Sarfaraz Ahmed & Ollie Robinson's alleged racism : Which board (ECB, PCB) handled the matter better?

[MenInG]

Sarfaraz Ahmed & Ollie Robinson's alleged racism : Which board (ECB, PCB) handled the matter better?

To recap:

Sarfaraz Ahmed's remarks on the field about South Africa's Andile Phehlukwayo during an ODI game(2019):

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sarfaraz Ahmed to Andile Phehlukwayo:<br><br>"abbay kaale teri Ami kahan bethi hoyi hain aaj, kya parhwa kay aya hai aaj"<br><br>"black man wheres your mother sat? What have you asked your mother to pray for you today?"<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SAvPAK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SAvPAK</a> <a href="https://t.co/vw6yuE73OE">pic.twitter.com/vw6yuE73OE</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1087776394329944064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


PCB took no punitive action on Sarfaraz and it was the ICC that imposed a 4 match ban on the Pakistan captain.


In contrast:

Ollie Robinson's tweets from 2012

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Ollie Robinson's been suspended from international cricket pending the outcome of a disciplinary investigation following tweets he posted in 2012 & 2013 & won't be available for the 2nd Test v NZ.<br><br>Robinson will leave the England camp immediately & return to his County.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1401630013775044612?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 6, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>



and the ECB's reaction

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Ollie Robinson's been suspended from international cricket pending the outcome of a disciplinary investigation following tweets he posted in 2012 & 2013 & won't be available for the 2nd Test v NZ.<br><br>Robinson will leave the England camp immediately & return to his County.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1401630013775044612?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 6, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

==

So question really is - which board handled it better - was the PCB lax in it's responsibilities or did the ECB overreact?

 

[Varun]

Did the PCB even "handle" anything in that instance?

 

[MP2011]

was the PCB lax in it's responsibilities or did the ECB overreact?

Both.

 

[MenInG]

Did the PCB even "handle" anything in that instance?

PCB's pov was that matter had been amicably resolved but ICC clearly saw a different side to it.

ECB are struggling with the racism issue, in light of Azeem Rafiq's allegations so they cannot have turned a blind eye.

 

[MenInG]

PCB's pov was that matter had been amicably resolved but ICC clearly saw a different side to it.

ECB are struggling with the racism issue, in light of Azeem Rafiq's allegations so they cannot have turned a blind eye.

In Pakistan racism is not considered to be an issue so maybe Sarfaraz situation appeared to be an anomaly

However, only become an issue due to criticism of Wasim Khan by some elements of media

==

The PCB firmly stands against racism.

It welcomes fact-based criticism and performance evaluation of its staff/players/coaches but, like any other civilised society, character assassination/personal/racial attacks are unacceptable.

 

[gazza619]

Talk about overreaction from ECB.

 

[MenInG]

ECB have done the right thing and set the bar high for all others to follow.

 

[adzzy786]

To recap:

Sarfaraz Ahmed's remarks on the field about South Africa's Andile Phehlukwayo during an ODI game(2019):

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sarfaraz Ahmed to Andile Phehlukwayo:<br><br>"abbay kaale teri Ami kahan bethi hoyi hain aaj, kya parhwa kay aya hai aaj"<br><br>"black man wheres your mother sat? What have you asked your mother to pray for you today?"<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SAvPAK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SAvPAK</a> <a href="https://t.co/vw6yuE73OE">pic.twitter.com/vw6yuE73OE</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1087776394329944064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


PCB took no punitive action on Sarfaraz and it was the ICC that imposed a 4 match ban on the Pakistan captain.


In contrast:

Ollie Robinson's tweets from 2012

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Ollie Robinson's been suspended from international cricket pending the outcome of a disciplinary investigation following tweets he posted in 2012 & 2013 & won't be available for the 2nd Test v NZ.<br><br>Robinson will leave the England camp immediately & return to his County.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1401630013775044612?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 6, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>



and the ECB's reaction

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Ollie Robinson's been suspended from international cricket pending the outcome of a disciplinary investigation following tweets he posted in 2012 & 2013 & won't be available for the 2nd Test v NZ.<br><br>Robinson will leave the England camp immediately & return to his County.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1401630013775044612?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 6, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

==

So question really is - which board handled it better - was the PCB lax in it's responsibilities or did the ECB overreact?

