Originally Posted by Safin
Sania is in news for all reasons other than her tennis and i repeat, you are not doing an honour to this country playing for it.
You may not be doing an honour, but that is no reason for disrespect. Do you think the idiots who have been targeting her are doing anything for the country? The mullahs are really honouring our country by demanding she not wear skirts right? This attitude only leads to brain drain and emigration. Respect for an individual is required. The best way to shut people up is to give them what they want. They claimed she disrespected the flag (which IMHO shouldn't even be a crime. If the people who love the flag are upset at such small things, then I doubt they are real patriots) and want her out. Well, she offered it (in a sense).
Might I also remind you, when people questioned Kapil Dev's loyalty, he quit cricket altogether for a few years. Sure, he wasn't a player anymore, but he still had something to give.
You say she is known for her off-tennis exploits; tell me what she did that was so objectionable that she is always a focus of controversy. You and I both know that the extremists just hate her because of the fact that she wears skirts. Most of the controversies have been follow ons of this. The flag is the one incident where the opposing side has been someone else. And for what! An incident, which IIRC believe didn't even occur in India?
I say people should focus on her tennis; then they'll realize she is just OK (not great), but still better than anyone else we have! At that point, you realize, we do need her (at least if you believe in connecting sports and patriotism. I don't.)
Frankly, I don't like Ms Mirza, people make too much of her and she is not that talented, but I care for most of her detractors even less (read: I hate fatwa issuing fanatics).
B/w did ya all know that SANIA was not allowed to play from Pakistan in international Tourneys, hence she Came to INDIA & went on to represent INDIA.
Hmmm.... she was born in Mumbai, and brought up in Hyderabad - where did the verb "Came" come from? She was always here! Either back that statement up, or withdraw it.