By: Areeba Saeed
Shahid Afridi has refused the claim of Friends of Israel (FOI) social media post alleging that he stopped for picture to show his support for their call to release Israeli hostages.
A picture of Shahid Afridi with two Zionist has gone viral on Wednesday. In picture one man is holding the flyer about kidnapped children by Hamas. The hashtag of “BringThemHome” was clearly visible on flyer, holded by one of Zionist.
According to the organization, Shahid Afridi approached them and took the picture with co-chair and deputy chair of FOI. They also thanked him in one of their post.
Afridi faced severe backlash after this but he denied and told the public not to believe every news on social media.
He wrote on X (Twitter), “Imagine strolling down a street in Manchester (UK) and so-called fans approach you for a selfie. You oblige, and moments later, they upload it as some form of Zionist endorsement.”
He also ensured his support for Gaza in a post, “Seeing innocent lives in Palestine suffer is truly heartbreaking. Thus, any photo or association shared by in Manchester does not reflect my support for any situation where human lives are at stake.”
FOI remained persistent with their statement and responded to Afridi. They alleged that he took a picture with his own camera and pposedfor selfie with our playcards.
They also added “You spoke to us of your own free will and posed for a selfie with hostage leaflets to support our cause. It’s hugely disappointing you have caved into those who would oppose the release of innocent babies, children, women and men held hostage by the terrorists of Hamas.”
After this Shahid swiftly shot back in a post that said “Nice try NWFOI. This was just a selfie with what I thought was a fan. I do not endorse your tweet. As a Muslim, I pray for peace across the world.” He also added to delete their post and not to spread fake news for their benefit.
In another tweet FOI again claimed in detail that Shahid Afridi approached them, talked to them and then asked for selfie himself with playcards. Shahid Afridi hasn’t responded to their post yet.
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