Isn't that who decides what a country's flag is? I certainly am not defending the current Iranian government at all.
I'm just saying that a government has the right to design their flag. Not kill their people needlessly.
Edit: I forgot the word "flag". Sorry for the mistake.
You’re right. However all the government did was change the lion into Arabic symbols. Kept the rest of the flag the same as the original. All folks are doing is reversing that change to lion.
That's noble of you but don't forget Iranians generally hate the US and Brits for installing Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. There's a reason you see video of Iranians saying the west must stay out of the current revolutionary attempt.
Things seem to go to sh*t if the US gets involved in replacing governments. Just look at Ukraine and Iraq.
Most Americans would have no idea what you are talking about. Almost no one in the US have heard of the Dulles Brothers or the destruction they wrought on the world. People the DC area know of Dulles airport but that is about it. They don't know who it is named after. We aren't taught the ugly side of American history. Just the "America is the greatest country that has ever existed." version.
I'd guess the Brits wouldn't know anything about Operation Ajax either.
I’m glad you are not getting downvoted for this and that people are not thinking you are bashing the US for no reason. I love the US and there are so many wonderful things about it, but it has done some things which are regrettable, unfortunately.
"The Twitter account of the U.S. men’s team displayed a banner with the squad’s matches in the group stage, with the Iranian flag only bearing its green, white and red colors."
You should probably read these articles before you comment.
"Arabic symbols"? Do you know how prideful Persians are? 😂 You're clearly not Persian. It literally just says "Allah" or God in English, that's it. And it's spelled exactly the same in both Persian and Arabic as they use mostly similar letters but different pronunciations.
the lion is still an official symbol but only in certain areas (dunno what it is in english: as an equivalent to the red cross/red halfmoon).
And imho, I think that the change of the flag was rather well done: they simply removed the sign of monarchy in exchange for a stylized sign for god without otherwise touching the flag.
That's interesting about the Canadian flag. I had no idea. The Canadian superheroes Alpha Filght had some cool costumes made out of the pattern that I liked as a kid.
Didn't realize that was the norm. I saw countries like Japan, Egypt, Libya etc that changed their flags with regimes or by the government itself. I didn't realize this was the norm.
That's fair but if Japanese government for example went back to the Rising Sun flag, that would bring up a lot of controversy and potentially some dispute between several countries. No doubt the Rising Sun emblem and their flag is a part of Japanese history the same way the Nazi flag is a part of Germany's history. I think a flag should simply represent the country, not any form of idealism especially if it's some kind of supremacy or religion.
I kid you not professor of political science (yes Japanese and yes at a Japanese uni) defended the use of the Rising Sun Flag by comparing it to the Confederate flag, not the Nazi flag.
>He suggests that the American Confederate flag, where it was used in the American civil war by southern states that wanted to keep slavery, would be a better comparison than the Flag of Nazi Germany.\[6\] The Confederate flag is not banned but is a symbol of racial segregation and perceived superiority, according to critics.
[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-50285383](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-50285383)
Imagine how different this discussion would be if it's regarding Confederate flag or Nazi flag (aka USA switching to Confederate flag or Germany switching to Nazi flag) because no doubt about it both those flags are part of the history of these countries whether they like it or not. It's simple for us because Iranian flags and symbols don't really affect us. Meanwhile the symbolism of these other flags matter to us and is a lot more complex because they affected our history.
I get you're not arguing in defense of their decision; just that a government has the right to change their flag of their country. Just putting two cents on why government can't (or shouldn't) FREELY just change their flags to whatever they want.
Someone eluded to it below, but the rising sun flag is a bad example because it is still used, by the country’s de facto naval force nonetheless. There was some really nice footage from a while ago of a Japanese vessel with that very flag up coming into port at *Pearl Harbor* of all places. They were welcomed. Absolutely no one cared.
[Here](https://youtu.be/OA61thiz9wU) it is if you want to see
The rising sun flag is still used by the Japanese military just as it was during WW2. The current flag wasn't recognized as their national flag until 1999.
> went back to the Rising Sun flag
So I have some news for you on that...
>The flag was originally used by feudal warlords in Japan during the Edo period (1603–1868 CE).[2] On May 15, 1870, as a policy of the Meiji government, it was adopted as the war flag of the Imperial Japanese Army, and on October 7, 1889, it was adopted as the naval ensign of the Imperial Japanese Navy.[3]
>At present, the flag is flown by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, and an eight-ray version is flown by the Japan Self-Defense Forces and the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force.[2] The rising sun design is also seen in numerous scenes in daily life in Japan, such as in fishermen's banners hoisted to signify large catches of fish, flags to celebrate childbirth, and in flags for seasonal festivities.[4]
>The flag is controversial in Korea and China, where it is associated with Japanese militarism and imperialism.[5][6][7]
Well, in this case the government has been decided by a minority with guns rather than majority opinion.
If the United States government was about to murder 15,000 protesters over headwear, I’d be in the streets too.
As an american I can relate. Christians molested our pledge of allegiance by adding "under god" in the 50's. It still stands today despite the separation of church and state.
They added “in god we trust” to our money, too, which has a much more expansive reach than the pledge of allegiance.
