The family of Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja has been subjected to severe racist and religious trolls on social media following the Bondi Beach incident in Sydney.
While Australia was mourning the victims of the attack, extremist individuals targeted Usman Khawaja’s wife, Rachel Khawaja, and their young daughters with hateful and racist messages.
The abuse included religious and racial slurs directed at the family, including calling the children “future school blasters,” accusing them of having “terrorist blood,” and telling the family to “go back” to Pakistan.
Usman Khawaja is currently playing in the Ashes series and has not publicly responded to the messages himself.
However, his wife Rachel shared screenshots of the offensive messages on social media. She stated that such abuse has occurred in the past but has increased significantly in recent days.
Rachel Khawaja said the messages were deeply hurtful and served as a reminder of how minority communities often face collective hatred during times of crisis. She highlighted the emotional impact of seeing children targeted because of their identity.
Following the incident, voices across sporting and social circles have called for unity and a strong stand against racism, Islamophobia, and all forms of hate.
