Yousaf’s switch to Islam angers parents

By Mohammed Rizwan

LAHORE: Star cricketer Mohammad Yousaf’s decision to convert to Islam annoyed his parents so much that he had to spend two days out of his house and is still not dining at home with his parents, sources told Daily Times on Sunday.

Yousaf has cancelled his children’s registration with a private school in Defence and enrolled them in a modest Islamic school, sources said.

“I don’t want to give Yousaf my name after what he has done,” said his mother at her Cavalry Ground residence. “My daughter-in-law is innocent as she had no choice after her husband embraced Islam.”

“We always suspected that something was wrong as Yousaf was getting very close to Saeed Anwar’s brother Javed... he is responsible for ruining my son and my family,” she said. “We only came to know about his decision after he offered Friday prayers at a mosque. It was a shock for us,” she added. “This is the most terrible thing that has happened to my family,” Yousaf’s mother said.

Sources in the Pakistan Cricket Board said the batsman’s interest in Islam was at least three years old. “Obviously, the main source of inspiration and influence is Saeed Anwar, but it was also the Tableeghi Jamaat’s people who frequently visited the PCB offices and training academy to influence cricketers,” said a former top PCB official.

“Former Test wicketkeeper Zulqarnain was the first religious influence on the team and later Saeed Anwar led many cricketers including Waqar Younis, Inzamam, Afridi, Saqlain Mushtaq and Mushtaq Ahmed to senior clerics in Raiwind,” the official said. “The team’s environment is getting more and more religious as almost all seniors have become strongly religious,” the official added.

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