Antonio Rudiger speaks out on astounding ISIS links made by former German media chief

Real Madrid defender Rudiger, who is a practicing Muslim, posted a Ramadam greeting on Instagram that showed the Germany international kneeling on a prayer mat wearing a white robe and pointing upwards with his right index finger. He captioned the post: “Ramadan Mubarak to all Muslims around the world. May the almighty accept our fasting and prayers.”

Former Bild chief Julian Reichelt described the gesture as an “Islamists’ salute” and accused Rudiger of displaying the “ISIS-greeting of Islamists” in a lengthy post on X.

Rudiger has distanced himself from the claims in a statement: “On the occasion of the beginning of Lent, I posted a snapshot on Instagram. It has already been publicly visible for 13 days [since March 11] and has reached several million interactions without any criticism from anyone, but in recent days the photo has been used by individuals to make unfounded accusations.

“The gesture I used is called tawhid fingering. In Islam, this is considered a symbol of the unity and oneness of God. The gesture is widespread among Muslims around the world and in recent days the Federal Ministry of the Interior has classified it as non-problematic. As a devout Muslim, I practice my faith, but I firmly distance myself from any kind of extremism and accusations of Islamism. Violence and terrorism are absolutely unacceptable. I stand for peace and tolerance.”

DFB TO TAKE LEGAL ACTION