Hurricanes Turn to Haji-Rasouli for Answers

Sept 19, 2001

By MARK LONG
AP Sports Writer

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) – Miami guard Sherko Haji-Rasouli hasn’t stoppedfielding questions since last Tuesday’s attacks.

Friends, classmates and teammates have asked Haji-Rasouli everythingimaginable about terrorism and the Middle East.

Haji-Rasouli, a 6-foot-6, 326-pound starter for top-ranked Miami, was bornin Iran and lived there four years. He and his family are non-practicingMuslims.

“Every day, I’ve had to tell history lessons and stories to two or threedifferent people,” Haji-Rasouli said Tuesday. “This situation stretches backto the area I’m from, which brings a lot of curiosity from people.

“I’m happy to tell them stuff, but I don’t know the religion very well,”Haji-Rasouli said.

Haji-Rasouli’s family left Iran because of the country’s struggling economyand briefly stayed in Germany before moving to Argentina. He lived in Argentinauntil he was 9, then moved to Canada and started playing football.

Though he has only been in the United States since 1998, Haji-Rasouli saidhe was deeply affected by the terrorists attacks on New York and Washington.

He understands why people are angry about the tragedy, but he also hopespeople won’t stereotype Muslims as terrorists.

“If you’re part of a group or part of a religion and because people who arealso members of your religion or background do something bad, it goes back toyou,” he said. “So you feel bad about it.

“But I haven’t had anybody express any anger or hatred towards me. There’sa lot of confusion, a lot of misunderstanding.”