He waited until the end of the international break to officially speak. Real Madrid's German defender Antonio Rüdiger explains, in an interview with Bild on Thursday, that he filed a complaint against a former editor-in-chief of the tabloid, now very active on social networks and on YouTube, Julian Reichelt.
The latter attacked him on X, formerly Twitter, for a photo where the footballer, a practicing Muslim, had appeared at the start of Ramadan two weeks ago on a prayer mat 'air.
A gesture seen by Reichelt as an “Islamist salute” linking the 31-year-old to members of the Islamic Tat group. “The gesture I used is called the tawhid finger,” emphasizes Antonio Rüdiger. In Islam, this is considered a symbol of the unity and oneness of God. This gesture is widespread among Muslims around the world and has been considered unproblematic by the German Interior Ministry. »
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“I firmly distance myself from any form of extremism”
“As a devout Muslim, I practice my faith, but I firmly distance myself from any form of extremism and accusations of Islamism,” he continues. Violence and terrorism are absolutely unacceptable. I defend peace and tolerance. »
“I will not allow myself to be insulted and denigrated as an Islamist. This is why I decided to file a complaint. This is propaganda and division. I will always resolutely defend myself against this. I hope this clarification helps clear up misunderstandings and shed light on the truth. I would also like to thank the DFB (the German federation), which has always supported me in this matter. »
Antonio Rüdiger filed a complaint with the Berlin public prosecutor's office for insult, slander and incitement to hatred. The German federation also filed a complaint. Julian Reichelt published a video on YouTube dedicated to the subject where he returns to Rüdiger's raised finger. “No gesture, no fanatical salute has caused as much suffering over the last 25 years as the raised finger of the Islamists,” maintains the journalist.