Iranian swimmer withdraws from event, doesn't want to face an Israeli.

www.breitbart.com...

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.

A Muslim afraid of being beaten by an Israeli.

or....Maybe he knew that if he lost to a Israeli he would be executed?

Can you imagine if in 1936 the Nazi Germans had refused to compete against Jessie Owens. They would have been labeled as cowards. Why doesn't this happen to Muslims?

This is not what the Olympics are about...leave your politics at home. It you don't want to participate for whatever reason, you shouldn't have went in the first place.

They, the Iranians, aren't there for athletic competition anyways. They proved that in the 2004 Olympics when their Judo competitor ran when he was going up against an Israeli. Guess they know they're inferior to the Israelis and are afraid to face them in equal competition.

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.

Miresmaeili, twice a winner of the flyweight world title, still received a 5,000-dollar award the Iranian National Olympic Committee had promised to medal winners and he was hailed by former President Mohammad Khatami for his stance.

I request the above post be deleted for obvious racism.

Could you guys please stop with propaganda threads?

Originally posted by Zepherian
I request the above post be deleted for obvious racism.

Could you guys please stop with propaganda threads?

Muslim racism against Jews needs to be pointed out. Why should it be deleted?

Muslims are so racist that it turns them into cowards.

Originally posted by Fathom
muslims are like dogs that bark and bark but will tuck their tail when they are confronted.
only cowards use children, women and the disabled as suicide bombers.

a honorless people

That is just wrong.

Originally posted by RRconservative

Originally posted by Zepherian
I request the above post be deleted for obvious racism.

Could you guys please stop with propaganda threads?

Muslim racism against Jews needs to be pointed out. Why should it be deleted?

Muslims are so racist that it turns them into cowards.

Stop insulting my intelligence. Just because a few imbeciles decided to use the Olympics as a propaganda stunt to attempt to sell yet another injust conflict does not make me hate [insert religion here]. This is just elites pulling strings to make people care about some stupid conflict that should not even happen. If you can't see it or are trying to sell it also is not my problem.

Some ignorant points of view once again flurish upon the threads.

Muslims fear Jews? Christian's hate homosexuals.

Can we break it down a bit better so it at least resembles some sort of truth? The Iranian's participating in the Olympics will one day have to return to Iran. What would you do if you were an Iranian athelete?

It is political.....and lets say the dude was dumb enough to train his ass off for the Olympics with the hope that he wouldn't have to face an Israeli Jew. An American Jew would have been ok? Oh, the guy happens to say he is a Muslim. Granted I don't know sheite about the Muslim religion but I doubt it says you shall hate Jews so bad that you will not compete with them.

These are racist people not racist religions. I don't want people hating me because they hate George Bush.

Stop being so ignorant about religion or am I being too kind. Is it ignorance or just blind hatred or stupidity or both?

(edit....I'm with you Zepher!)



[edit on 9-8-2008 by Res Ipsa]

reply to post by Fathom


There are more then billion Muslims. A tiny minority is doing really sick stuff, and not all Muslims support it. Why bash so many different people? Even if majority (i hope that it is not the case) are supporting those who are pro-killing of women/children for different interests - i personally know some really great guys, Muslim guys that a really respectable individuals.

And i doubt that any Iranian sportsmen will compete with Israeli one, not because of lack of honor or sport spirit. They have to come back to Iran and go on with their career. If they compete now ,you and me will not hear anything but they will no longer be seeing in major competitions , not to mention Olympic games. Politics.

Originally posted by Zepherian
I request the above post be deleted for obvious racism.

Could you guys please stop with propaganda threads?

Sorry, Muslim is not a race.

And this was not to be expected? While I agree with some politically incorrect posts up there, I will abstain from saying such things. It would be ideal that politics be left behind at the Olympics, unfortunately that is unlikely to happen because we are competing as nations in these events. I would hope the athletes would enjoy the competition and not have so much political baggage themselves. Not so, for the Iranians apparently...

reply to post by Alxandro


Neither is Jew. Still a prejudice, and just as ignorant as racism.

This thread sucks.

LOL at the thread and the hatred shown towards muslims here.

Shame that Iranian didnt enter the event,what a waste of time and training to go that far and not any further.I know the jews are gods children*cough* but they cant walk on water.He should have swallowed his pride,got in the pool and swam faster than him

reply to post by ThePiemaker


Yes, I agree, "neither is Jew", but there was no anti-anti-Jew comment made here.

What doesn't make sense is that some of these people are ready and willing to die for their cause yet they are afraid to compete against a Jew.
Sure, I understand that if he loses he might get killed but I guess it's OK to die for one cause and not another.
This is the Olympics, it's time to put your sentiments aside and play the freakin' games, you are suppose to compete against the rest of the world.

This is further proof that "some of these people" refuse to play by any book, they can not be trusted for anything and most importantly, this is further proof that negotiation must never be an option, whatever the case may be.

I won't call it cowardice because these are only games but what type of athlete would chicken out of any competition?

reply to post by RRconservative


What makes you think this person is a Muslim? He could be a Jew or a Christian. The article doesn't refer to his religion. And what makes you think he withdrew because he was afraid?

I have never been so sickened by a thread I've read on ATS.

Ignorance thrives in the minds of some, and this thread is proof.

Originally posted by RRconservative
www.breitbart.com...

or....Maybe he knew that if he lost to a Israeli he would be executed?

That doesn't make sense, wouldn't it be an even bigger mistake to be a "coward" when portraying your country? I highly doubt he would have been executed...anyhow, there are cultural things like not sharing a pool with people of a different race. Who knows...either way, Michael Phelps was probably going to beat the hell out of them anyhow. Olympic record in the Preliminaries and wasn't even going full speed...amazing athlete

reply to post by Benevolent Heretic


What are you sickened about?
..that he withdrew because he didn't want to compete against a Jew?
..that somebody actually reported on it?
..that at some point during his training he should have realized he may have to compete against a Jew?

Hey, remember that time that the United States was afraid to compete against those godless Soviets? It was in 1980.

We rallied another 65 countries to join the boycott. Just so we didn't look like wussies.

Here is some information from the State department.
www.state.gov...

They say it was in protest to the invasion of Afghanistan, I think we were just afraid to lose.

What do you think?

Originally posted by spacedoubt
Hey, remember that time that the United States was afraid to compete against those godless Soviets? It was in 1980.

We rallied another 65 countries to join the boycott. Just so we didn't look like wussies.

Yeah Jimmy Carter was definately scared of the Soviet Union. After his debacle with Iran, I guess he wasn't up for the challenge.

Hitler at least had the guts to criticize Jessie Owens, then send his athletes to compete against him in 1936. The Iranians are worse than Hitler in this regard.

reply to post by RRconservative



LOL, Jimmy Carter.

Peanut farming was not an Olympic event.
It was purely political. A political move, which left US athletes, and other athletes around the world with no choice. These athletes gave up large portions of their lives to compete in a "non-political" event. and they were used a pawns.

Just like this Iranian Swimmer, a pawn. Iran will be paying him a bonus for the statement he made. This had nothing to do with athleticism, or fear of competing against a jew.