Brazilian soccer player Neymar sparked controversy in Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Muslim world for the cross pendant he wore while arriving in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, following the signing of a lucrative, two-year contract with the Al-Hilal Saudi Football Club.
Brazilian Soccer Star Neymar Widely Condemned By Muslim Clerics, Social Media Users For Arriving In Saudi Arabia Wearing Cross Pendant Necklace – Audio of report here https://t.co/lQlM1XrLax #MEMRI pic.twitter.com/8kFhqHA92A
— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) August 25, 2023
Officials of the football club and a crowd of reporters greeted the famous football star after stepping off the plane, marking a historic moment for Neymar’s career as an athlete and for Saudi Arabia, which has recently ramped up its efforts to advance the sports sector in the ultraconservative Muslim kingdom by recruiting world-class athletes like Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.
But the attention quickly shifted from Neymar’s arrival to the diamond-studded cross pendant he was wearing. While most onlookers ignored his accessory of choice, Islamic clerics in Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Muslim world took offense at the pendant for what it symbolized.
Nation of snowflakes
— The Time Is Now (@TheT1me1sN0w) August 25, 2023
The cross is widely seen around the world as a symbol of Christianity, and many clerics perceived Neymar’s pendant as a disrespectful and offensive gesture to Saudi Arabia, considered to be the birthplace of Islam and home to two of the religion’s holiest cities, Mecca and Medina.
When the photo of him wearing the cross pendant went viral on social media, many Islamic scholars and clerics criticized Neymar, such as Abdellah Nhari from Morocco. In a video, he lambasted the Brazilian athlete, saying that Neymar "could have come like the other players who were presented to the public without bearing, God forbid, the trinity emblem on the land of monotheism. The emblem contradicts the Quran, as Christ was not killed or crucified, but rather God raised him to Himself."
Another cleric, Moussa Azzouni from Algeria, denounced Neymar for wearing a cross pendant in “the land of the two holy Mosques,” referring to Saudi Arabia. He also urged the Algerian people to condemn Neymar’s actions in their hearts and argued that the mujahideen and the martyrs are the role models for the Algerian youth, not Neymar.
Samir Al-Ahmad, a YouTuber based in Turkey, accused Neymar of provoking Islam and even compared him to Cristiano Ronaldo, claiming that no other football player who signed with Saudi football clubs has done something similar before him.
Wow too angry Muslims scholars but they don't have any respect for west, building mosques, wearing hijab, praying in streets isn't disrespect when they pray in streets and others people get offended do these imams guide them that it's wrong hypocrites always
— jonna545 (@jonna545) August 26, 2023
Even on Facebook, some users expressed disappointment towards Neymar, calling his cross pendant disrespectful and offensive. One user, Abu Oudai Al-Hadhrami of Yemen, said that Neymar’s arrival while wearing the cross was “catastrophic,” given that Saudi Arabia is "considered the birthplace of Islam and prophethood, and the Qibla [the direction toward which a Muslim turns to pray in Islam] of Islam and Muslims."
However, not everyone agreed with Neymar’s critics, and the condemnation of his cross pendant was even mocked and ridiculed online. Some social media users downplayed the significance of Neymar’s pendant and accused his critics of undermining the efforts by the Saudi Arabian government to improve the country’s sports industry.
One prominent figure who came to Neymar’s defense was the retired captain of Saudi Arabia’s national football team, Yasser Al-Qahtani. He addressed the criticisms against Neymar through a post on X, previously known as Twitter, on August 21st.
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“The remarkable strides and advancements that the Kingdom is making in the realm of sports, which have reverberated worldwide, have prompted certain individuals to embark on a campaign of fishing for controversy and trying to sway public opinion about the Kingdom's endeavors.” Al-Qahtani, who has 6.5 million followers on X, said on his Tweet. “They do so by sharing offensive and derogatory tweets, actions that we are acutely aware are not motivated by goodwill, but rather by a desire to foster discord while camouflaging their malicious intentions behind a facade of positivity."
He also added in another post that Neymar’s critics “are oblivious to what our Islamic religion commands, the religion of tolerance and peace from the time of our great Prophet and his noble companions until this day, especially concerning the People of the Covenant.”
“But hatred and envy blind the hearts before the eyes. Your animosity will persist, and we will continue, by the grace of God, with our progress under the inspiring vision of 2030," he added.