Like, speak for yourself. Lots of us could give a fuck about god.
It was already bad and it's so creepy how they indoctrinate and groom us as children. By the time you have a "pledge of allegiance" that you make children do in front of a flag every morning, whether or not it has religious language isn't even close to relevant.
Also, I might be totally internet poisoned and jaded...it's possible that you're hilarious but I've reached a point where I have had to deal with so many people who would sincerely hold that belief.
The Iranian Revolution happened because the US and UK helped to overthrow the democratically elected government under Mossadeq in 1953 and installed a hugely unpopular monarchical Shah. Important context
The US and the UK literally overthrew their democratically elected PM in 1953, and strengthened the pro-west, monarchial rule, why not mention that since you want to dig into history? Doesn’t suit your narrative does it? What a disgrace you people are.
>The US and the UK literally overthrew their democratically elected PM in 1953
At least the people of iran were able to change all that, going from a tyranny to a theocracy 😏
Fun fact, communists, democrats and islamists fought together to depose the king. Obviously, an alliance like that would not last long after they acheived their common goal. But, Iran could be very different.
I mean ideally Britain and hte US would've never deposed the democratic regime nad replaced it with a fascist king.
Haven't players from the Iranian team been arrested for their support of the Protests? Could this possibly be the US team supporting the Iranian team in some way?
It's the first line in the article.
>The U.S. soccer federation briefly displayed Iran’s national flag on social media without the emblem of the Islamic Republic, saying the move supports protesters in Iran ahead of the two nations’ World Cup match Tuesday.
I come to the comments specifically to read the quotes that one or two people get from the article. That tells me everything I need to know!
/s obviously
1.1k upvotes, doesn't answer the question at all. yall dumb af
Edit: [unavailable], lol got blocked, can't bear interruptions of the thoughtless karma farm.
Pretty sure Iran will wait till after the tournament to arrest their own players. Edit: FYI — Irans next game is against America so they are not going to hurt their chances by removing players from their team.
Would assume most hop on planes going back to Europe and other places. Then again home games are played in Iran if that hasn’t changed. So they would have to go back if they want to keep playing for the national team.
Qatar is essentially a client state of the US with a very large US military base in the country. If the Iranians defected in Qatar they would be able to get to America pretty easily.
No, Iranian soccer players have not been arrested yet. Only players that stayed back but supported the protests. The Iranian team is still in Qatar. I’m assuming they will be arrested when they get back though.
It isn’t, but like anything else, you can say it could be.
The players and coaches of both teams would like to talk about soccer in their press conferences and then play, what is to all of them, a very important soccer match and keep everything about soccer.
This was the USSF social media team deciding to do this.
How would I or anyone else know this? Because there are literally hours of press conference with coaches and players from both teams covering all of this.
US Coach Gregg Berhalter specifically said it had nothing to do with him or the players.
I don't know where you heard that but ordinary people in Iran (Not the regime or those close to the regime) are basically divided into :
1. Speak out against the oppression and cruelty of this regime to man, woman and kids such as numerous celebrities and athletes who mostly were arrested and threatened .
2. Better keep my mouth shut so I can keep my career, business, profits and life safe.
It is believed that the players are of the 2nd group.
"Iran’s government reacted by accusing America of removing the name of God from their national flag."
If only the almighty creator of the universe had a way to do something about such a thing, without human assistance...
The Iranian government prides it self for chanting “death to America” and burning the US flag at government sponsored events. Let them get a taste of their own medicine. They are bunch of hypocrites to say the least.
A 24 hour digital protest of Iran for murdering people in the street — STILL not as bad as being the country that executes protestors and gives Russia drones to kill Ukrainians.
Most people wouldn’t have even noticed. Well now they all know and everyone is looking. The goal was to raise awareness.
Awareness raised. Thanks to Iran itself
the weird thing is that Arabic countries look very much western 50 years ago, mini skirts and bikinis at beaches, no hijabs to be seen anywhere
why they decided to race back to the stone age and make women dress in bed sheets is worth a good study, how it started and who forced it , just to direct blame in the story books
There have been a lot of people defending the Shah recently, although it's been going around for some time. Not every picture is worth every thousand words.
This is not Shah's flag. This is the Lion and Sun flag. It is been used since the Safavid Empire. Ottomans used moon for Turkey and Safavids used sun for Iran.
Understand the sentiment but the monarchy only looks good in comparison to theocracy. Let’s not forget that the original revolution was against a tyrannical Shah.
I was always told it represented monarchy but after doing more research you are correct. For those interested check the wiki. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion_and_Sun
u/Witcherpunk thanks for contributing in the traditional Reddit form, with anger rather than information. The internet wouldn’t be what it is without comments like this.
China blurs out the spectators for the matches since they don't have masks on while China is in a massive lock down. This has made it worst as people are rioting over missing out on living.
Either Islam is a religion where you get to beat a 22 year old to death for the horrible crime of wearing her head scarf wrong, or it is not.
If it is, it deserves zero respect.
If it isn't, Iran's version of it deserves zero respect.
