News Corp Slammed For Disrespectful Old Photo Of Sonny Bill Williams’ Wife
"It's absolutely creepy behaviour toward a Muslim woman."
News Corp is being criticised after using old, revealing photos of Sonny Bill Williams’ wife for a story about her decision to wear a hijab.
Online masthead news.com.au wrote about an Instagram post the New Zealand boxer and former NRL player shared on Thursday of wife Alana Williams and their four young kids.
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“My wife’s a hijabi! Alhambudillilah my wife decided to put the head scarf on,” wrote the 37-year-old. “One of the proudest moments of my life.”
“What makes it so special is knowing she has done it for Allah SWT, and no one else,” he said. “May the most high always bless you with good health, plenty of wisdom, contentment, and happiness.”
However, in the leading image, the News Corp outlet posted a side-by-side of Alana Williams in the hijab, with a photo of her in a gold bikini from her time working in nightclubs, and included an additional picture of her in the costume being held by a male dance partner.
The Murdoch Media will always be scum. Sonny Bill Williams happily posted about his wife wearing the hijab and they decide to post revealing pictures of her past work before she became Muslim defeating the purpose of women wearing the hijab. Pure scum.
— Hanan Dover (@HananDover1) August 18, 2022
The Daily Mail parasitically latched on to the backlash like maggots drawn to poo, using the same unearthed images, and also referring to Williams’ past as a “womaniser”.
Under Islamic faith, women who wear the hijab can only have their hair seen by certain men in their lives — including their husband, relatives, and pre-pubescent boys. It is therefore insensitive to post or share old photos of a Muslim woman with her hair visible once she becomes a hijabi.
“This is pretty awful, nobody deserves to have images of their past that don’t reflect who they are now circulated by a media organisation,” wrote journalist Najma Sambul on Twitter. “It’s absolutely creepy behaviour toward a Muslim woman.”
“All strength and power to Sonny Bill Williams and his wife Alana, who have been ridiculed by news.com.au for practicing their faith,” said Sambul. “That article was so wrong on many levels.”