I think Safraaz what he said was not as bad as the tweets put out Ollie. Ollie sent multiple sexist and racist tweets.

 

[Hasan123]

What Sarfraz did was bad but Robinson actions were much worse. Let's see what punishment ECB dish out. Pulling him out of the 2nd test is good so far. I can definitely see him getting a ban from playing for England for a while.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Apples and oranges. I dont think Sarfaraz intended any malice towards Andile. 'Abbey kaale' kind of casual racism is probably common where he is from and it was a poor choice of words. However, he was captain of an international side and he was caught on live TV. PCB , imo, should have proactively taken action. In Ollie's case, there was clear intent behind his tweets but ECB are overreacting by punishing him for something that happened 9 years ago when he was 18. Not sure that is right.

 

[Cosmic]

Sarfaraz did not do racism, this os often said in public..in karachi.

Pakistan and india its very common using these word kala, gorra, motta, bona, lambu and lot other words..

Even Amitabh famous song Jissi ki biwi moti (if someone wife fatty) or Jiss ki biwwi Kaali ( someone wife black.,Jiss ki biwi Moti, ...

Its a racist song..

Sarfaraz did wrong, but this what all asian people grew up with slurs..so i don't think sarfaraz intentions were arrogant. On the other hand ollie intentions were bad and a young Britisher with a racist mind..while writing all that bad stuff..

 

[Bewal Express]

The ECB is being silly and politically correct way after the event. If the OR tweets had occurred recently then throw the book at him, but it happened nearly a decade and when he was 18.

 

[IMMY69]

How the Safaraz incident was handled tells me how much the situation has changed in such a short space of time.

I am not condoning what Safaraz said but things have changed dramatically since the Floyd incident.

 

[JattMaula]

Not comparable. Sarfraz's case was of casual racism which desis mistakenly consider banter.

Robinson is clear cut case of deliberate racist Twits. He was quite young though.

ECB had to take some action. Or it would have been terrible PR during sensitive times.

 

[Abu_Hamza]

Whats common in India or Pakistan doesnt make it normal ? Its simply a below level mentality to call someone black or else in any country even if ppl think its very common. A society never uplifts itself if it doesnt respect others irrespective of their colour or caste. And calling a player black who is from a country that went through apartheid is simply disgusting and unacceptable. Its a pure case of racism. Even Faf Du plessis said after the incident that u have to be careful about what u say in this part (South Africa) of the world.

 

[Rana]

Hate everything about the ECB right now.

 

[hitthestump]

Not comparable. Sarfraz's case was of casual racism which desis mistakenly consider banter.

Robinson is clear cut case of deliberate racist Twits. He was quite young though.

ECB had to take some action. Or it would have been terrible PR during sensitive times.

Robinson's tweets can easily be taken as banter. Nothing he said would be drastically out of place in a 6th form college in the UK. He clearly felt confident enough to tweet in the first place when all of his friends and family would have seen them.

 

[Saj]

You tend to find that in most situations the ECB tends to control its own destiny rather than be led by the ICC due to inaction.

They have been very proactive since the tweets were uncovered and they deserve credit for that, whether you agree with the outcome or not.

 

[Technics 1210]

I think what this proves is that we cannot judge different cultures and ethics by Western woke standards.

Time to move on.

 

[shamaan]

What Sarfraz did was bad but Robinson actions were much worse. Let's see what punishment ECB dish out. Pulling him out of the 2nd test is good so far. I can definitely see him getting a ban from playing for England for a while.

Why didn't they ban when the incident happen even if he was just playing County cricket

 

[shamaan]

Robinson's tweets can easily be taken as banter. Nothing he said would be drastically out of place in a 6th form college in the UK. He clearly felt confident enough to tweet in the first place when all of his friends and family would have seen them.