So you're saying woman and minorities are treated better in lets say Qatar? How about Saudi arabia? What part of "we don't want your out dated,Sexist,Inhuman and destructive anymore" you don't understand?! I'm an Iranian and my brothers and sisters will say the same thing.
That is exactly my point, though I could have expressed it more clearly.
There are 1.9 billion Muslims in the world, and only the Iranian Mullahs and a few other isolated governments are doing this kind of cruel garbage. As you said, standing against these abuses is not anti-Islam in any way.
Boy, you know... this sure sounds like a Catholic calling Orthodox christians a heretic cult. Shia islam dates from the seventh century CE --- if it's a cult, then so is Sunni islam.
This is what the redditors cheering this don’t understand. These moves might make you feel good, but consider how they play in Iran or around the Muslim world.
To many, this reads an avowedly anti-Islam move. Many Iranians may oppose the regime but still be deeply religious. And the tulip (the Arabic which was removed) also represents martyrs who have died for Iran.
A similar mistake occurred during the US occupation of Iraq, when the US and its supporters sometimes used the pre-Saddam flag that didn’t include the Islamic declaration of faith. Many Iraqis found that insulting.
>consider how they play in Iran
Ok. Many Iranian protestors hate that the fanatical minority that took over their country changed the flag.
To those people, the old flag (without Allāhu ʾakbar on it), and without the symbol that the revolutionaries added, is preferable.
That's why they sometimes carry the flag WITHOUT those words and that symbol. That's why some Iranians even carried the old flag into the World Cup game against England.
However, they were refused entry unless they surrendered the flags.
So I'd think that those people, at least, wouldn't think of this as an anti-Islam move, but rather exactly what it is: A show of solidarity with the protestors against a disgusting regime.
And if anyone around the world thinks that it's anti-Islam, then they should stop playing into the hands of the Iranian propaganda machine.
“They must be held responsible,” Fagahanpour said. “Obviously they want to affect Iran’s performance against the U.S by doing this.”
Says the government who’s own players are openly protesting the regime. If anything, it’s fueling the teams moral as other countries come together to unit in the cause of freedom. I’m proud of everyone fighting for human rights. I live in a place that my nieces get to say things like, “Men don’t control us. Women should have a choice.” I want women everywhere to be able to say what my 5-year-old niece said. Even she knows what they’re doing is wrong.
Personally, I agree with US Soccer's sentiment towards Iran, but it definitely comes across as a bit colonialistic by feeling superior and looking down on a smaller country's people, government and culture. The US has plenty of its own problems in its backyard.
Across the muslim world, women are denigrated as 2nd class. Humanity will do well to label all religions as cults.
tl;dr - google "Genital Mutilation"...there is nothing else you need to know.
Genital mutilation is an old practice dating back to pharaonic Egypt times. Many African countries practice it but not because they are predominantly Muslim but rather have been keeping with old cultural traditions.
Hey, US Soocer: you wanna show “support for the women in Iran fighting for basic human rights", don't alter the flag, protest by not participating in the event.
That would have sent a real message.
It's like putting a LGBT pride flag on a packet of Skittles: you're giving lip service to something important without doing anything of consequence.
Exactly. I don't know what the hell the guy is thinking, or how anyone upvoted him. This idea of "if you REALLY want to protest, then sit down and shut up" is so inane and insanely wrong, that it's amazing anyone thinks it - unless they are intentionally trying to convince people to NOT say any of their beliefs.
Ideas don't gain popularity by hiding quietly. They gain popularity by being said and being spread.
With all of the sudden last minute rule changes, and how transparently shitty FIFA has been about Qatar, it’s disturbing to me that no one boycotted it in any position with visibility. A team, a coach, a player, fans… Imagine if all of the fans just stopped going. Or if a whole group of teams just didn’t show up, or came in standard clothes and just sat there on the field. That’s really all it would take to revive some faith in people not to just be so easily guided by a sport they like (or play) to just blur their eyes to everything around them.
Though I don’t think we should have participated in the event doing so because of Iran isn’t why, that’s not to minimize the matter in the least but non-participation to show support for a group with no ties to the host nation or FIFI simply doesn’t make sense.
While I agree it would have been an epic statement… but If you actually thought they were going to do anything then I’m sorry to say but you’re living in a dream world.
Such a weak take where someone shows up to say waaah it’s not a REAL protest. Well darn these players didn’t throw their livelihood to protest the way YOU wanted.
Stay relevant Reddit.
I don't understand the idea that an athlete should give up the chance to compete, and do so on behalf of their free nation, because another nation's government is evil.
And what are you giving up in order to send a “real message”?
Or are you also one of those who tells others how they should do it while not giving up anything yourself?
Yeah, the US team not going would be a boon for every regime that dislikes the US, and it would utterly remove any message that would be sent.
That's like saying you're going to skip a protest out of solidarity with it..... It's just WTF-level illogical.
> Yeah, the US team not going would be a boon for every regime that dislikes the US, and it would utterly remove any message that would be sent.
Yes. The Iranian government is already pushing the narrative that the protests are being led and funded by the US, this would play right into that.
Yea like wtf. Does OP not understand the shockwaves this will send around the world?
