What We Love Together

Saw on Al Jazeera, sometime in the past, a group of youths in Iran,
attacking diplomatic missions of the West, wearing Chelsea jerseys.
Isn't that an irony?

We all love European football clubs: Man U., Chelsea, Arsenal, Barca,
Real Madrid, et cetera.
We wear their jerseys proudly whether praying to God, Allah or Bhudda;
When we pray
Facing the Kabba, the altar, or nature.
We stay glued to our Western-built cable-enabled plasma/smart TVs,
Watching mainly Western footballers, loving them: the merciless Messi,
for example
Not minding his religion, his race, his language
We love him, Some hate him
Only because they love a different team.

What if our divisions are only based on the teams we support?
What if we extend our suspension of religious differences beyond the
90 minutes it takes a Messi to titillate our love for the round
leather game?
What if our nationality and creed are determined by the teams we support?
Maybe life would have been better
Maybe we would have just hooliganism and Blatter to grapple with.

How can one love Messi and hate folks who share his creed?
How can one love a Beckham and detest his nationality?

It smacks of double standard
And I sincerely pray we outgrow our differences
And emphasise the shared visions and engagements that we love.

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