I don't know how saying my Muslim friend is the bomb is not offensive

 

[Saj]

Why didn't they ban when the incident happen even if he was just playing County cricket

It seems that the tweets only came to light recently.

I can imagine a few English cricketers hurriedly going through their tweets at the moment.

In fact Dom Bess has deleted his twitter account today.

 

[JattMaula]

Why didn't they ban when the incident happen even if he was just playing County cricket

Yorkshire are a proud racist club. They must have celebrated him for expressing his truth in those tweets.

 

[HitWicket]

Yorkshire are a proud racist club. They must have celebrated him for expressing his truth in those tweets.

He wasn't at Yorkshire when he made these comments.

 

[shamaan]

It seems that the tweets only came to light recently.

I can imagine a few English cricketers hurriedly going through their tweets at the moment.

In fact Dom Bess has deleted his twitter account today.

Could be but not sure how none of the ECB or the management team didn't pick this up bearing in mind he properly has alot of players on his account.

 

[cricketAXEpert]

PCB's pov was that matter had been amicably resolved but ICC clearly saw a different side to it.

ECB are struggling with the racism issue, in light of Azeem Rafiq's allegations so they cannot have turned a blind eye.

PCB needs to educate it's players first and then also come up with penalties.
it is understandable if PCB was not as harsh as ECB. Because they were mostly on the receiving end. Pakistanis (like Indians, West indians etc) have been on the receiving end of Racism for a long time and they still get it From countries like Australia, England & NZ etc.

You can't compare the responses without the historical context.

 

[HitWicket]

Could be but not sure how none of the ECB or the management team didn't pick this up bearing in mind he properly has alot of players on his account.

Why would any of his fellow players be scrolling back through tweets he made that long ago?

 

[KingKhanWC]

Why would any of his fellow players be scrolling back through tweets he made that long ago?

Because it seems what you wrote years ago could land you in trouble today.

PCB did the right thing, let ICC deal with the player. This stops them from getting criticism for being too harsh or lenient, as you cannot please everyone.

 

[Technics 1210]

'Sorry Arthur, your answer was actually correct, but Paul shouted
his opinion louder so he gets the point, and an extra bonus point goes to Sue as she was offended by your answer.'

Facts don't matter - the new game show!

 

[Technics 1210]

What Sarfraz did was bad but Robinson actions were much worse. Let's see what punishment ECB dish out. Pulling him out of the 2nd test is good so far. I can definitely see him getting a ban from playing for England for a while.

Muslims are not a race. Pray tell how OR comments were racist.

Stop towing the media line.

 

[BreadPakoda]

What Sarfaraz did at the age of 30 odd, on the cricket field, as the captain of an international cricket team, cannot be compared with what an 18-year old boy wrote on Twitter from his basement.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

Muslims are not a race. Pray tell how OR comments were racist.

Stop towing the media line.

Ok then it’s prejudice/islamophobic.

 

[sshakir411]

Not sure about the rest of the world but African Americans in the US actually refer to themselves as "black". Calling someone black is not racist but rather socially inappropriate depending the country. The whole Amma and jadu part was plain stupid and not needed by Sarfraz. He deserved to be punish but let's not act like he dropped the N bomb.

 

[MP2011]

What Sarfaraz did at the age of 30 odd, on the cricket field, as the captain of an international cricket team, cannot be compared with what an 18-year old boy wrote on Twitter from his basement.

This.

Sarfaraz may not have meant any malice towards Andy that day, however that was hugely embarrassing behaviour from an international cricketer who was also leading his team in a land badly ravaged by apartheid regime some decades ago!

Let that sink in!

 

[street cricketer]

Not sure about the rest of the world but African Americans in the US actually refer to themselves as "black". Calling someone black is not racist but rather socially inappropriate depending the country. The whole Amma and jadu part was plain stupid and not needed by Sarfraz. He deserved to be punish but let's not act like he dropped the N bomb.

