Iran started their 2022 World Cup campaign in Qatar against England today, however, there was one distinctly noticeable thing about it. None of the Iranian players sang the national anthem of Iran when it was played before the match. Iranian footballers apparently did it in support of the protestors back home who have been protesting against the oppressive Iranian regime since the murder of Mahsa Amini.
To extend support to the protestors, the entire starting line-up of Iran was silent as Iran’s national anthem was played at the Khalifa International Stadium. The hardline Islamic leadership of Iran has been facing its biggest challenge since the revolution of 1979 that put them in power.
Iranian footballers are not the first celebrities to protest against the Iranian regime for their brutal dictatorship, just yesterday, 2 famous Iranian actresses were arrested for protesting against the ruling Ayatollah regime. Hengameh Ghaziani and Katayoun Riahi, the two actresses, are accused of collusion and acting against Iran’s authorities. Both women earlier appeared in public without their headscarves – a gesture of solidarity with demonstrators.
Mahsa Amini murder in Iran
A 22-year-old Iranian woman named Mahsa Amini was beaten to death by the ‘Morality Police’ in Iran for wearing hijab improperly. Iranian media reported that Amini died in hospital after suffering a heart attack after she was arrested for her improper hijab but her death ignited a series of protests that the Iranian regime is struggling to control.
Since Mahsa Amini’s death, protests have been raging across Iran with women showing up in public without a hijab and challenging the Iranian regime. Despite the brutal suppression of the protests by the government, the protests have only grown bigger and bigger during the past couple of months. Interestingly, most of these protests have been led by Iranian women who have had enough of the mandatory hijab imposed by the Iranian regime.
Under these circumstances, it is really brave of the Iranian football team to register their protest against the regime by refusing to sing the national anthem. However, it will be interesting to see how the Ayatollah regime in Iran deals with them upon their return to Iran.
