What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
Iran’s football club refused to sing the national anthem of the Islamic clerical regime during their first match against England at World Cup 2022 to register their protest against supreme leader Sayyid Ali Hosseini Khamenei’s rule of violence and human rights violations in the country.
In an act of defiance of Islamic state, members of Iran’s national team stood side-by-side mournfully, staying silent with their arms slung over each other’s shoulders when it was time for them to sing their anthem. This was a show of solidarity with human rights protests that had swept the country for almost ten weeks now.
The protests were triggered by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in Tehran, this September by the Islamic regime’s“morality police”, after she was detained for improperly wearing a hijab and skinny jeans.
Ehsan Hajsafi, the captain of Iran’s football team while speaking to the media said, ““We have to accept that conditions in our country are not right and our people are not happy. They should know that we are with them. And we support them. And we sympathize with them regarding the conditions.”
While the match ended in a 6-2 victory for England, supporters of the team from the stands booed when the national anthem was being played. According to some reports, chants of ‘Say her name, Mahsa Amini,’ echoed outside the Khalifa International Stadium ahead of Iran’s match.
According to a Norway-based organisation named Iran Human Rights NGO, Iranian security forces have killed at least 326 people since nationwide protests erupted two months ago. Of this at least 43 are children and 25 are women.
But why are they protesting against the national anthem? What is it about the national anthem that has turned silence against it as a tool of protest?
The answer lies in what is glorified in the national anthem.
It is thought that this notion could cause protests amongst fans who stand against the current government. Here’s the translation in English.
Your message, O Imam, of independence, freedom, is imprinted on our souls.
O Martyrs! Your clamors echo in the ears of time.
Enduring, continuing, and eternal.
The Islamic Republic of Iran!
Iran’s national anthem, named Sorude Melliye Jomhuriye Eslamiye Iran, was composed by famous poet Syed Bagheri collaborated with composer Hassan Riahi. The lyrics reference the Islamic revolution and the hope that the republic will survive forever. The Islamic excesses of cracking down on human rights, particularly on women’s freedom were a product of the cultural revolution of 1979 in Iran.
It praises the Imam, the Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei, the head of state of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Supreme Leader is the highest-ranking political and religious authority of Iran.
Thus refusing to sing the National Anthem not only extends solidarity to the ongoing protests in Iran but also marks defiance of Khamenei
