Football unites England

LONDON: Hijab-wearing Muslim women in England have a new accessory — a St George’s flag fluttering atop their cars. “The flag on my car has blurred the hijab on my head,” says Seema Bukhari, a 32-year-old pharmacist, soccer enthusiast and ardent England fan. “People who may have not talked to me earlier, now show me the thumbs-up sign as they drive by,” she adds, getting into her expensive Audi with her two young boys.

The FIFA World Cup 2006 has united England like never before, bringing together white, brown and black faces in support of the English team. The Tebbit test — wherein the Tory politician famously asked Asian and Afro-Caribbean immigrants who they batted for in cricket, questioning their patriotism for Britain - has become unnecessary. In one of the greatest shows of English patriotism, the entire country is bathed in the red and white colours of the team flag, fluttering from cars, houses, pubs and even 10 Downing Street, cheering Beckham and his boys as they kicked off their bid for the World Cup on Saturday afternoon.

“Football has brought us all together, the colour of our skin doesn’t matter anymore.  

All that matters is the colour of the flag we are sporting. It proves to everyone that we are really British,” says Hemant Shah, an accountant in north London.

“There is no question of split loyalties here, it’s England all the way,” says Rahul Trivedi, who is an Indian fan when it comes to cricket. “Maybe if India were playing football too, I might have had problems,” says the 22-year-old student.

Supermarket chain Sainsbury’s has sold more than a million car flags and expects to double the number as the tournament progresses. They have also flogged more than 100,000 giant England flags to hang from houses. “Anything which is red and white in colour is selling like hot cakes,” said Madhu Shah who works as a cashier at Sainsbury’s.

Football hysteria has surpassed political tensions like the recent terror raids in East London, a predominantly Asian ghetto. “We are very upset by the way British Muslims have become suspects without any real evidence. The way the two Muslim boys were shot and arrested in the middle of the night by police in Forest Gate was disgusting,” says Bukhari.

But her disgust has not dampened her football fervour or her support for the team. “My religion does not prevent me from being patriotic. My parents migrated here from Gujarat before I was born, and I see myself as British and though I may dislike the government’s policy that is not going to prevent me from supporting the English football team,” she says.

The sentiment is echoed in the fact that the Asian councillors from East London, talking to television reporters about the tension in the area, were wearing the team’s shirts.

The mood was euphoric as England scored its first goal. Huge cheers went up among the thousands who gathered at city centres across the country to watch the match together on giant screens. The holiday atmosphere was enhanced by the glorious sunshine on one of the hottest days of the year.