Mumbai: Former Pakistan cricketer and coach Mohammad Yousaf’s Christian wedding pictures before converting to Islam has gone viral on social media. This comes amid facing heavy backlash for making derogatory remarks against Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav. Cricket fans felt he made such insulting comments to prove his loyalty to ‘jihadi’ fanatics in Pakistan where religious minorities are persecuted and their voices are stifled.
Cricket fans circulated Mohammad Yousaf's marriage picture as a Christian having a church wedding on social media after the former Pakistan player gave bizarre explanation over calling India's Suryakumar Yadav a 'pig' during a heated TV debate.
During the TV discussion, radical Islamist Yousaf appeared to have deliberately mispronounced Suryakumar Yadav’s name even as the presenter tried to correct his pronunciation. Yousuf repeated the slur before going on to criticise the rest of the Indian team.
Fans share Mohammad Yousuf's wedding picture
Lahore-born Mohammed Yousaf, known as Yousuf Youhana, got married to Tania before the couple converted to Islam to become Mohd Yousuf and Fatima back in 2005. He then told reporters he had converted of his own free will, after attending regular preaching sessions of Tablighi Jamaat, Pakistan's largest non-political religious grouping, which includes among its members Yousuf's former Pakistan team-mate, Saeed Anwar.
It is a known fact that Pakistan's religious minorities face discrimination and persecution and Yousaf then was in contention to become cricket skipper. This would not have been allowed by strong Islamic groups and the administrators until he accepted Islam after converting from Christianity.
Mohammad Yousuf explains the pig remark
Yousaf faced severe backlash online for his derogatory remark against Suryakumar after Pakistan were thrashed in their Asia Cup 2025 match on Sunday. As fans questioned his ability to keep the discourse respectful, the former batter claimed he had not meant any disrespect to any sportsman who plays for his country with passion and grace.
The ex-Pakistan batter also accused former India pacer Irfan Pathan of once abusing Shahid Afridi in an interview and criticised Indian media and fans for allegedly praising Irfan at the time.
Taking to X he wrote, "I didn’t mean any disrespect to any sportsman who plays for his country with passion and grace, but why were the Indian media and people praising Irfan Pathan when he said that Shahid Khan Afridi was barking like a dog? Shouldn’t that have been rejected by everyone who talks about dignity and respect?"
