Iranian Wrestling Federation president proclaims ‘Death to America’ before US match next month

Most Westerners cannot imagine a professional sports official openly declaring death to the opposing country before a sports event. Yet that is exactly what has happened leading up to a match between an Iranian wrestler and an American wrestler. Alireza Dabir, president of the Iranian Wrestling Federation, declared “Death to America” ahead of “a slated February wrestling dual meet between the national teams of the US and Iran to be held in Texas.“

The West continues to tolerate this barbaric mentality while allowing Muslim lobbies perpetually to scream “Islamophobia” within Western countries.

Dabir might insist that the words refer to his hope that Iran will crush America in the upcoming wrestling match, but it’s also a well-known jihadist call that is commonly chanted by Iranian regime loyalists. “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” are phrases frequently heard in Iran, along with references to America and Israel as the “Great Satan” and “Little Satan” respectively.

Although Iranian-American athletes are urging “American wrestlers and athletes to react to such incidents,” nothing of significance will likely result. Regime loyalists know this very well, especially under a weak American administration.

America should not be welcoming its enemies.

“Iran’s wrestling president says ‘Death to America’ before US match,” by Benjamin Weinthal, Jerusalem Post, January 6, 2022:

The president of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s wrestling federation, Alireza Dabir, declared “Death to America” in a television interview on Wednesday prior to a slated February wrestling dual meet between the national teams of the US and Iran to be held in Texas.

“We always chant ‘Death to America’ but importantly is showing it in action,” said Dabir, who won a gold medal in freestyle wrestling for Iran at the Olympics in Sydney in 2000. Dabir added that “A doctor, he might even be wearing a tie, but he is doing his job well. He is saying ‘Death to America.’ Some talk a lot but don’t do much. We need to prove it with an action that [Death to America].”

Dabir’s call for the abolition of the United States comes a little over a month before the US national team is slated to compete against Iran’s team in Arlington, Texas on February 12 in what Gary Abbott from USA Wrestling termed “the first-ever Bout at the Ballpark.”

Sardar Pashaei, the Iranian-American former head coach of Iran’s national Greco-Roman team, told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday that “It’s painful for me as a wrestler and national team coach to listen to these words. When I and many other athletes who have been forced to leave their homeland due to pressure from the Iranian government see Alireza Dabir, the president of the Iranian Wrestling Federation, say ‘Death to America, while he has the US Green Card in his pocket.”
Pashaei, a former world champion in Greco-Roman wrestling, oversees the United for Navid campaign. The organization seeks justice for Navid Afkari, a champion Greco-Roman Iranian wrestler, who the clerical regime executed in 2020 because he protested against the regime’s political and economic corruption in 2018.

Pashaei, asked: “Why should someone (Alireza Dabir) who has been one of the athletes very close to the Iranian government in all the past years and part of the government’s propaganda be able to travel freely to the United States?”….