Liverpool Football Club have said they will take action against a man who called two Muslim men “a disgrace” for praying at Anfield.
In a statement Liverpool FC said: “Last month, Liverpool Football Club received complaints of a tweet showing an image of Muslim fans praying during half-time at Anfield accompanied by comments that were offensive to the complainants.
“The club reported the tweet, which was posted online on Sunday March 8, 2015, to Merseyside Police. Merseyside Police investigated the matter and has referred this to LFC to take appropriate action against the individual involved. The club is currently in the process of determining the appropriate action to take and a further update statement will be made in due course.
“Liverpool Football Club would like to remind its supporters that it does not tolerate any form of discrimination and is committed to ensuring that the club and Anfield provides a welcoming and safe environment for all fans regardless of race, religion, gender, age, disability or sexual orientation.”
Last month Stephen Dodd tweeted a picture of Asif Bodi and Abubakar Bhula worshipping on their knees in a stairwell of Liverpool’s Anfield ground. Dodd added the caption: ‘Muslims praying at half-time at the match yesterday #DISGRACE.’
Dodd’s post, made after Liverpool took on Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup last month, was met with widespread condemnation on social media, with users branding him a “bigot” and “disgrace to humanity.”
The tweet was reported to police, who investigated but decided no criminal offence had taken place. They have referred the matter back to the club.
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Asif Bodi, a lawyer from Preston, said: “We have a small window in which to pray. That day, the time came for prayer and the window would have closed before the game finished so we did it at half-time.
“Most people are absolutely fine with it and the stewards at Anfield are wonderful, but it only takes one or two people to react in the wrong way and you could have a nasty situation.”
Mr Bodi, whose eight-year-old son Ayman can also be seen in Mr Dodd’s photo, added: “My little boy said at the time ‘someone is taking a picture of us’ and I thought maybe it was someone who hadn’t seen prayers before. I certainly didn’t expect to be called a disgrace for doing it.”
Mr Bhula, 37, who is also a solicitor, said he would happily meet with Mr Dodd to explain the importance of prayers in Islam.
He added: ‘Education is key to stopping things like this from happening. Maybe the man who took the photo has not come across Muslims before who have explained the significance of prayer. I would be quite happy to meet with him to explain why we pray and when it needs to be done.”
