Pakistan cricketer Youhana embraces Islam?

Pakistan cricketer Youhana embraces Islam?

By Indo Asian News Service


Islamabad, Sep 17 (IANS) The Pakistan cricket team's vice-captain Yousuf Youhana, the lone Christian in the squad, has embraced Islam, a media report Saturday said.

The conversion reportedly took place in Makkah, the report said.

'The conversion took place with members of a tableeghi jamaat (group of preachers) present with him where he and his family said the Kalma (a Quranic verse testifying that there's no god except Allah and Mohammad is His Prophet) and later performed Umra (a religious pilgrimage to Mkkah),' The News reported Saturday quoting a player.

'Youhana and his family have also been issued certificates in the holy place confirming their Muslim status, which allowed them to perform Umra,' the player further said.

The paper admitted that 31-year-old Youhana 'is not eager to speak about it and is neither denying or confirming' the event.

'But some of his team mates and friends confirmed that Youhana on a recent trip to Jeddah finally took the decision to convert to Islam and he was supported in this by his wife Tania and children,' it said.

The paper also said that two unidentified national team members played a crucial role in Youhana's conversion to Islam.

'It is also true that two players of the Pakistan team had a key role in helping him take the decision which was first opposed but then supported by his wife,' a source was quoted as saying.

'The truth is Youhana had tried to take the decision to become a Muslim some years back, but faced with a lot of opposition and emotional blackmail from his wife, parents and other relatives he stalled the inevitable,' it wrote.

He then convinced his wife and children of the need to become Muslim and some players helped in this process, said the paper.

According to the paper, Youhana has already taken his children out of a modern private school in Lahore and admitted them in a school with more Islamic leanings.

Youhana has scored 4,272 runs in 59 Tests at 47.46 and 6,761 in 202 one-day internationals at 41.11. He has also smashed 13 centuries in Tests and 11 in one day internationals.