‘I’m not taking sides, human life to me is equal’: Khawaja will push to wear Palestine solidarity shoes

Usman Khawaja could still wear shoes with messages about the plight of Palestinians caught in the fighting in Gaza on Boxing Day at the MCG. This is possible thanks to a process set up by the International Cricket Council that lets players get permission to wear personal messages on the field.

Khawaja decided not to wear the shoes on the first day of the series in Perth after talking with Cricket Australia's CEO Nick Hockley and other people. However, four senior cricket sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the talks are still going on, told this masthead that he can formally ask for permission to wear them in future matches.

"The ICC have told me I can't wear my shoes on field because they believe its a political statement under their guidelines," Khawaja said on Instagram on Wednesday. "I don't believe it is so, it's a humanitarian appeal. I will respect their view and decision, but I will fight it and seek to gain approval. Freedom is a human right, and all lives are equal. I will never stop believing that, whether you agree with me or not."

Khawaja also spoke of the fierce reaction his stance had generated.

"I notice what I've written on my shoes has caused a little bit of a stir," Khawaja said. "What I do want is for anyone who did get offended somehow, is to ask yourself these questions: Is freedom not for everyone? Are all lives not equal? To me, personally, it doesn't matter what race, religion, or culture you are.

"But let's be honest about it, if me saying all lives are equal has resulted in people being offended to the point where they're calling me up and telling me off, well isn't that the bigger problem? These people obviously don't believe in what I've written. It's not just a handful of people. You'd be shocked at how many feel this way.

"What I've written on my shoes isn't political, I'm not taking sides, human life to me is equal. One Jewish life is equal to one Muslim life, is equal to one Hindu life, and so on. I'm just speaking up for those who don't have a voice. This is close to my heart. When I see thousands of innocent children dying without any repercussions or remorse, I imagine my two girls.

"What if this was them. No one chooses where they're born. Then I see the world turn their backs on them, my heart can't take it. I already feel my life wasn't equal to others when I was growing up. Luckily for me I never lived in a world where a lack of inequality was life or death."

Khawaja faced the possibility of being banned from taking the field in the match if he'd worn the shoes he trained in on Tuesday, but only because he had not followed this formal approval process – under which numerous religious or political messages have been worn by other players.

Within the Australian team, Marnus Labuschagne sports a Bible verse on the back of his bat, while both the West Indies and England teams have worn a "Black Lives Matter" slogan on the collars of their shirts in recent times.

These instances may be a surprise to the former players – including Simon O'Donnell and Greg Ritchie – who on Wednesday asserted that Khawaja had no right to carry personal messages onto the field of play.