Nurali Emomali's Defiant Stand at the 2024 Olympics

By: Nidal Hamad   Source: iViews Aug 17, 2024 No Comments


We bow with respect and appreciation to Tajik champion Nurali Emomali for refusing to shake hands with an Israeli player, whose hands may be stained with the blood of innocent victims in Gaza. This powerful moment of defiance at the 2024 Paris Olympics filled many with pride.

Some media outlets and social networking sites reported Emomali’s withdrawal, defending Israeli champion of Soviet origin, Baruch Shmulov. The Tajik player emerged victorious and shouted joyfully, "Allahu Akbar," before refusing to shake the Israeli player’s hand.

Emomali’s refusal stems from his belief that the opposing player represents a state guilty of genocide, racism, and apartheid, embodying the international war criminals of Israel.

The Tajik player’s actions enraged Israel’s supporters, who demanded that Nurali Emomali be punished for his behavior. The issue continues to spark controversy between those who support and those who oppose his noble and courageous stance in solidarity with Palestinian victims—who have been disregarded by the International Olympic Committee, which has refused to punish or boycott Israel, as it did with the Russian Federation.

It is worth noting that the Israeli delegation included soldiers who participated in the war of extermination in Gaza. The mere suggestion of punishing the Tajik champion in judo stems from two reasons: first, his chant of "Allahu Akbar" after defeating Israeli champion Baruch Shmulov, and second, his refusal to shake hands—an act critics deemed contrary to the values of sportsmanship.

Pro-Israel critics appear more arrogant than Prime Minister Netanyahu himself. It is both rude and unjust for them to demand Nurali Emomali’s punishment while turning a blind eye to the participation of Israeli soldiers implicated in Gaza’s genocide. These athletes should have been sanctioned and barred from the Olympics due to their involvement in war crimes against humanity.

Unfortunately, bad luck and injury cut short the Tajik player’s participation in the Paris 2024 Olympics, with a severe elbow dislocation ending his run. Nonetheless, his act of courage remains a moment of pride.

Nidal Hamad is a Palestinian author, activist, and political commentator living in Oslo, Norway.

  Category: Europe, Featured, Highlights, World Affairs
  Topics: Olympics 2024

Related Suggestions

Sifan Hassan: Redefining Victory and Faith at the Paris Olympics
The Dark Side of the Olympic Games: Historical Roots and Modern Contradictions
 
COMMENTS DISCLAIMER & RULES OF ENGAGEMENT
The opinions expressed herein, through this post or comments, contain positions and viewpoints that are not necessarily those of IslamiCity. These are offered as a means for IslamiCity to stimulate dialogue and discussion in our continuing mission of being an educational organization. The IslamiCity site may occasionally contain copyrighted material the use of which may not always have been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. IslamiCity is making such material available in its effort to advance understanding of humanitarian, education, democracy, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law.


In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, and such (and all) material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.