It was casual racism. Not with bigoted intent though. It's just that casual racism is normalised in our culture in the subcontinent.

 

[shamaan]

Why would any of his fellow players be scrolling back through tweets he made that long ago?

Are you stating that he didn't have any cricket players on his twitter account before.

 

[HitWicket]

Are you stating that he didn't have any cricket players on his twitter account before.

At the age of 18 when he didn't have any kind of professional county contract and wasn't involved at all in the England u19 setup? It's quite plausible.

 

[AMSS]

What Sarfaraz did at the age of 30 odd, on the cricket field, as the captain of an international cricket team, cannot be compared with what an 18-year old boy wrote on Twitter from his basement.

Pretty poor of you to ignore the most important bit in any racial debate -history and context.

People call each other names all the time. Some are plausibly FAR more heinous than any racial abuse. Calling others Maa Ki for example.

Sarfaraz (and desis in subcontinent) doesn't have a shared history with blacks of South Africa, there's is no oppressor-oppressed dynamic. Desi people do not have a structural hold on the economic/social life of South Africa that prevents blacks from availing their rightful opportunities in life. When an ignorant desi uses the forbidden racial word, it doesn't have the same effect that's accumulated over time and manifests even in the present.

So while it's bad and Sarfaraz needed to be rightfully called out, it's not sinister like the whites uttering the same words. It's their burden to bear.

 

[MRSN]

Whats common in India or Pakistan doesnt make it normal ? Its simply a below level mentality to call someone black or else in any country even if ppl think its very common. A society never uplifts itself if it doesnt respect others irrespective of their colour or caste. And calling a player black who is from a country that went through apartheid is simply disgusting and unacceptable. Its a pure case of racism. Even Faf Du plessis said after the incident that u have to be careful about what u say in this part (South Africa) of the world.

Exactly. Shocked to read some of the replies in this thread. It just exposes backward mentality. So calling someone with their skin color is not degrading them? If someone called me by a Pak! label I know I would be pretty ****** Phel didn't actually understood Sarfraz racist remarks so he didn't actually have any clue but we as Asian know he was making fun of his skin color which is racist.

 

[Hasan123]

Why didn't they ban when the incident happen even if he was just playing County cricket

Robinson tweets resurfaced during the test so they couldn't ban him during a test. They will investigate and I'm sure he will be banned.

 

[Hasan123]

Muslims are not a race. Pray tell how OR comments were racist.

Stop towing the media line.

They were not appropriate. That's what matters. He will be banned.

 

[sshakir411]

Exactly. Shocked to read some of the replies in this thread. It just exposes backward mentality. So calling someone with their skin color is not degrading them? If someone called me by a Pak! label I know I would be pretty ****** Phel didn't actually understood Sarfraz racist remarks so he didn't actually have any clue but we as Asian know he was making fun of his skin color which is racist.

Someone wouldn't call you Pak! if they wanted to call you by your skin color. They would call you brown. Brown people include all of Sub Continent, most of South America, and North Africa FYI.

 

[MesonK]

None of them were offensive.

 

[OMB]

Calling someone "K..." is not acceptable and very insulting. I am more surprised to note no one mentioned about Sarfaraz including Andre's mother in that racist remark. That was totally unnecessary even in a competitive fight.

All these discussions about Sarfaraz's comments being common in subcontinent or that Ollie had multiple tweets so is more offensive than Sarfi's are turning out to be a poor defence.
Unfortunately, with racism it is difficult to justify who has crossed that thin red line of humour. They are professional cricketers and not stand-up comedians who do it but make the context clear.

 

[wajid]

Calling someone "K..." is not acceptable and very insulting. I am more surprised to note no one mentioned about Sarfaraz including Andre's mother in that racist remark. That was totally unnecessary even in a competitive fight.

All these discussions about Sarfaraz's comments being common in subcontinent or that Ollie had multiple tweets so is more offensive than Sarfi's are turning out to be a poor defence.
Unfortunately, with racism it is difficult to justify who has crossed that thin red line of humour. They are professional cricketers and not stand-up comedians who do it but make the context clear.