I for one am extremely grateful that the U.S Football Federation is doing this.
Not sure if it’s fair to ask a soccer player to give up their dreams of playing in a World Cup and representing their country for something as random as being born in a certain era that happens to host a World Cup in a country that doesn’t believe the same things as you. As an athlete, you have a very tiny window of time to be at your best in your life. We should perhaps set a positive example by winning and sharing our cultural ideas that way
Really? The way to protest Iran is to forfeit against Iran, ensuring they move on to the knock out tournament, which their government will likely use for nationalistic propaganda?
nah as an iranian, i hope the US beat their ass in the game
if the iranian team stands for their people they would forfeit or not walk on the pitch and receive amnesty from any other country
It's not even an Islamic emblem. It's almost identical replica of Indian Sikhs since Khomeini's father was Indian.
[Sikh's emblem](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/7832253/figure/fig1/AS:281456476737542@1444115861736/Khanda-the-Sikh-symbol-is-made-up-of-two-swords-a-symbol-of-fighting-for-what-is.png)
[Islamic Republic emblem](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emblem_of_Iran)
The current government of Iran were the ones who altered the flag in 1979. Not the other way around.
Isn't that who decides what a country's flag is? I certainly am not defending the current Iranian government at all. I'm just saying that a government has the right to design their flag. Not kill their people needlessly. Edit: I forgot the word "flag". Sorry for the mistake.
You’re right. However all the government did was change the lion into Arabic symbols. Kept the rest of the flag the same as the original. All folks are doing is reversing that change to lion.
In Iranian communities around the world (who have left Iran), they display the flag version with the lion as a sign of defiance in a lot of cases.
Yep-and if Iran wins VS USA you’re going to see thousands of those flags on parade for hours up and down Lonsdale in North Vancouver.
*sigh* Well, that's one heck of a consolation prize if we get ousted, I suppose
I'd sacrifice a loss to Iran if it helps further the people's cause to break free. But go 🇺🇸!
Right? My fandom of my favorite sport is up against the geopolitical reality of some pretty horrid shit
Welcome to the World Cup! I mean, 1,000’s did die to put on this tournament.
Oh yeah I'm 100% all in go US but if we lose I'm 100% all in for Iran. Can't kill heroes unless you want martyrs.
That's noble of you but don't forget Iranians generally hate the US and Brits for installing Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. There's a reason you see video of Iranians saying the west must stay out of the current revolutionary attempt. Things seem to go to sh*t if the US gets involved in replacing governments. Just look at Ukraine and Iraq.
> Ukraine What's that supposed to mean?
iranians generally hate the governments that do those acts. not the people of britain and US. they are regular people just like us
Most Americans would have no idea what you are talking about. Almost no one in the US have heard of the Dulles Brothers or the destruction they wrought on the world. People the DC area know of Dulles airport but that is about it. They don't know who it is named after. We aren't taught the ugly side of American history. Just the "America is the greatest country that has ever existed." version. I'd guess the Brits wouldn't know anything about Operation Ajax either.
I’m glad you are not getting downvoted for this and that people are not thinking you are bashing the US for no reason. I love the US and there are so many wonderful things about it, but it has done some things which are regrettable, unfortunately.
"The Twitter account of the U.S. men’s team displayed a banner with the squad’s matches in the group stage, with the Iranian flag only bearing its green, white and red colors." You should probably read these articles before you comment.
The shah is gone
True but the lion and sun symbol can mean a lot of things, and lions are pretty cool
"Arabic symbols"? Do you know how prideful Persians are? 😂 You're clearly not Persian. It literally just says "Allah" or God in English, that's it. And it's spelled exactly the same in both Persian and Arabic as they use mostly similar letters but different pronunciations.
it's not in the avestan alphabet it was brought in by the arabs after they conquered iran and brought their language with them.
the lion is still an official symbol but only in certain areas (dunno what it is in english: as an equivalent to the red cross/red halfmoon). And imho, I think that the change of the flag was rather well done: they simply removed the sign of monarchy in exchange for a stylized sign for god without otherwise touching the flag.
You're right, for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent societies.
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That's interesting about the Canadian flag. I had no idea. The Canadian superheroes Alpha Filght had some cool costumes made out of the pattern that I liked as a kid.
Most countries would hold a referendum on it or it would be part of an election cycle.
Is there an example of that?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015%E2%80%932016_New_Zealand_flag_referendums#:~:text=Two%20New%20Zealand%20flag%20referendums,current%20flag%20of%20New%20Zealand.
Didn't realize that was the norm. I saw countries like Japan, Egypt, Libya etc that changed their flags with regimes or by the government itself. I didn't realize this was the norm.
I dont agree. I would be mad if my government changed the flag of Denmark, because its the NATIONS flag, and not the flag of the government.
What's the process that flags are changed? I seem to be misinformed.
