The Ironic Situation Arising From Putting Religious Identity Before the National

While saying the two words that the losing captain is allowed to say at the presentation ceremony, the captain of Pakistan said something strange " I assure my countrymen and all Muslims all over the world that the team is going to do well in the coming series." or something to that effect. The line immediately rang a bell in my mind, hello, why should the Muslims of the world, other than Pakistanis, care about whether the Pakistani cricket team wins or looses? After reading Amrita's blog ( indiequill.wordpress.com) where there is a poignant snippet about how a Pakistani girl sold to the idea of an Islamic state reacted to the information that Pakistan was infact created as a refuge of Muslims and not envisaged as an Islamic State. I have also read about how the Pakistani team has become extremely Islamacised, I do not remember Imran Khan ever beginning his comments with the religious phrase praising Allah, it sounds good and who is not praying during the cliff hanger matches. But this is no innocent declaration of faith it is a political statement, this time I observed even Irfan Pathan begin with the prayer, maybe he felt the need because it has come to be established that you are not Muslim enough if you do not punctuate your statement with these proclaimations.
Today there was a scathing comment on the Pakistani captain's statement in the Times of India by a very respected and eminent jurist and teacher on p17 'Nation Mailbox' colomn, truely the Indian Muslim has always been suspected of secretly or overtly supporting Pakistan and it is funny how no one protested when such statements are made. Sir rightly points out that the only interest the Indian Muslim has in the Pakistani team is to see it being demolished by the Indian attack! The incongruity of the statement is also apparent if one applies it to nations other than India, would Nasir Husain the one time English captain ever hope for a Pakistani victory just because he is a Muslim. Will the Bangladesh team feel happy to see Pakistan win? All I can say is "muh dhoke aao bhaiya aur apne dimag ka istamaal karo jab public seaking kar rahe ho".