TEHERAN, KOMPAS.com – One athlete Paralympic Games Iran threatened to get death sentence, after he criticized why mosque can open at a time Covid-19, but gym closed.
Reza Tabrizi, a powerlifting silver medalist at the New Zealand Paralympics in 2011, cited “hypocrisy” on his Instagram account.
He complained that the gym in the city of Mashad was closed during the outbreak. But on the other hand, the Holy Tomb of Imam Reza can still be visited by pilgrims.
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Because of his remarks, Iranian activist Masih Alinejad stated that the athlete in a wheelchair is now facing the death penalty.
Alinejad also posted a tweet in which militants dragged a struggling Tabrizi to a police car.
In a separate video as quoted Daily Mail Tuesday (10/11/2020), someone lowered the board located in front of the gym.
Local cleric Morteza Mustafazadeh, head of the Basij militia who wanted Tabrizi to be executed, wrote on Instagram that the athlete should be lucky he can still be jailed.
He said Tabrizi had already made threats through his thoughts, and thought he could do anything in Iran.
“Thanks be to God he is now in prison,” said Mustafazadeh. Tabrizi himself immediately apologized after his comments became controversial.
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“I apologize to my family and fans, especially the country that already loves the saints for the stupidity I made,” he said.
The Saudi Arabian and Israeli rivals in the Middle East are still opening mosques even though the Covid-19 transmission rate is still relatively high there.
Last week, local health authorities reported that 458 people had died from the coronavirus in just one day.
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Reported The Telegraph, Tabrizi was accused of being an “ally” of French President Emmanuel Macron and spreading hatred towards religious people.
Macron himself became a controversy for Muslims after his refusal to criticize the caricature of the Prophet Muhammad displayed in the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.
Apart from that, Macron also said that he declared war on “Islamic separatists” which later drew anger.
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