It's hard to believe, I know.Ashkan Dejagah, a player on the German national team, has refused to play in Israel for a European Under-21 Championship qualifier.
Germans aren't happy
But Dejagah's mind is made up.
"I have more Iranian than German blood in my veins. I am doing it out of respect. After all, my parents are Iranian," the 21-year-old midfielder told the Berlin daily tabloid B.Z.Now I'm not going to make a blanket statement about Iranians, but the poster above is advertised in the streets of Tehran and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has publicly questioned the existence of the Holocaust.
Get this, he doesn't recognize Israel as a country, but still wants it "wiped off the map." Wouldn't Israel not be on one of his "special" maps in the first place? $20 to whoever can figure that out.
Sounds like a fun place.
Anyways, the German coach has accepted Dejagah's personal decision.
But there have been other instances in which Iranians refused to participate against fellow Israelis competitors. And I don't believe it's because they fear the Jewish athlete (right)...- Bayern Munich striker Vahid Hashemian missed a Champions League match in Israel. He said he had a back injury, but I think it's 'cause the Iranian sports federation warned him about consequences for attending.
- In the last summer Olympics, Iranian judo guy said he was too "overweight" to bout an Israeli. He wasn't.
- At the 2001 judo world championships -- a fun time for the whole family! -- another Iranian said "no dice."
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5 comments:
I'm German and for sure not happy about this incident - and we definetly deserve being on a watch when it comes to suspecting us being anti-Semitic, because we may always be guilty for the Holocaust. But what the tabloids seem to conceal is that his family (still living in Iran) would be faced with even more hostility and repression than already with him playing for a nation of decadent, western-bound nation of infidels. And that is what he and his spokesperson have always stated.
@ Chris
I wish someone could actually explain that angle of the story. Because, really, it seems dodgy to everyone reading it (in the US, at least--can't speak for anyone else) at a glance. Also, a full explanation in the press and demonstration of his sincerity would allay most people's suspicions of anti-Semitism, at least in my eyes. It would be a shrewd PR move for him to make, at the very least, if he wishes to have a serious shot in the future at the senior German squad. I hope to learn more about it. This blog, btw = teh awesome.
This whole issue is for sure biased (hope this is the proper wording) and I don't feel I'm capable of explaining any angle of this story in foreign languages. All I wanted to say is that - according to respected liberal watchblog bildblog.de (http://www.bildblog.de/2523/bild-spielt-foul) - tabloids might mob this youngster for being anti-Semitic, whilst him being just cluelessly, spinelessly, unpolitically...
I would be disappointed if this mobbing was the reason for any muslim immigrant not to play for the German squad in the future, assuming that the very most of young muslim talent is neither anti-Semite nor terrorist.
is being anti-Israel the same as being anti-semitic?
that's at least what the israeli want the world to believe. if u are against it because it's citicens are jewish, then yes, but if you just can't accept it's military and political actions then that's alright in my opinion.
there are for example some famous jews who condemn israel's ations. do you suspect them to be antisemitic?^^
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