Sarfaraz’s comments are offensive but the failure to recognize different context and usage of a word in a different culture is even more offensive and underlines cultural and linguistic imperialism. I have family members and friends with nicknames kalu. Lalu. Chitto etc. These are offensive but not racist in the least as the context of slavery as it existed in US is simply not present in subcontinent. I and all of my friends in North America when talk in Urdu call African Americans “kaale “ and whites as “goray”. African Americans themselves prefer being called “blacks”. It is perfectly polite and non racist. Sarfaraz’s comment was offensive not due to North American racism context, but because of the social stigma attached to it in Indian subcontinent’s cultural context.

Also, anyone who has even a rudimentary experience of Urdu knows that even in that comment there was no degradation and offensive language for Andre’s mother. People keep repeating it here to enlarge the canvas of charge sheet and include some kind of sexism in it but of course they only invent it there themselves as it is not present there in any shape or form.

 

[Abu_Hamza]

The reality is that ICC had to ban Sarfaraz as it was a racist attack and PCB thought that calling a black person black is normal and took no action and were made look like a fool when ICC took the action. No wonder when clowns run an organisation, this is what happens.

 

[MP2011]

Calling someone "K..." is not acceptable and very insulting. I am more surprised to note no one mentioned about Sarfaraz including Andre's mother in that racist remark. That was totally unnecessary even in a competitive fight.

All these discussions about Sarfaraz's comments being common in subcontinent or that Ollie had multiple tweets so is more offensive than Sarfi's are turning out to be a poor defence.
Unfortunately, with racism it is difficult to justify who has crossed that thin red line of humour. They are professional cricketers and not stand-up comedians who do it but make the context clear.

Agree with this. Those who are ok with what Sarfaraz said to Andy would probably be seething with anger if some Australian cricketer calls one of us a '*******'. Pretty standard for Aussies but for us its deeply offensive.

Same goes for Symonds being called Monkey by Bhajji/Indian spectators. For us, calling someone monkey is no big deal but for Symonds, it was very offensive.

 

[street cricketer]

Sarfaraz’s comments are offensive but the failure to recognize different context and usage of a word in a different culture is even more offensive and underlines cultural and linguistic imperialism. I have family members and friends with nicknames kalu. Lalu. Chitto etc. These are offensive but not racist in the least as the context of slavery as it existed in US is simply not present in subcontinent. I and all of my friends in North America when talk in Urdu call African Americans “kaale “ and whites as “goray”. African Americans themselves prefer being called “blacks”. It is perfectly polite and non racist. Sarfaraz’s comment was offensive not due to North American racism context, but because of the social stigma attached to it in Indian subcontinent’s cultural context.

Also, anyone who has even a rudimentary experience of Urdu knows that even in that comment there was no degradation and offensive language for Andre’s mother. People keep repeating it here to enlarge the canvas of charge sheet and include some kind of sexism in it but of course they only invent it there themselves as it is not present there in any shape or form.

Nice thesis defending casual racism in the subcontinent. It's perfectly fine to use the term "blacks" or "black people" to denote them as a race or a demographic group. It is also fine to use the term "black person" to denote the identity of a person to a third person while referring to him.

It is "not" fine however to say to a black person "Hey blacky!" in any context, not least in a statement that's supposed to make fun of the said person in public broadcast. Excuses like I have black friends or I have friends with nicknames like kaalu, laalu or whatever are frankly embarrassing. That brown people don't have a history of doing slavery against black people like white people have in the past (which is a false statement in itself) is also just another poor excuse to defend the casual racist attitudes that south asians tend to have towards the black people. The most comic excuse I read here was that black people aren't confident in their skin colour which is why it became a big issue.

It is perfectly fine for someone to say "He's a Pakistani man", or a "person of Pakistani ethnicity" while denoting a Pakistani or Pakistani origin person. It's not fine however to go around saying "Hey Pak!" to a Pakistani person in ANY context, and defend that by saying things like the said person is not confident in his Pakistani nationality or that I'm Chinese or Japanese and that I don't have a history of colonising Pakistanis or south asians.

