Houston Muslims rally behind Al-Shaair after Palestine tributes backlash

• Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair wrote the name of an 8-year-old Gaza airstrike victim Wafaa Akila on eye black during Sunday's loss to Bengals.
• NFL fined Al-Shaair $11,941 for uniform violation; NBA's Kyrie Irving offered to cover the cost.
• The Texas CAIR chapter praised the gesture, comparing it to Patriots owner Robert Kraft's antisemitism awareness pin.

The Texas chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights organization, is calling on the NFL to stop fining Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair for wearing tributes to Palestinian children killed in Gaza on his eye black. In a statement released Monday, the group praised his actions:

"Azeez Al-Shaair is an athlete of conscience walking in the footsteps of Muhammad Ali and other sports heroes who used their platforms to advocate for justice. We commend him for highlighting Wafaa Akila, one of the latest children murdered by the Israeli military, and meeting with children injured during the Gaza genocide."

CAIR drew a comparison between Al-Shaair's actions and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft's decision to wear a pin tied to his "Stand Up to Jewish Hate" initiative, a campaign launched through his Foundation to Combat Antisemitism.

The statement came a day after Al-Shaair used his eye black to honor a Palestinian child for the second consecutive week. During the Texans' 20-3 defeat to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, the team captain wrote the name of Wafaa Akila on his eye black. Wafaa, age 8, was killed alongside her father in an ‘Israeli’ airstrike on Gaza City earlier this month while heading to her first day of school. 

The previous week, during the season opener, Al-Shaair had written the name of Hind Rajab, a 5-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed in 2024 while her family was trying to flee Gaza City.

The NFL hit Al-Shaair with an $11,941 fine for breaking league rules against displaying messages on uniforms and equipment. 

NBA player and activist Kyrie Irving stepped in and offered to cover the cost of the penalty. 

Before Sunday's game, Al-Shaair brought Gaza families who are currently receiving medical care in Houston onto the sidelines, where he spent time playing with and talking to some of the children during warmups.

Al-Shaair’ advocacy

This isn't the first time Al-Shaair has faced league discipline over the issue. During last season's playoffs, he was fined for writing "Stop the genocide" on his eye black in the Texans' win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

The following week, ahead of the playoff matchup against New England, he attempted to repeat the message but says he was warned he'd be barred from playing if he did. Speaking to reporters afterward, he said:

"At the end of the day, it's bigger than me. The things that are going on make people uncomfortable, imagine how those people feel. I think that's the biggest thing. I have no affiliation, no connection to these people other than the fact that I'm a human being. If you have a heart and you're a human being you can see what's going on in the world and you check yourself real quick. Even when I'm walking off this field, that's the type of stuff that goes through my head that I have to check myself when I'm sitting here crying about football when there's people dying every single day."

Al-Shaair's advocacy for Palestine extends beyond the field. He received the Texans' Walter Payton Man of the Year award last season in recognition of his community work, and as a devout Muslim, he's been a consistent voice of support for Palestinians. 

He's participated in the NFL's "My Cause, My Cleats" initiative in past seasons by wearing custom cleats benefiting the Palestine Children's Relief Fund. 

In 2024, one of his cleats bore the word "FREE," while the other featured a Quranic verse: "Surely to Allah we belong and to him we will all return."

This past July, Al-Shaair traveled to Jordan with the nonprofit Human Development Fund, spending time with children and families impacted by the conflict. Reflecting on the trip during training camp, he said:

"I stayed there literally as long as I possibly could. I just didn't want to leave them, and I think about them every day."

Read more: After Hind Rajab, Azeez Al-Shaair honors Wafaa Akila