![](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Le1oQ803UMU/VVcpLNEJPQI/AAAAAAAADXM/vXJQIpWXAPM/s1600/IranFlagBurnTraktz.jpg)
Iranian Azeri Soccer Fans Burn the Iranian Flag
Von James M. Dorsey
Against a backdrop of the violent redrawing of the map of the Middle East as minorities assert their rights, rebels challenge the existing order, and militant Islamists seek to carve up the post-colonial order, Iranian soccer pitches are signalling that the Islamic republic is not totally immune to the region’s upheaval.
To be sure, the territorial integrity of Iran which unlike countries like Syria and Iraq boasts a strong state, rooted institutions, an imperial history and a culture that dates back hundreds of years, is nowhere close to being called into question.
Yet, soccer fans in different parts of Iran populated by ethnic minorities as well as protesters in Kurdish regions of the country are demanding rights and in some cases hinting at a desire to break away from the Islamic republic.
Continue reading “Ethnic tensions spill onto Iranian soccer pitches”