Independent.

"Before the game, he always washes himself (ablution) and prays. We arrived in the dressing room a minute or two early until he was ready to play. That's him (Salah), Sadio and Can."

Klopp then gave a response about the importance of Salah as a symbol of peace in the midst of conflict and anti-Muslims in the world.

"(What Salah did) was extraordinary. This is what we really need at this moment," he continued.

"Watching this nice young man, full of happiness, full of love, full of friendship, full of everything, in a world where we're all trying to understand everything that's going on."

"Mo is the perfect ambassador for Egypt, for all the Arab world," Klopp said.

A couple of years ago, a study carried out by researchers at Stanford University revealed that since Mo Salah began playing for Liverpool, hate crimes in the Merseyside area dropped by 19% and anti-Muslim comments online reduced by 50% pic.twitter. com/7SR8gYnF0P

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) September 13, 2021

Mohamed Salah had faced a dilemma ahead of the Champions League final match between Liverpool and Real Madrid 2017-2018. On the one hand, Salah is a devout Muslim who must fast. On the other hand, he must play optimally in the match.

Muslims around the world have been fasting for a full month of Ramadan since May 17, 2018. Salah is no exception, who has to endure hunger and thirst from sunrise to sunset.

The striker, who used to be in Chelsea's uniform and his two Muslim colleagues at Liverpool, Mane and Can, had decided to keep fasting ahead of the final match in Kiev. However, there is no certainty about the training method that Klopp will give his three players.

Previously, Salah admitted, in 2014 he was still fasting while undergoing pre-season training at Chelsea, and it felt heavy.

"Ramadan is a bit tough for me because we do two exercises every day, the weather is very hot and I play every game. I can't drink until 21.30," Salah said at the time.

"When you train twice a day, your energy level drops in the second training session, but it means a lot to me and I'm very happy."

One day before the final match against Los Blancos, Ruben Pons, Liverpool physiotherapist confirmed, Salah will not fast. Reporting from liverpoolecho.co.uk, said Pons, this was done by Salah in order to maintain his body fitness during the match.

Responding to Pons' statement, Egyptian newspaper Al Masry al Youm claimed Salah rejected the idea of breaking his fast. You see, the Egyptian - who scored 44 goals in his first season at Anfield - is a devout Muslim who has been fasting since the first day of Ramadan that year.

However, Pons, in an interview with Spanish radio Cadena SER, confirmed the 25-year-old will continue to eat and drink for two days, Friday and Saturday.

"Our nutritionists have made a plan regarding the food intake that will be given to Salah," he said. "Tomorrow (Friday) and match day he won't be fasting, so it won't affect him."

In Islam, there is a form of leniency in worship. However, if the element of need has been met and the compulsion has disappeared, then the law returns to its original state. That is, Salah may not fast if there is an element of compulsion, provided that the fast is replaced on another day.

In the final match against Los Blancos versus the Reds, they lost 1-3 and Salah suffered a shoulder dislocation. The Egypt international had a duel with Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos and fell to the ground with his left shoulder supporting his weight as well as Ramos' body.

A few days after the Liverpool vs Real Madrid final, a Kuwaiti cleric, Mubarak al Bathali, made a shocking statement. According to him, the cause of Mo Salah's injury was due to the Liverpool player breaking his fast.

Reporting from sky.com, Batali asserted, God punished Salah for eating before the Champions League final match which took place in Kiev, Ukraine.

According to Batali, playing football is not the right reason to break the fast during Ramadan. He said, the jihadists just do fasting even though they are in the middle of the battlefield and face the enemy.

Batali then explained that Salah's fasting was canceled on the grounds that playing football was a sin. He then added that the door to repentance for Salah was still open.

However, Bathali said nothing about two of Salah's Liverpool teammates who are also Muslims; Mane and Can.