Liverpool’s Egyptian goal machine Mo Salah is breaking down religious barriers
Mumin Khan, a CEO of a mosque in Liverpool, says: 'Terror attacks have spread fear about the Muslim faith but Mo has shown we are not bogeymen'
HE is the Liverpool striker who has already netted 31 goals in his first season at the club.
But Egyptian ace Mo Salah has also inspired a hilarious fans’ chant which is helping to dismantle racial prejudice in the football world.
Fans have been filmed, in both the stadium and pubs, singing: “If he’s good enough for you, he’s good enough for me, if he scores another few, then I’ll be Muslim too.”
The chant — to the tune of Dodgy’s 1996 hit Good Enough — also has the line: “He’s sitting in the mosque, that’s where I want to be.”
The striker, who bagged his latest goal in Saturday’s 4-1 win over West Ham, responded to the chant on Twitter this week by posting three “heart-eye” emojis after someone uploaded a video of fans singing it.
It has spawned endless YouTube videos — many scoring more than a million views.
Now senior Islamic figures and Muslim football coaches have hailed it as “a huge step in breaking down Islamophobia”.
Mumin Khan, CEO at the Abdullah Quilliam Society Mosque in Liverpool, says: “We are all mad for Mo across the mosques of Liverpool.
“This chanting has brought a huge change in perception about the Muslim faith.
“It has done so much to break down hatred and fear, showing we are all one nation.
“Terror attacks have spread fear about the Muslim faith but Mo has shown we are not bogeymen.”
And Mumin Khan has an invitation for Mo and his army of supporters.
He said: “We’d like Mo and his football fans to come and sit in our mosque as a show of harmony and peace. He is a true hero.”
Mo, 25, has marked each of his goals since moving from Italian club Roma last summer with a sujood, an act of worship in which he kneels and touches his head to the floor.
If he’s good enough for you he’s good enough for me, if scores another few then I’ll be Muslim too
Liverpool fans' new chant for Mo Salah
Zuber Patel, coach at Blackburn-based youth side AHF FC, with 400 mainly Muslim players, says kids are copying this.
Zuber, 32, says: “Even young Man United fans are singing the chant.
Mo is an inspiration to all our lads. “We still get the odd derogatory comment about religion at our games but it is getting rarer because of things like this chant.”
Fiyaz Mughal, head of Faith Matters, which brings different religious communities together, says:
“It is wonderful that fans feel the positivity around Mo.
“We see so much negativity around Muslims but he shows there is also so much good — and fans feel this.
“We understand the attraction that football has to many communities and we need more platforms and social mechanisms so communities engage and build trust.”
Football anti-racism campaign Kick It Out says incidents of discrimination are on the rise.
It received reports relating to 282 cases by the end of 2017, covering the professional game, grassroots football and social media — up 59 per cent on last season.
So when Liverpool fans invented their Mo chant for their Champions League victory against Porto earlier this month, it came as a welcome boost.
Others have also tweeted support.
Gbolahan Obisesan posted: “I’m not a Liverpool fan but you must believe football builds bridges with this Reds chant for Mo Salah.”
Karl Sharro tweets: “Mo doing more to end the clash of civilisations than anyone else in the world.”
We can reveal Mo, who has a three-year-old daughter Makka, has not forgotten his Egyptian roots.
He invests much of his £90,000-a-week wages into schools and hospitals in his homeland and at his wedding to Magi in 2013, he issued an open invitation to the whole of his home village of Nagrig — and 1,000 came along.
The proud mayor, Maher Shetia, says: “Mo has put his village on the map. He built a charity and will build a school that costs millions.
“This is in addition to his donations to Basioun hospital, with a ventilation room and ambulance unit.”
After Mo led Egypt to this year’s World Cup, a rich businessman offered him a luxury villa as thanks — but the player asked him to make a donation to his village instead.
His uncle Zaki Abdel-Fattah Ghali says: “Mo has a strong will — and his mind is faster than his feet.”