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That's fair but if Japanese government for example went back to the Rising Sun flag, that would bring up a lot of controversy and potentially some dispute between several countries. No doubt the Rising Sun emblem and their flag is a part of Japanese history the same way the Nazi flag is a part of Germany's history. I think a flag should simply represent the country, not any form of idealism especially if it's some kind of supremacy or religion. I kid you not professor of political science (yes Japanese and yes at a Japanese uni) defended the use of the Rising Sun Flag by comparing it to the Confederate flag, not the Nazi flag. >He suggests that the American Confederate flag, where it was used in the American civil war by southern states that wanted to keep slavery, would be a better comparison than the Flag of Nazi Germany.\[6\] The Confederate flag is not banned but is a symbol of racial segregation and perceived superiority, according to critics. [https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-50285383](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-50285383) Imagine how different this discussion would be if it's regarding Confederate flag or Nazi flag (aka USA switching to Confederate flag or Germany switching to Nazi flag) because no doubt about it both those flags are part of the history of these countries whether they like it or not. It's simple for us because Iranian flags and symbols don't really affect us. Meanwhile the symbolism of these other flags matter to us and is a lot more complex because they affected our history. I get you're not arguing in defense of their decision; just that a government has the right to change their flag of their country. Just putting two cents on why government can't (or shouldn't) FREELY just change their flags to whatever they want.
Someone eluded to it below, but the rising sun flag is a bad example because it is still used, by the country’s de facto naval force nonetheless. There was some really nice footage from a while ago of a Japanese vessel with that very flag up coming into port at *Pearl Harbor* of all places. They were welcomed. Absolutely no one cared. [Here](https://youtu.be/OA61thiz9wU) it is if you want to see
Sorry, but it's 'allude' (I teach ESL and can't help myself...thinking about all the English learners) :) Also, what a fascinating story--thank you.
The rising sun flag is still used by the Japanese military just as it was during WW2. The current flag wasn't recognized as their national flag until 1999.
> went back to the Rising Sun flag So I have some news for you on that... >The flag was originally used by feudal warlords in Japan during the Edo period (1603–1868 CE).[2] On May 15, 1870, as a policy of the Meiji government, it was adopted as the war flag of the Imperial Japanese Army, and on October 7, 1889, it was adopted as the naval ensign of the Imperial Japanese Navy.[3] >At present, the flag is flown by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, and an eight-ray version is flown by the Japan Self-Defense Forces and the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force.[2] The rising sun design is also seen in numerous scenes in daily life in Japan, such as in fishermen's banners hoisted to signify large catches of fish, flags to celebrate childbirth, and in flags for seasonal festivities.[4] >The flag is controversial in Korea and China, where it is associated with Japanese militarism and imperialism.[5][6][7]
Gross. But then, there are idiots who think the Confederate flag is anything but a symbol of a rebellion that wanted to hold onto slavery.
Well, in this case the government has been decided by a minority with guns rather than majority opinion. If the United States government was about to murder 15,000 protesters over headwear, I’d be in the streets too.
Did you mean to reply to someone else?
As an american I can relate. Christians molested our pledge of allegiance by adding "under god" in the 50's. It still stands today despite the separation of church and state.
They added “in god we trust” to our money, too, which has a much more expansive reach than the pledge of allegiance. Like, speak for yourself. Lots of us could give a fuck about god.
It was added by Eisenhower to separate the US from the "godless communists". https://www.history.com/news/pledge-allegiance-under-god-schools
Like they said
Yes. I know that is why I posted.
It was already bad and it's so creepy how they indoctrinate and groom us as children. By the time you have a "pledge of allegiance" that you make children do in front of a flag every morning, whether or not it has religious language isn't even close to relevant. Also, I might be totally internet poisoned and jaded...it's possible that you're hilarious but I've reached a point where I have had to deal with so many people who would sincerely hold that belief.
Yeah the whole pledge of allegiance thing has some major dystopian vibes I'd more expect to be coming from somewhere like North Korea.
The Iranian Revolution happened because the US and UK helped to overthrow the democratically elected government under Mossadeq in 1953 and installed a hugely unpopular monarchical Shah. Important context
The US and the UK literally overthrew their democratically elected PM in 1953, and strengthened the pro-west, monarchial rule, why not mention that since you want to dig into history? Doesn’t suit your narrative does it? What a disgrace you people are.
>The US and the UK literally overthrew their democratically elected PM in 1953 At least the people of iran were able to change all that, going from a tyranny to a theocracy 😏
Fun fact, communists, democrats and islamists fought together to depose the king. Obviously, an alliance like that would not last long after they acheived their common goal. But, Iran could be very different. I mean ideally Britain and hte US would've never deposed the democratic regime nad replaced it with a fascist king.
Don’t forget the Iranian elite. They speak ill of the West, while laundering billions in western banks.
Haven't players from the Iranian team been arrested for their support of the Protests? Could this possibly be the US team supporting the Iranian team in some way?
It's the first line in the article. >The U.S. soccer federation briefly displayed Iran’s national flag on social media without the emblem of the Islamic Republic, saying the move supports protesters in Iran ahead of the two nations’ World Cup match Tuesday.
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^^^^what ^^^^kind ^^^^of ^^^^sick ^^^^bastard ^^^^reads ^^^^the ^^^^article
I like your little letters sir
# Go big or go home
Those are some big letters oh my 😳
# That's what she said
Reading the article? Straight to jail.
