'Where are the boycott Israel voices now?' asks Jon Burrows as he speaks out against Afghan cricket match
UUP leader Jon Burrows has said that those who demand boycotts of Israel have fallen silent when it comes to Northern Ireland hosting the Afghan cricket team.
He said that the match between Ireland and Afghanistan, being played on government land at Stormont, should not be going ahead given the denial of women’s rights in the central Asian nation.
As reported, there was a small protest outside the cricket ground yesterday by feminists angered that the fixture is going ahead under the aegis of the Ireland-wide sports body Cricket Ireland.
Dressed in burkhas, the whole-body covering that is mandatory for Afghan women under the Taliban, the women denounced “gender apartheid” to honks from passing motorists.
Now Mr Burrows has said: “Afghan women and girls are treated appallingly by the Taliban, denied even the basic freedom to play sport.
"Yet Afghanistan remains a full member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) despite failing to field a women’s national team – one of the conditions of full membership.
“Cricket Ireland should not be hosting bilateral matches against Afghanistan while this discrimination continues.
"Doing so risks legitimising a system that excludes women entirely.
“Women are being erased from public life in Afghanistan.
“If a nation where denying people of colour playing sport, it’s certain the ICC would strip them of membership and other teams wouldn’t be playing them.
“Why is discrimination against women tolerated when it wouldn’t against people based on skin colour?
"If the Afghanistan Cricket Board will not permit and support women to play, its men’s team should not be welcomed to play here.
"The ICC must enforce its own rules, and Cricket Ireland should make a stand until those rules are met.
“The silence from some who are quick to demand boycotts of Israeli sporting teams and goods is conspicuous.”
There have been sustained calls from nationalist / republican quarters for the Republic of Ireland to boycott its upcoming football fixtures against Israel in September and October.
Mr Burrows added: “Human rights cannot be defended selectively according to political fashion.
"Afghan women deserve the same solidarity and support.”
The fixture is being held at the Stormont Cricket Ground, which is part of the Stormont Estate and therefore under the control of the Sinn Fein-run Department of Finance.
The first instalment was Monday, and others will follow tomorrow and Saturday.
It told the News Letter: “The match is hosted by the Northern Ireland Civil Service Sports Association (NICSSA) and Cricket Ireland, with use of the Stormont Estate for cricket permitted under NICSSA’s licence agreement.”
NICSSA in turn said that it strives for the “delivery of sport at all levels in a safe, inclusive, and welcoming environment”, adding: “Decisions regarding which international teams participate in fixtures are made by the relevant governing bodies, principally Cricket Ireland and the ICC, rather than by NICSSA in its capacity as venue operator and facilities provider.”
In response to criticism, Cricket Ireland has referred the News Letter back to a previous statement by its leadership, saying “the board and staff of Cricket Ireland share a moral discomfort at the situation around human rights - and in particular, women's rights - in that country”.
It adds however that “we do not believe that punishing athletes will impact upon their government's policies - and in fact, we hope to use the opportunity to shine a light on the issues”.
It went on to say: “Most notably, we are doing this through our ongoing conversations with the Afghanistan Women's Refugee team.
"We recently met with the players and their representatives in London and those we spoke to on the matter do not want to prevent their men's team from playing cricket but rather leverage the attention to bring a spotlight on the issues of women's rights in Afghanistan and their own plight.
"We invited them to Ireland to play this summer; however, their schedule did not allow it.
"We have made it clear the invitation is an open one, and we are exploring options for a future visit, when possible...
"We firmly believe the suppression of, and continuing degradation of women's rights in Afghanistan is abhorrent and are actively monitoring the situation and taking the advice of various government and sporting authorities.”
No response to enquiries has been received from the ICC centrally.