Azeem Rafiq: Cricketer has no regrets speaking out about racism

Rafiq says there have been negative and positive sides to speaking out.

On one hand he says parents whose children have experienced racism have told him they’ve felt empowered to speak up.

But, on the other, Rafiq says he still hears about cases where complaints “fall on deaf ears”.

“In most cases, people will get tired and leave it,” he says.

“I would hope that people will think twice now before using racial language.”

Born in Pakistan, Azeem says the country helped spark his love of cricket.

He moved to the UK in 2001, the year of the 9/11 terror attacks, and says that was when he first encountered racism.

“A lot has changed, a lot hasn’t,” he says.

“We don’t have the same level of vile, violent attacks.”

But in Rafiq’s view some things feel “arguably worse” for British Muslims today than they did 20 years ago.

“The rhetoric, language, the division, [and] the othering” can be “exactly the same”, he says.

“How are we in a situation, in 2024, that we’re still fighting just to have simple dignity and respect?”