The West is expected to ignore the many human rights violations China has committed over many years. Simply put aside politics for the sake of sports.
Apparently the Islamic world did not get the memo.
AFP: Iran swimmer avoids Israeli pool showdown in Beijing
An Iranian swimmer pulled out of the Olympic Games men’s 100m breaststroke heats on Saturday, just minutes before he was due to compete against an Israeli rival.
Mohammad Alirezaei’s lane one was empty when the field left the starting blocks while Israel’s Tom Beeri, starting in lane seven, finished fourth.
Israel, the Middle East region’s sole if undeclared nuclear power, considers Iran its main strategic threat because of its nuclear programme and repeated predictions of the Jewish state’s demise by senior Iranian leaders.
During the 2004 Athens Olympics, Iran’s judo world champion Arash Miresmaeili, one of the country’s prominent gold medal hopes, refused to compete against Ehud Vaks of Israel in the first round out of solidarity for the Palestinian cause.
Of course, when you’re a religious chauvinist, this isn’t all that unusual.
Filed under: The Religion of Peace Files , Iran, The Religion of Peace Files, Israel, Olympics, Beijing, Mohammad Alirezaei, swimming, Athens, Tom Beeri, Arash Miresmaeili, Ehud Vaks
What a twist. Religion was not even mentioned.
I think the Iranian had every right to refuse to be in the same water as a NaZionist. Would you swim with the Gestapo who may have killed your grandparents or those of your faith?
I don’t think so.
ATW
Nevermind the fact that the Jews were utterly innocent prior to their extermination.
Can the same be said for Palestinians? Certainly not.
And as far as I know, the Israeli athletes were athletes, not soldiers.
As far as you know? Then you don’t know! Almost every Israeli serves in this occupation force called “army.” So most Israelis have innocent blood on their hands. If this “athlete” was healthy enough to compete, then he surely was healthy enough to be in this army of children killers!
ATW
Forgive me for not being entirely adjourned in my knowledge of the Israeli military. (I expect that your knowledge of the American military is extensive and complete.)
Perhaps the Israelis should simply tolerate decades of constant aggression against them and not respond. Indeed, is it not amazing that Israel does not grant more land to the basket case Palestinians?
In all seriousness, it is always fascinating to me how those who place all the evils of the world at the feet of Jews have virtually nothing to say about the “child-killers” who strap bombs to themselves and detonate them in malls, pizza parlors, etc. They have nothing to say about Israel’s concessions of land in (naive) hopes of peace. (So that weeks later, the duplicitious Palestinians can continue their aggression against Jews.) Nor do they ever mention the well-known hatred Muslims profess against Jews for many centuries.
Apparently when the hatred and killing is done by Palestinians for decades, it’s moral and justified. Only when Israel defends itself is there a problem.
To return to the original issue, the athletes who refused to compete against Israelis are quite typical for the average Muslim. But such is the nature of fanaticism. Imagine it: a person who trained all his life to simply qualify for the Olympics voluntarily denied himself the opportunity for Olympic victory because he might have to compete against a Jew.
If that’s not fanaticism and hatred, I’d love to know what is.
It’s ignorance – on your part. What you refer to as decades of constant aggression is exactly the opposite and as admitted by the thugs like Ben-Gurion and his bandits. Resistance to occupation is a God’s given right.
When homes and lands are stolen and continue to be confiscated or demolished, the natural response is resistance. Of course, suicide bombings are abhorrent and wrong but those who have done so may have witnessed their homes demolished, their families expelled or loved ones massacred right before their eyes. The news is full of this information even from Israeli media who have called themselves RACIST. See Haartez article on my blog.
If you are informed or studied history, you would know that Jews and Arabs lived peacefully together for thousands of years. Jews were even saved by Muslims during the era referred to as the Spanish inquisition. Or do you even know this? Do you know that Christians were trying to annihilate Jews then and only Muslims saved and aided the Jews?
ATW
Uh, Muslims were attacking Jews way before there was any “occupation.” Nice try.
As for the “peacefully together for thousands of years…” did this include post-Mohammed’s death when largely Christian areas were wiped out and made Muslim?
You are an absolute ignorant as you know your statements are derived from hatred and have no basis. Do you also wear a Swastika?
Go get your facts straight.. or go back under your rock!
Your ignorance really bores me.
ATW
When a person is on the losing end of an argument, it’s only a matter of time before that person throws insults and Nazi references.