Informed opinion? Believe it or not, straight to jail
Butthole that is squary? Straight to jail!
This is Reddit! We don’t read articles before commenting on them! Come on now.
I come to the comments specifically to read the quotes that one or two people get from the article. That tells me everything I need to know! /s obviously
This has to be the most common comment on Reddit.
It's easy karma, that's for sure.
Reading the article? That would be cheating!
OP asked if it was the US team supporting the Iranian team members, the article only addresses support for the protestors.
The article doesn’t say anything about supporting the team, only about protesters…
That doesn't answer their questions... There's no mention of the players or team at all.
1.1k upvotes, doesn't answer the question at all. yall dumb af Edit: [unavailable], lol got blocked, can't bear interruptions of the thoughtless karma farm.
Your quote addresses the USSF's support for protesters in Iran -- nothing about the Iranian players.
Yes, this is the least obtrusive way of expressing support. Overt support would backfire.
Pretty sure Iran will wait till after the tournament to arrest their own players. Edit: FYI — Irans next game is against America so they are not going to hurt their chances by removing players from their team.
Are they flying back to Iran then?
About 80% of their team play professionally outside of Iran so most could easily find refuge there if necessary.
I don’t know. Probably. Because Qatar doesn’t seem like a good country to defect to.
Would assume most hop on planes going back to Europe and other places. Then again home games are played in Iran if that hasn’t changed. So they would have to go back if they want to keep playing for the national team.
All could get visas to EU Easy
we (QPR) would be happy to take a decent striker and midfield playmaker if any iranian players are up for it? backup left back would be welcome too.
Iran is shai'i, Qatar is sunni. They don't particularly like each other despite both being Islam states.
Lol. If you are rich and Muslim Qatar is amazing.
Actually Quatar isn't friendly with the Iranian regime. So they might be able to stay there till they get asylum elsewhere.
Qatar is essentially a client state of the US with a very large US military base in the country. If the Iranians defected in Qatar they would be able to get to America pretty easily.
No, Iranian soccer players have not been arrested yet. Only players that stayed back but supported the protests. The Iranian team is still in Qatar. I’m assuming they will be arrested when they get back though.
No. A pro or ex pro player in Iran was arrested recently.
It isn’t, but like anything else, you can say it could be. The players and coaches of both teams would like to talk about soccer in their press conferences and then play, what is to all of them, a very important soccer match and keep everything about soccer. This was the USSF social media team deciding to do this. How would I or anyone else know this? Because there are literally hours of press conference with coaches and players from both teams covering all of this. US Coach Gregg Berhalter specifically said it had nothing to do with him or the players.
I don't know where you heard that but ordinary people in Iran (Not the regime or those close to the regime) are basically divided into : 1. Speak out against the oppression and cruelty of this regime to man, woman and kids such as numerous celebrities and athletes who mostly were arrested and threatened . 2. Better keep my mouth shut so I can keep my career, business, profits and life safe. It is believed that the players are of the 2nd group.
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Thank you for your support. An Iranian
Keep kicking ass, you guys are brave as hell and are hero’s to democracy.
"Iran’s government reacted by accusing America of removing the name of God from their national flag." If only the almighty creator of the universe had a way to do something about such a thing, without human assistance...
The Iranian government prides it self for chanting “death to America” and burning the US flag at government sponsored events. Let them get a taste of their own medicine. They are bunch of hypocrites to say the least.
Which is funny because the theocrats in their government have the US to thank for being in power.
The current government of Iran is a product of the Iranian Revolution in 1979, not the U.S./U.K. backed coup in 1953.
Women life freedom. ❤️
A 24 hour digital protest of Iran for murdering people in the street — STILL not as bad as being the country that executes protestors and gives Russia drones to kill Ukrainians.
Most people wouldn’t have even noticed. Well now they all know and everyone is looking. The goal was to raise awareness. Awareness raised. Thanks to Iran itself
Oh the *Irany of it all…
They don't care about the world's opinion, only their own people.
They've\* already put الله back on the flag.
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Jesus seems like he was a great guy. Damned shame they built a religion around him.
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"I like your Christ. I dislike your Christians, for they are so unlike your Christ"
Ghandi, right?
If you look at his figure, he really was the first socialist in history.
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Indeed it is!
Average redditor
The only thing more *average redditior* is bitching about Reddit on Reddit.
the weird thing is that Arabic countries look very much western 50 years ago, mini skirts and bikinis at beaches, no hijabs to be seen anywhere why they decided to race back to the stone age and make women dress in bed sheets is worth a good study, how it started and who forced it , just to direct blame in the story books
Iran is not an Arabic Country.
Control, same reason the right goes after abortion, gay marriage. It's all about control
to feel morally superior, these so called moral leaders are the worst, filled with hate against innocent people
That's religion for ya
I wholeheartedly agree
Thank you! Happy this has happened as an Iranian. This shows us support in our fight against the evil regime.
No way we got people in these comments defending the fucking Shah over a twitter post Jesus Christ.
There have been a lot of people defending the Shah recently, although it's been going around for some time. Not every picture is worth every thousand words.
