Gesture causes a stir

Uproar over Insta post: now Rüdiger is speaking out

Antonio Rüdiger has commented on the furor surrounding his Instagram post.(Bild: APA/AFP/OSCAR DEL POZO)

In an Instagram post on 11 March, practising Muslim Antonio Rüdiger posted a photo of himself in a white robe on a prayer mat. A post that caused quite a stir due to the gesture depicted. Now the Real defender has spoken out publicly for the first time. 

The background: The index finger pointing to the sky with his right hand was apparently interpreted by some journalists as a gesture of Salafist or Islamist radicalization, after which Rüdiger filed a complaint together with the DFB. 

"Standing up for peace and tolerance"
He also told the German newspaper "Bild": "The gesture I used was the so-called tauhid finger. In Islam, this is a symbol of the unity and uniqueness of God. The gesture is widespread among Muslims all over the world and has only recently been classified as unproblematic by the Federal Ministry of the Interior." As a devout Muslim, he practiced his faith, but distanced himself from any kind of extremism and accusations of Islamism. "Violence and terrorism are absolutely unacceptable. I stand for peace and tolerance."

Many of his family members belong to different religions. Nevertheless, Rüdiger's relatives respect each other and celebrate religious festivals together. Respect and tolerance are fundamental principles that everyone in his family upholds. Although the 31-year-old admits: "However, I also recognize that I have given third parties the opportunity to deliberately misinterpret my post in order to divide and polarize due to a lack of attention."

"No platform for division and radicalization"
Rüdiger explained the charges against journalists as follows: "I will not provide a platform for division and radicalization, so I have decided to make a clear statement now after our two successful international matches. At the same time, I will not allow myself to be insulted and denigrated as an Islamist. That's why I decided to press charges. This is about propaganda and division; I will always take a firm stand against this."