Iranian Kurds celebrated the US beating Iran 1-0 in their crunch World Cup match on Tuesday night, letting off fireworks in the north-western region where many of the 10 million Kurdish minority live.
Following a tense build-up, the Group B match between the old foes was settled by a 38th minutes header from the US's Christian Pulisic — sending his country into the knockout stages of the Qatar World Cup at the expense of Iran.
The game at Al Thumama Stadium in Doha took place against the backdrop of more than two months of anti-government protests in Iran, in which between 300 and 450 people are reported to have been killed. About 15,000 demonstrators have also been detained.
These followed the death of Iranian-Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini, 22, in the custody of the morality police in September. She had been detained three days earlier in Tehran for wearing her hijab “improperly”.
Pulisic's goal and the final whistle were greeted with celebrations by some Kurds, who have long been marginalised in Iran, and other anti-government Iranians.
One video by Kurdish activist Kaveh Ghoreishi showed a neighbourhood at night in Sanandaj city, capital of Kurdistan province, with sounds of cheering and horns blaring after the US scored.
Videos posted online also showed fireworks being set off Mahabad city, in West Azerbaijan province, also in the north-west, following Iran's loss.
Following the death of Ms Amina in hospital on September 16, protests broke out in her home city of Saqqez, in Kurdistan province, igniting the nationwide demonstrations.
Saqqez residents were reported to have also celebrated the US scoring against Iran.
“Saqqez citizens have started to celebrate and use fireworks after America's first goal against Iran's football team,” said the London-based IranWire website on Twitter.
It shared a video showing fireworks with sounds of cheering in the background.
Some Kurds identify more closely with their ethnic heritage than their country of birth and wish to form an independent Kurdish state.
Economically marginalised, some of the poorest Iranian Kurds work in tough, manual jobs, including as kolbars — labourers employed to carry goods on their backs over cross-border mountain routes.
Some other Iranians also celebrated.
“Who would've ever thought I'd jump three metres and celebrate America's goal!” tweeted Iranian video game journalist Saeed Zafarany after the loss.
Others criticised the team for trying to balance seemingly acknowledging protests without antagonising the government.
In their opening match against England, the Iran team did not sing the national anthem, in what was viewed by some observers as support for protests. Subsequently, team members did sing the anthem.
Podcaster Elahe Khosravi tweeted: “This is what playing in the middle gets you. They lost to the people, the opponent, and even [the government].”
Iran-based journalist Amir Ebtehaj tweeted: “They lost. Both on and off the pitch.”
Company profile
Company: Verity
Date started: May 2021
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Who is Tim-Berners Lee?
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Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
Navdeep Suri, India's Ambassador to the UAE
There has been a longstanding need from the Indian community to have a religious premises where they can practise their beliefs. Currently there is a very, very small temple in Bur Dubai and the community has outgrown this. So this will be a major temple and open to all denominations and a place should reflect India’s diversity.
It fits so well into the UAE’s own commitment to tolerance and pluralism and coming in the year of tolerance gives it that extra dimension.
What we will see on April 20 is the foundation ceremony and we expect a pretty broad cross section of the Indian community to be present, both from the UAE and abroad. The Hindu group that is building the temple will have their holiest leader attending – and we expect very senior representation from the leadership of the UAE.
When the designs were taken to the leadership, there were two clear options. There was a New Jersey model with a rectangular structure with the temple recessed inside so it was not too visible from the outside and another was the Neasden temple in London with the spires in its classical shape. And they said: look we said we wanted a temple so it should look like a temple. So this should be a classical style temple in all its glory.
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This is going to be the big temple where I expect people to come from across the country at major festivals and occasions.
It is hugely important – it will take a couple of years to complete given the scale. It is going to be remarkable and will contribute something not just to the landscape in terms of visual architecture but also to the ethos. Here will be a real representation of UAE’s pluralism.
