Fiery former Australian fast bowler Rodney Hogg continues his habit of over-stepping the mark. Hogg's attempt at humour on Twitter during Australia Day celebrations yesterday enraged the Muslim community and forced a swift retreat by the 60-year-old test cricketer turned corporate speaker. He tweeted, "Just put out my Aussie flag for Australia Day but I wasn't sure if it would offend Muslims ... So I wrote 'Allah is a sh*t' on it to make sure."
Hogg had to apologise twice on Twitter after his initial explanation caused as much controversy as the offending tweet, which was deleted after several hours.
Hogg did not return calls from the Sydney Morning Herald but texted, "Very bad attempted Aussie humour. My apologies for offending. that is all I wld like to say."
A similar explanation on Twitter enraged many and led to a second apology. Hogg tweeted, "My sincere apologies to the Muslim community. A stupid tweet by me in very bad taste."
Ikebal Patel, the president of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, called the remark "absolutely despicable" for a person of Hogg's standing. Patel said, "For him to say such things is more than despicable, it's the pits really. It's not at all humorous. If that's the level of his humour then God help him."