Taking to Twitter, Ozil shared his thoughts in a two-tweet thread on the discussions over whether Islam is a part of Europe
German footballer of Turkish descent Mesut Ozil praised German politician Helge Lindh over his comments on discrimination against Muslims in Germany, thanking the Social Democratic Party (SPD) lawmaker for “having the courage to speak about Islamophobia in public.”
Taking to Twitter, Ozil shared his thoughts in a two-tweet thread on the discussions over whether Islam is a part of Europe.
“Nowadays there are still many discussions in public about if Islam is a part of the German, French or European society. I would say Islam is not part of a country, - there's no German, French or European Islam; it's not part of a continent or a culture. Islam is simply a universal religion - everywhere. Thanks and respect to the German politician @helgelindh for having the courage to speak about Islamophobia in public,” the tweet read.
German politician Helge Lindh had slammed Islamophobia in a speech to the Bundestag, the country’s federal parliament and said Germans need to strive to “understand Muslims instead of trying to change them.”
“I apologize for the violence and humiliation Muslims have been subjected to,” he said to rapturous applause.
He also slammed the far-right AfD (Alternative for Germany) Party for exacerbating the situation in the country with its racist policies.
"You are playing a devastating game for democracy. Those who play with democracy play with people. And these games have victims, and Muslims definitely are the victims of these treacherous games. Don't play with democracy. This is what the AfD does."
32-year-old Ozil joined English Premier League side Arsenal in 2013 and has scored 44 goals with 77 assists in 254 games for the Gunners.
He has also played for Germany's Schalke and Werder Bremen as well as Spanish giants Real Madrid.
Additionally, Ozil was part of Germany’s 2014 World Cup-winning squad.
