When two Indian sportswomen withdrew from tournaments held in Iran, the reason - HIJAB
Expressing their disappointment towards Iran"s hijab policy, there were two Indian sportswomen who said no to Hijab and withdrew from their respective tournaments held in Iran.
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Protests had erupted during February and March in India and protests have ignited again but now in Iran. And the reason - HIJAB. A 22-year-old woman was killed in police custody after she was held for not covering her head properly. The compulsion to wear a hijab in Iran had already faced growing criticism in recent months over its excessive use of force. However, this brutality of the police against women in Iran witnesses women cutting their hair and burning hijabs as a mark of protest. These women want to take the hijab away from their lives.
Hijab rules in Iran
Walking unveiled or without wearing a hijab in Iran is a punishable crime under the Islamic Hijab Rules. Since the country's 1979 Islamic revolution, Iranian law requires all women, regardless of nationality or religious belief, to wear a hijab that covers the head and neck while concealing the hair.
When two Indian female sportspeople withdrew from tournaments in Iran
Soumya Swaminathan - In 2018, Indian Grandmaster Soumya Swaminathan had withdrawn from the Asian Team Chess Championship to be held in Hamadan, Iran because of the country’s hijab policy. Criticizing the Iranian authorities’ inability to take the choice of sportspersons into consideration, she said, "I am very disappointed to see that player's rights and welfare are given such less importance while allotting and/or organising official championships. I understand the organisers expecting us to wear our national team dress or formals or sporting attire for our games during official championships, but surely there is no place for an enforceable religious dress code in sports."
I find the Iranian law of compulsory Headscarf to be in direct violation of my basic Human Rights including my right to freedom of expression, and right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. It seems that under the present circumstances, the only way for me to protect my rights is not to go to Iran.
Further, she also responded to various comments on her Facebook page. Swaminathan said she was not questioning Iran’s legal rights but that since those were incompatible with her human rights she had decided not to go. "My basic problem is that [the hijab] is ‘forced’. Also, the way I see it there is not much difference between burkha or headscarf or a compulsory hoodie! The form is different but the intent as well effect is the same."
Heena Sidhu - In 2016, Indian pistol shooter Heena Sidhu had pulled out of the Asian Airgun Shooting Championship in Iran for the same reason. Speaking about such practice, she said that she is no revolutionary but personally feels that making it mandatory for a sportsperson to wear a hijab is not in the spirit of a sport.
She further said that she is proud to be a sportsperson because people from different cultures, backgrounds, sexes, ideologies and religion come to compete together without any biases.
Sport is an exhibition of sheer human effort and performance. Our ability to dig deep for strength, willpower, and determination.
In the same event, Georgian-American chess champion Nazi Paikidze boycotted the world championship in Tehran, taking to Instagram to call the hijab law “oppressive”. Similarly, in 2017, the Iranian Chess Federation banned 19-year-old Dorsa Derakhshani – the country’s second woman international chess master - for attending competitions abroad without wearing the headscarf, compelling her to play from the U.S. side.