London, Dec. 27, 2019 (AltAfrica)-A simple Christmas tree gesture to promote religious tolerance by Liverpool and Egyptian footballer Mohamed Salah has received mixed reactions from his supporters across the globe

Salah had on Christmas day shared a photo on social media of his family in front of a Christmas tree.

RELATED: WHY WE DON’T CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS-MFM

Expectedly, the photo, which has gone viral, won a lot of people’s hearts, with the majority of social media users praising him for promoting religious tolerance.

However, a number of other social media users stirred debate. More than 24,000 comments have been made on Salah’s Instagram post, with many others criticising him and calling him names for daring to recognise and promote christian values.

One said “they hypnotised you in Liverpool, you know it is ‘haram’ (forbidden) to celebrate Christmas,” one Instagram user said, and another comment called him an “infidel” for “endorsing Christian theology”.

You can’t understand,you are not muslim

— Redmann Samba (@RedmannSamba) December 25, 2019

However, others considered it an embrace of the values of tolerance and respect. “The world is a better place when we celebrate each other’s holidays and traditions,” one Twitter user said.

It’s really embarrassing to see Mo Salah getting hate for having a photo with a Xmas tree behind him. Live your life Mo. The world is a better place when we can celebrate each other’s holidays & traditions while respecting your own. pic.twitter.com/pcwjvZYtSP

— LFC Views – Champions (@Mobyhaque1) December 25, 2019

“Warms the heart that he is not fanatical about the celebration of other religions,” another Twitter user said.

By the way, its a lovely photo of Mo Salah and family. Warms the heart that he is not fanatical about the celebration of other religions

— Ben AggerReina (@BenAggerReina) December 25, 2019

sorry for spam your post 🙏 but i just want everyone to see this ..all the muslims around the world know who is the man on the left! Al-Azhar Grand Imam Prof.Ahmad Al-Tayeb is Visiting the Cathedral to Congratulate Pope Tawadros II for the occasion of Christmas!..#thisIsEgypt pic.twitter.com/nzZOcdoOOJ

— 🇪🇬 Horus 🇪🇬 Ramesses II 🇪🇬 (@dodytoty2) December 26, 2019

Earlier this year, Mohamed Salah was at the centre of a number of Islamophobic incidents, when a video of a group of Chelsea fans singing “Salah is a bomber” about Mohamed Salah circulated online, sparking outrage.

However, a new 2019 study by Stanford university revealed that anti-Muslim tweets by Liverpool fans decreased in half compared to other major Premier League clubs, and that there has been a 18.9 per cent drop in anti-Muslim hate crimes during the period Salah signed for Liverpool in June 2017.

“These findings suggest that positive exposure to outgroup celebrities can reveal new and humanising information about the group at large, reducing prejudiced attitudes and behaviours,” the study concluded.

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