Antonio Rudiger, defender of Real Madrid and the German national team, issued a statement to clarify his position following the attack he was subjected to by a German journalist for publishing a picture of a prayer rug on his various accounts.

Rudiger was subjected to a disgraceful accusation by Julian Reichelt, editor of the German newspaper “Bild”, who wrote on his account on the “X” platform that what Rudiger is doing in the photo is a distinctive sign of a terrorist organization.

Rudiger said in statements to the German newspaper “Bild”: “The gesture I used is called the finger of monotheism, and in Islam, this gesture is considered a symbol of the unity of God, and it is widely spread among Muslims all over the world.”

He added: "I am a devout Muslim. I practice my religion, but I firmly distance myself from any kind of extremism and accusations of political Islam. Violence and terrorism are absolutely unacceptable. I defend peace and tolerance."

The Real Madrid defender continued: “Many members of my family belong to different religions, however, we respect each other and celebrate religious holidays together. Respect and tolerance are basic principles that we all represent in our family.”

The German star continued: “However, I also realize that due to insufficient attention, I have given parties the opportunity to deliberately misinterpret my post in order to sow division and polarization. For this reason, I decided to make a clear statement, and at the same time, I will not allow myself to be insulted and demeaned as a Muslim.” That's why I decided to submit a report."

Rudiger concluded: “It is about propaganda and division. I will always defend myself firmly against this attack. I hope that this clarification will help remove misunderstandings and shed light on the truth. I would also like to thank the German Football Association, which has supported me all the time in this matter.” The command".

Rüdiger filed a criminal complaint with the Berlin Public Prosecutor's Office against Reichelt.

The German Football Association also reported the case to the Central Office for Combating Cybercrime of the Main Public Prosecutor's Office in Frankfurt.

The German newspaper Bild, which published the first report on this issue, quoted the German Interior Ministry as saying that Rüdiger’s gesture: “must be understood as a case of faith that does not represent a problem in terms of public safety.”

The German Interior Ministry stated that "the matter involves this regardless of the fact that some extremists misuse this symbol for private purposes."

The Ministry concluded its statement by stating that “the matter depends on the individual case.”

Source: "Media"