Syed Muzammil Shah’s Selective Narrative: Exploiting Sports Failures to Push an Anti-Religious Agenda
In recent times, Syed Muzammil Shah has gained notoriety for his persistent efforts to push an anti-religious sentiment under the guise of “rational critique.” His latest target? Cricket—specifically, the failures of Pakistan’s national team in the Champions Trophy. Instead of discussing the fundamental factors behind the team’s poor performance—such as strategy, fitness, or execution—Muzammil conveniently twists the narrative to frame religion as the culprit.
This is not just an isolated case of criticism; it is a pattern. Muzammil has repeatedly used any opportunity, no matter how disconnected from faith, to launch attacks against religious beliefs. However, what makes this case particularly absurd is that sports, by nature, are unpredictable. The same cricketers he is blaming today have led Pakistan to historic victories in the past. Yet, when they perform well, their faith is never credited—so why is it suddenly responsible for their losses?
Selective Criticism: Why Only Blame Religion in Failure?
Muzammil’s approach reveals a glaring intellectual dishonesty. When Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam played match-winning innings against India in the T20 World Cup, did Muzammil credit their faith? When Pakistan won the ICC Champions Trophy in 2017 under Sarfaraz Ahmed, did he acknowledge the role of faith in their victory? The answer is no. However, when the team fails, he suddenly sees religion as the primary cause.
This selective reasoning is not an accident—it is a deliberate attempt to use failures as ammunition against religious beliefs. The same logic, if applied fairly, would mean that any success should also be attributed to faith. But since Muzammil’s agenda is not about fairness but about discrediting religious values, he only highlights failures.
The Reality of Sports: Win Some, Lose Some
Cricket, like all competitive sports, is inherently uncertain. No player or team can guarantee victory every time. If Muzammil’s logic were correct, then England’s captain Jos Buttler, who also lost all his Champions Trophy matches, should also be questioned for his beliefs. What about Bangladesh’s captain Najmul Hossain Shanto? Do they also hold religious views that caused their teams to lose?
The reality is far simpler: sports are about skill, preparation, and execution on the day. Some days a team performs well, other days it does not. Rizwan and Babar have both destroyed world-class bowling attacks on their best days, but no one calls their faith responsible for those victories. So why should their faith be held responsible for their losses?
Religion as a Source of Strength, Not Weakness
For many athletes, faith is a source of discipline, resilience, and motivation. Across different sports, players have credited their belief in God for helping them stay focused under pressure. Muhammad Ali, the boxing legend, openly spoke about how his faith gave him strength in and out of the ring. Khabib Nurmagomedov, the undefeated MMA fighter, frequently attributes his success to his religious discipline.
Pakistan’s cricketers are no different. For Rizwan, faith is part of his identity, not a performance-enhancing drug. His religion does not automatically make him win, but it provides him with the mental resilience required to endure setbacks. To claim that faith is responsible for failure while ignoring how it helps players deal with the pressures of professional sports is a dishonest and biased approach.
Muzammil’s Double Standards and Confirmation Bias
Muzammil’s pattern of critique follows a confirmation bias—he starts with the conclusion that religion is problematic and then searches for any possible event to justify it. This is what makes his reasoning motivated reasoning, not true critical thinking.
If Pakistan wins: “It’s because of their skill.”
If Pakistan loses: “It’s because of their religion.”
This blatant double standard is why his arguments lack credibility. A true intellectual would acknowledge both sides, but Muzammil deliberately avoids discussing victories because they do not serve his agenda.
Scapegoating Athletes for Religious Criticism
Another troubling aspect of Muzammil’s arguments is that he is using cricketers as scapegoats. Instead of addressing sports-related failures, he weaponizes these moments to push his ideological battle against faith. This is dishonest and manipulative because the players themselves have never blamed religion for their losses.
When Rizwan says “Jo Allah ko manzoor” (Whatever God wills), he is simply expressing acceptance of fate, a common phrase in Muslim culture. It is not an excuse; it is a mindset of resilience. If a Muslim loses a loved one and says the same phrase, does it mean they wanted their family member to die? Of course not. It is a way of coping with events beyond human control.
The Real Reasons for Pakistan’s Poor Performance
If Muzammil were genuinely interested in improving Pakistan cricket, he would focus on actual reasons for the team’s struggles, such as:
Poor fitness levels
Weak team selection
Inconsistent form of key players
Tactical errors in match situations
Lack of a strong domestic cricket system
These are real, tangible factors that impact results. But Muzammil ignores them because they do not fit his anti-religious agenda.
Conclusion: Exposing the Hidden Motive
Muzammil’s attempt to use cricket failures as a means to attack religion is misguided, dishonest, and intellectually weak. If faith were truly the cause of failure, then religious athletes across the world should be losing every game. But they are not. The fact that Muzammil applies his criticism selectively—only using failures to target religion—exposes his hidden bias.
The real conversation should be about Pakistan’s cricketing strategies, training, and execution, not a player’s belief in God. If Rizwan, Babar, or any other athlete underperforms, the discussion should be about cricket, not their faith. Anything beyond that is just an opportunistic attack, and it is time to call it out for what it is.
