In the Name of God, the Extremely and Eternally Loving and Caring

I’m a Bears fan…a die-hard Bears fan. I was born in Chicago and raised in its suburbs, and I bleed blue and orange. And there is no team in the NFL I despise more than the Green Bay Packers. My revulsion for that team is in my blood, and I will never, ever root for that Team Which Shall Not Be Named to my north.

This fact makes it all the more difficult seeing that my wife is a fan of said team. She, you see, was born and raised in the suburbs of Milwaukee, and she bleeds that ugly green and gold. What’s worse…she has successfully corrupted my children into being fans of that Team Which Shall Not Be Named. It’s so very painful to watch…

Yet, despite my disdain for that team, I really like Aaron Rodgers. He is an excellent quarterback, one of the game’s elite, and it is really fun to watch him play (because I’m forced to sit through their games when they are on TV). His only flaw is that he plays that Team Which Shall Not Be Named.

My respect, admiration, and sheer awe for Mr. Rodgers increased exponentially this past weekend:

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers denounced a fan who yelled “Muslims suck!” during a moment of silence before Sunday’s game…One fan in Green Bay…shouted “Muslims suck” during the moment of silence, and it echoed clearly through the stadium…

Following the Packers’ 18-16 loss to the Lions, Rodgers addressed the fan’s comments during the post-game presser.

“I must admit though, I was very disappointed with whoever the fan was who made a comment during the moment of silence that I though was really inappropriate. It’s that kind of prejudicial ideology that I think puts us in the position we’re in today as a world.”

Wow. What an amazing thing to say, and – as an American Muslim – I really appreciate Mr. Rodgers for speaking out against such intolerance and bigotry. Muslims also were killed in those terrorist attacks, and it is wrong to say that all “Muslims suck.”

Thank you, Mr. Rodgers. If only you didn’t play for that team…