Usman Khawaja's wife Rachel, who converted to Islam to marry Australia cricketer, supports husband’s stance

Pakistan-born Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja has recently drawn attention for expressing support for the victims of the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

This came to light when he wore shoes during a training session displaying the messages "Freedom is a human right" and "All lives are equal."

Khawaja’s wife, Rachel who converted to Islam before their marriage has voiced support for her husband, she took to her Instagram story and shared the video of her husband with caption, “With you all the way.”

Khawaja has openly expressed his solidarity with the Palestinian victims of the Israeli genocide in the Gaza Strip. In a gesture of support for innocent lives, he intended to wear the same shoes during a Test match against Pakistan. However, the International Cricket Council (ICC) intervened, deeming the statement on the shoes as 'political’.

Nevertheless, Khawaja has chosen to respect the ICC's objection, though he intends to file an appeal against the decision.

Cricket Australia said in a statement that it expected Khawaja to play the first Test without displaying any personal messages.

“We support the right of our players to express personal opinions. But the ICC has rules in place which prohibit the display of personal messages which we expect the players to uphold,” read the statement.

The left-hand batter shared a video on his Instagram and said, “I have noticed that wearing my shoes has caused a little bit of stir. I won't say much, I don’t want to. But what I do want is those who did get offended is to ask themselves this question. Is freedom not for everyone? Are all lives not equal?”

Unable to express his solidarity through slogans on his shoes due to ICC regulations, Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja resorted to wearing a black armband on the first day of the Test against Pakistan in Perth as a subtle form of protest.

Pakistan-born Usman Khawaja tied the knot with Rachel, a convert to Islam, in 2018 after dating for three years.  Their journey together has blessed them with two beautiful daughters.

They formed a connection during their university days and decided to get engaged in 2016. Their engagement took place in 2016, and Rachel's decision to embrace Islam in 2017 led to their traditional 'nikah' ceremony. The couple exchanged vows in April 2018.

In a previous interview, Rachel McLellan, born into a Catholic family, admitted to being "very ignorant around Usman." Usman was the first Muslim she had encountered, and her initial perceptions of Muslims were shaped by news reports. 

During the same interview she explained that her decision to convert to Islam was a personal choice, emphasising that there was no influence or pressure from Usman.