Emdad Rahman
Queen Mary University played host to the first inspiring Pro Muslims event as Middlesbrough striker Rudy Gestede took centre stage to address an avid crowd.
The evening gave the audience an insight into the life of a football star as they heard an account of his journey to becoming a professional footballer, and how his faith has had a positive influence on his life.
Gestede spoke of how his faith is respected and accommodated in England. “Football here is amazing and clubs go to extraordinary lengths to ensure I have Halal food, have the freedom to practise my faith and I’m so grateful as this hasn’t always been the case in my career. In England it’s very different and very positive when it comes.”
Gestede has faced the dreaded monkey gestures during his career at Blackburn Rovers. He said, “Nothing came of it and I believe that lower league players don’t receive the same support in terms of racism as those higher up. That’s something I strongly believe needs to be looked at and worked on.”
The session ended with a talk and Q&A with Kevin Coleman, Equality and Diversity manager at the Football Association.
On behalf of the organisers Ebadur Rahman concluded, “It’s important for young people in particular to be able to relate to their role models and with that in mind we organised this event. The turnout was positive and we feel that moving forward there is a need for events like these to raise aspirations.”