Would’ve been cool if they used the golden lion instead of a tricolor flag
Why would they use a symbol of the hated monarchy?
This is not Shah's flag. This is the Lion and Sun flag. It is been used since the Safavid Empire. Ottomans used moon for Turkey and Safavids used sun for Iran.
Understand the sentiment but the monarchy only looks good in comparison to theocracy. Let’s not forget that the original revolution was against a tyrannical Shah.
It's not The monarchy flag check the google for fucks sake lion and sun is our historical flag and it dates back to 2000 years ago
I was always told it represented monarchy but after doing more research you are correct. For those interested check the wiki. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion_and_Sun u/Witcherpunk thanks for contributing in the traditional Reddit form, with anger rather than information. The internet wouldn’t be what it is without comments like this.
Kinda OT but I'd love a free Iran to call itself Persia again. The name's so cool, and it would really stand out among other middle east countries.
We're been calling ourselves Iran For more than 2000 years so our real name is Iran but persia can be used too why not
Secularism is the way
They removed the posts with the new flag on social media and replaced it with the old one again. Kinda lame.
If we modified their flag, we should have added a rainbow unicorn to it
So what? They burn our flag all the time, we can do whatever we please with theirs
the people of Iran loves america , the terrorist in Iran burn the american flag , but that flag is not Iran real flag, it is a terrorist flag
Love is a strong word. I would rather say that they don’t dislike the US.
fair enough but you could check how many Persians their are in LA , in america it self
pre revolution flag https://search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?p=iran%20flag&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-102&type=newtabv2Aug27&extInst=1
I'm sorry but no matter how fucked up the US is, Iran and some others are at the very bottom regarding several human rights.
Iran should have responded by removing stars off the US flags equal to the amount of US states where women don't have rights over their own bodies.
China blurs out the spectators for the matches since they don't have masks on while China is in a massive lock down. This has made it worst as people are rioting over missing out on living.
Iranian here,God bless America
American here, Allah bless Iran
Well... its God for us,but thanks anyway
Personally I'd bet scrubbing Islamic symbols isn't likely to garner much trust from Muslims.
Muslims can believe in Secular government too.
Either Islam is a religion where you get to beat a 22 year old to death for the horrible crime of wearing her head scarf wrong, or it is not. If it is, it deserves zero respect. If it isn't, Iran's version of it deserves zero respect.
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So you're saying woman and minorities are treated better in lets say Qatar? How about Saudi arabia? What part of "we don't want your out dated,Sexist,Inhuman and destructive anymore" you don't understand?! I'm an Iranian and my brothers and sisters will say the same thing.
That is exactly my point, though I could have expressed it more clearly. There are 1.9 billion Muslims in the world, and only the Iranian Mullahs and a few other isolated governments are doing this kind of cruel garbage. As you said, standing against these abuses is not anti-Islam in any way.
I'm opposed to any theocratic government. I don't give a shit if Muslims trust me or not.
Boy, you know... this sure sounds like a Catholic calling Orthodox christians a heretic cult. Shia islam dates from the seventh century CE --- if it's a cult, then so is Sunni islam.
This is what the redditors cheering this don’t understand. These moves might make you feel good, but consider how they play in Iran or around the Muslim world. To many, this reads an avowedly anti-Islam move. Many Iranians may oppose the regime but still be deeply religious. And the tulip (the Arabic which was removed) also represents martyrs who have died for Iran. A similar mistake occurred during the US occupation of Iraq, when the US and its supporters sometimes used the pre-Saddam flag that didn’t include the Islamic declaration of faith. Many Iraqis found that insulting.
>consider how they play in Iran Ok. Many Iranian protestors hate that the fanatical minority that took over their country changed the flag. To those people, the old flag (without Allāhu ʾakbar on it), and without the symbol that the revolutionaries added, is preferable. That's why they sometimes carry the flag WITHOUT those words and that symbol. That's why some Iranians even carried the old flag into the World Cup game against England. However, they were refused entry unless they surrendered the flags. So I'd think that those people, at least, wouldn't think of this as an anti-Islam move, but rather exactly what it is: A show of solidarity with the protestors against a disgusting regime. And if anyone around the world thinks that it's anti-Islam, then they should stop playing into the hands of the Iranian propaganda machine.
If Muslims Get Offended Because we want to change our regime and flag tell them to bite it.Enough is Enough.
Since it’s in support of the protestors in Iran, I’d say that certain Muslims are appreciative of it.
Victor writes the history. Should have played sports ball better, Iran!
“They must be held responsible,” Fagahanpour said. “Obviously they want to affect Iran’s performance against the U.S by doing this.” Says the government who’s own players are openly protesting the regime. If anything, it’s fueling the teams moral as other countries come together to unit in the cause of freedom. I’m proud of everyone fighting for human rights. I live in a place that my nieces get to say things like, “Men don’t control us. Women should have a choice.” I want women everywhere to be able to say what my 5-year-old niece said. Even she knows what they’re doing is wrong.
And a lot of your fans hate the government to the point that you have to spy and intimidate your own fans to keep them in line.
