NFL linebacker Azeez Al‑Shaair honors Palestinian child for fifth straight week
For the fifth consecutive Sunday, Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al‑Shaair has used his game‑day eye black to draw attention to a Palestinian child. On October 18, 2026, during the Texans’ matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium in London, he taped the name “Maryam Ghanem” across his nose.
Maryam Ghanem is a two‑and‑a‑half‑year‑old from Gaza who survived an Israeli air strike that set her home ablaze in the Remal neighborhood of Gaza City on Wednesday. The blast killed her mother as she burned, while her father had already been killed earlier in the conflict. Local journalists rescued Maryam after hearing her cries, and she was taken to a hospital with severe burns. While lying on a hospital bed, she clutched a doll and told a nurse, “My hand hurts.”
Al‑Shaair has been using his platform and the eye‑black, a strip athletes wear to cut glare, to highlight the ongoing civilian casualties in Gaza, despite a United States‑brokered ceasefire that has not stopped Israeli strikes. The 29‑year‑old Muslim player has faced an $11,491 fine from the NFL for violating the league’s clothing and equipment code, and he has reportedly been warned that future infractions could lead to removal from games. Nevertheless, he remains resolute.
Earlier in the season, Al‑Shaair began the campaign by honoring Hind Rajab, a five‑year‑old girl killed in Gaza on January 29, 2024, after Israeli soldiers opened fire on her family’s stranded car. When asked about the fine, Al‑Shaair told reporters, “It’s bigger to me; what’s a life worth? Is a life worth $11,000? No, I think it’s priceless.”
NBA star Kyrie Irving stepped in to cover the fine, a gesture Al‑Shaair confirmed after speaking with the nine‑time All‑Star. The linebacker also receives vocal support from prominent American Muslim scholar Omar Suleiman, who posted on social media, “My brother, who went to Jordan to be with Palestinian refugees this summer, who spends time with Palestinian children with missing limbs in Houston, who is using every week of his Pro Bowl NFL career to honor a Palestinian child despite the fines. In the sports and entertainment arenas run by many of the same types of people who run government, choose to be like Azeez Al‑Shaair, Kyrie, and Macklemore.”
The fine came amid broader controversy in the sports world, including comments from New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft that he urged pop star Ed Sheeran to remove rapper Macklemore from his U.S. tour.