News Forum - Iranian Kurdish football player arrested after speaking out

[Thaiger]

Iranian authorities have arrested a former member of the country’s national football team on November 24. Voria Ghafouri was arrested for “insulting the national soccer team and propagandising against the government,” Iranian media reported. Ghafouri, who was not chosen to go to the World Cup, is a member of Iran’s Kurdish ethnic minority. He had recently called for an end to the violent suppression of protests in Kurdish areas. Ghafouri had also expressed sympathy for the family of Mahsa Amini, a 22 year old woman killed by Iran’s so-called “morality police” after she allegedly did not wear her headscarf properly. […]

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[Manu]

Quote

Some Iranians criticized the team’s actions as “too little, too late,” saying the team should have refused to play at the World Cup altogether. Iranian-British comedian Omid Djalili noted that the players had “bowed to the terrorists” when they met with Iranian President Raisi.

As the story about Ghafouri shows, they are risking a lot with this "protest" which they did again against Wales. To me, nothing is too little in political protest, especially when the whole world can see it and comment it. Very certainly "some" will be waiting for them for some questioning when they are back in Iran.

As for Djalili, sure he would have been brave enough to protest right in front of Raisi, president of a country Djalili never lived in. And it is so easy to criticise other's actions/inactions in a country thousands miles away from the confort of your lovely upper-middle-class house in Suffolk, UK. These Iranian footballers will eventually have to go back to Iran, not Djalili.

[HolyCowCm]

Intersting times we have here. Good luck to the good Iranian people to oust these heathen radical self imposed Muslim leaders. People want personal freedom to act and do want they want now, not necessarily to side step their religion, but to sidestep these radical bullies and their idiotic rules for a religion of supposed peace.

[TheDirtyDurian]

2 hours ago, HolyCowCm said:

Intersting times we have here. Good luck to the good Iranian people to oust these heathen radical self imposed Muslim leaders. People want personal freedom to act and do want they want now, not necessarily to side step their religion, but to sidestep these radical bullies and their idiotic rules for a religion of supposed peace.

Sooner the Iranian government follows the progressive Saudi system the better..

[Soidog]

3 hours ago, HolyCowCm said:

Intersting times we have here. Good luck to the good Iranian people to oust these heathen radical self imposed Muslim leaders. People want personal freedom to act and do want they want now, not necessarily to side step their religion, but to sidestep these radical bullies and their idiotic rules for a religion of supposed peace.

These people really are the worst of the worst. They use religion to maintain their rule and most likely don’t even believe in any of it. Like most religions, it’s designed to control the masses. The wealthy and the smart don’t engage in it 

[Manu]

1 hour ago, Soidog said:

These people really are the worst of the worst. They use religion to maintain their rule and most likely don’t even believe in any of it. Like most religions, it’s designed to control the masses. The wealthy and the smart don’t engage in it 

Personally I do not see any difference between an authoritarian theocracy like Iran and an authoritarian military junta like Myanmar. They both use any mean possible to keep power and control their masses. No difference cause when their masses realise they need to fight for their freedom, they suffer the same fate, repression, prison, torture, death. Religion is just one mean of keeping power amongst many others, just one, not worse not better, just as bad.

[HolyCowCm]

2 hours ago, TheDirtyDurian said:

Sooner the Iranian government follows the progressive Saudi system the better..

You might have something I truly agree on here. Iran is a close neck in neck with Afgahnistan in too many ways.

[Karolyn]

The behaviors of certain women in Iran, is as contrary to the Kurdish culture, as it is the Persian. Which is a very similar culture, really. 

And whilst I have sympathy for the stateless Kurdish people, at least they are treated better by Persians, than by Iraqis or Turks. And yet their existence is weaponised to turn them on the Persian/Iranian state. Well political football really. Kurds who play such games set by others, have never been rewarded, with a free Kurdistan

[TheDirtyDurian]

10 hours ago, HolyCowCm said:

You might have something I truly agree on here. Iran is a close neck in neck with Afgahnistan in too many ways.

Certainly no women getting beaten up and killed by the police for showing a bit of hair anyway. 

Saw a couple of stunners coming out the supermarket the other day, hair flowing, lipstick glossy, abaya flapping open... Nearly crashed my trolley.

Don't think you'd get anything like the upcoming MDLBeast Dance music festival in Iran either.

[HolyCowCm]

6 hours ago, TheDirtyDurian said:

Certainly no women getting beaten up and killed by the police for showing a bit of hair anyway. 

Saw a couple of stunners coming out the supermarket the other day, hair flowing, lipstick glossy, abaya flapping open... Nearly crashed my trolley.

Don't think you'd get anything like the upcoming MDLBeast Dance music festival in Iran either.

There are some absolutely stunning gals everywhere and when they are a little open are just jaw droppers, but sometimes like in the US there otta be a law that they be fully suited and covered up as they are utter gross pigs. But even in the US guys get horn doggish for them too as they are plainly the other gender. Brings the movie Deliverance to mind.

MDLBeast Dance. Does Iran even have one of those going on? And if so I would think they are primarliy guys dancing with guys with Sharia police overlooking them if not totally underground and illegal.

Had to look up abaya. Had no clue

[Manu]

On 11/28/2022 at 4:08 AM, Manu said:

As the story about Ghafouri shows, they are risking a lot with this "protest" which they did again against Wales. To me, nothing is too little in political protest, especially when the whole world can see it and comment it. Very certainly "some" will be waiting for them for some questioning when they are back in Iran.

As for Djalili, sure he would have been brave enough to protest right in front of Raisi, president of a country Djalili never lived in. And it is so easy to criticise other's actions/inactions in a country thousands miles away from the confort of your lovely upper-middle-class house in Suffolk, UK. These Iranian footballers will eventually have to go back to Iran, not Djalili.

Quote

 

Some Iranians criticized the team’s actions as “too little, too late,” saying the team should have refused to play at the World Cup altogether. Iranian-British comedian Omid Djalili noted that the players had “bowed to the terrorists” when they met with Iranian President Raisi.

 

Well there it goes... https://www.elrisala.com/2022/11/28/iran-threatens-its-world-cup-team-with-prison-and-torture-ahead-of-final-game-against-us/ . They did even wait for them to get back to Iran.

As for the comedian Omid Djalili, perhaps he should think before he speaks. Not sure how having Iranian parents qualifies him to talk publicly about what is happening today in that country.