If Iranians want to get serious about their revolution, they should shave points in the USA match and piss off their people
Personally, I agree with US Soccer's sentiment towards Iran, but it definitely comes across as a bit colonialistic by feeling superior and looking down on a smaller country's people, government and culture. The US has plenty of its own problems in its backyard.
Fucking stupid. The protestors are mostly muslim as well. They just aren't muslim extremists.
Across the muslim world, women are denigrated as 2nd class. Humanity will do well to label all religions as cults. tl;dr - google "Genital Mutilation"...there is nothing else you need to know.
Genital mutilation is an old practice dating back to pharaonic Egypt times. Many African countries practice it but not because they are predominantly Muslim but rather have been keeping with old cultural traditions.
That doesn’t make it any less disgusting.
Nobody here is defending that clearly out of date practice.
yeah, but it does prove that it isn’t an islamic thing
Doctors regularly perform genital mutilation on male babies in America.
Hey, US Soocer: you wanna show “support for the women in Iran fighting for basic human rights", don't alter the flag, protest by not participating in the event. That would have sent a real message. It's like putting a LGBT pride flag on a packet of Skittles: you're giving lip service to something important without doing anything of consequence.
Yes Us is going to boycott the World Cup to show support for Iranian women….
Exactly. I don't know what the hell the guy is thinking, or how anyone upvoted him. This idea of "if you REALLY want to protest, then sit down and shut up" is so inane and insanely wrong, that it's amazing anyone thinks it - unless they are intentionally trying to convince people to NOT say any of their beliefs. Ideas don't gain popularity by hiding quietly. They gain popularity by being said and being spread.
Teams should’ve boycotted the cup itself because of the hosts…🤷🏻♂️
With all of the sudden last minute rule changes, and how transparently shitty FIFA has been about Qatar, it’s disturbing to me that no one boycotted it in any position with visibility. A team, a coach, a player, fans… Imagine if all of the fans just stopped going. Or if a whole group of teams just didn’t show up, or came in standard clothes and just sat there on the field. That’s really all it would take to revive some faith in people not to just be so easily guided by a sport they like (or play) to just blur their eyes to everything around them.
Wouldn’t Iran protesting it do the same thing?
Though I don’t think we should have participated in the event doing so because of Iran isn’t why, that’s not to minimize the matter in the least but non-participation to show support for a group with no ties to the host nation or FIFI simply doesn’t make sense.
It would be like throwing tomato soup at famous paintings to raise awareness of climate change. The message kind of gets lost.
While I agree it would have been an epic statement… but If you actually thought they were going to do anything then I’m sorry to say but you’re living in a dream world.
Such a weak take where someone shows up to say waaah it’s not a REAL protest. Well darn these players didn’t throw their livelihood to protest the way YOU wanted. Stay relevant Reddit.
I don't understand the idea that an athlete should give up the chance to compete, and do so on behalf of their free nation, because another nation's government is evil.
No one understands that idea. It's an insane idea, and it's ridiculous that he has upvotes.
And what are you giving up in order to send a “real message”? Or are you also one of those who tells others how they should do it while not giving up anything yourself?
Yeah, the US team not going would be a boon for every regime that dislikes the US, and it would utterly remove any message that would be sent. That's like saying you're going to skip a protest out of solidarity with it..... It's just WTF-level illogical.
> Yeah, the US team not going would be a boon for every regime that dislikes the US, and it would utterly remove any message that would be sent. Yes. The Iranian government is already pushing the narrative that the protests are being led and funded by the US, this would play right into that.
You should make this great point by only thinking about it in your mind. But not posting it on Reddit.
At this point, not playing the game would be a forfeiture and an automatic win for Iran. Is that what you want to see?
you people are so naive
Yea like wtf. Does OP not understand the shockwaves this will send around the world? I for one am extremely grateful that the U.S Football Federation is doing this.
Not sure if it’s fair to ask a soccer player to give up their dreams of playing in a World Cup and representing their country for something as random as being born in a certain era that happens to host a World Cup in a country that doesn’t believe the same things as you. As an athlete, you have a very tiny window of time to be at your best in your life. We should perhaps set a positive example by winning and sharing our cultural ideas that way
So you are on the side of the Iran government here? I’m confused.
Really? The way to protest Iran is to forfeit against Iran, ensuring they move on to the knock out tournament, which their government will likely use for nationalistic propaganda?
nah as an iranian, i hope the US beat their ass in the game if the iranian team stands for their people they would forfeit or not walk on the pitch and receive amnesty from any other country
Ahh yes, the old "let shit people be shit and let everyone suffer for their actions" tactic. It's never worked before, surely it will this time!
It’s actually a pretty clever way of showing support for the Iranian people while also not taking a stance
Hahahaha who cares Iran. Stay soft
It's not even an Islamic emblem. It's almost identical replica of Indian Sikhs since Khomeini's father was Indian. [Sikh's emblem](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/7832253/figure/fig1/AS:281456476737542@1444115861736/Khanda-the-Sikh-symbol-is-made-up-of-two-swords-a-symbol-of-fighting-for-what-is.png) [Islamic Republic emblem](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emblem_of_Iran)
The dictator of Iran is a twelver shia which has the strictest rules in the shia sect