 

[cricket4all]

Sarfraz’ comment was and is racist, but the worst part is a lot of Asians say the words ‘gaura, and ‘kala’ not realise it’s racist or that they causing offence. It’s like it’s in the culture that this is normal vocabulary. Sarfraz’ comment or use of the word is unacceptable and especially during a cricket match when others can hear.

The ECB handled Ollie Robinson situation correctly. The PCB did not handle Sarfraz situation at all.

 

[OMB]

Agree with this. Those who are ok with what Sarfaraz said to Andy would probably be seething with anger if some Australian cricketer calls one of us a '*******'. Pretty standard for Aussies but for us its deeply offensive.

Same goes for Symonds being called Monkey by Bhajji/Indian spectators. For us, calling someone monkey is no big deal but for Symonds, it was very offensive.

Equally wrong. Whatever may the excuse or aggresion by Aussies be, this was not right. Bhajji got away lightly due to senior Indian players ringfencing him.

 

[wajid]

Nice thesis defending casual racism in the subcontinent. It's perfectly fine to use the term "blacks" or "black people" to denote them as a race or a demographic group. It is also fine to use the term "black person" to denote the identity of a person to a third person while referring to him.

It is "not" fine however to say to a black person "Hey blacky!" in any context, not least in a statement that's supposed to make fun of the said person in public broadcast. Excuses like I have black friends or I have friends with nicknames like kaalu, laalu or whatever are frankly embarrassing. That brown people don't have a history of doing slavery against black people like white people have in the past (which is a false statement in itself) is also just another poor excuse to defend the casual racist attitudes that south asians tend to have towards the black people. The most comic excuse I read here was that black people aren't confident in their skin colour which is why it became a big issue.

It is perfectly fine for someone to say "He's a Pakistani man", or a "person of Pakistani ethnicity" while denoting a Pakistani or Pakistani origin person. It's not fine however to go around saying "Hey Pak!" to a Pakistani person in ANY context, and defend that by saying things like the said person is not confident in his Pakistani nationality or that I'm Chinese or Japanese and that I don't have a history of colonising Pakistanis or south asians.

Again!! I am sick of this cultural appropriation. I never argued that what Sarfaraz said was not offensive. But to me evil CAN EXIST even if it is not in the form of “racism” or seen through a lens of racism. We in subcontinent have our own demons to deal with. This boxing of people in black , white and brown is itself not only offensive but factually wrong as well.

 

[shamaan]

At the age of 18 when he didn't have any kind of professional county contract and wasn't involved at all in the England u19 setup? It's quite plausible.

The thing is he's made numerous tweets we're he's being offensive in terms of being sexist or racist it is not a one off.did he delete the tweet afternoons ?

 

[shamaan]

Robinson tweets resurfaced during the test so they couldn't ban him during a test. They will investigate and I'm sure he will be banned.

And rightly so he should be banned.

 

[OMB]

Sarfaraz’s comments are offensive but the failure to recognize different context and usage of a word in a different culture is even more offensive and underlines cultural and linguistic imperialism. I have family members and friends with nicknames kalu. Lalu. Chitto etc. These are offensive but not racist in the least as the context of slavery as it existed in US is simply not present in subcontinent. I and all of my friends in North America when talk in Urdu call African Americans “kaale “ and whites as “goray”. African Americans themselves prefer being called “blacks”. It is perfectly polite and non racist. Sarfaraz’s comment was offensive not due to North American racism context, but because of the social stigma attached to it in Indian subcontinent’s cultural context.

Also, anyone who has even a rudimentary experience of Urdu knows that even in that comment there was no degradation and offensive language for Andre’s mother. People keep repeating it here to enlarge the canvas of charge sheet and include some kind of sexism in it but of course they only invent it there themselves as it is not present there in any shape or form.

[MENTION=127585]kalu[/MENTION] - I already feel for him/her now.