Skip to main content

Iranian women campaign for entry to sporting events

While there was conflicting news that Iran is considering passing a law to allow women into sporting events, there has long been objection to women in stadiums by conservatives.
Japan's Ishida Mizuho (R) spikes the ball past Iran's Zare Pouran (L) and Vahedi Langroodi Zahra (C) during the Asian Senior Women's Volleyball championship quarter final between in Hanoi on September 11, 2009. Japan won 3-0 by 25-11, 25-6, 25-7 . AFP PHOTO/HOANG DINH Nam (Photo credit should read HOANG DINH NAM/AFP/Getty Images)

After the two-week break for the Iranian New Year (March-April), the first piece of news that exploded like a bomb in the Iranian media was the passing of a law allowing women to enter sport arenas by the Security Council. This created a wave of bewilderment among critics of the administration and hard-core religious conservatives. The news was, however, quickly mitigated; President Hassan Rouhani’s vice president for women and family affairs, Shahindokht Molaverdi, said, “It’s not as if women are supposed to go see swimming or wrestling competitions." Molaverdi was essentially saying that while Iran was considering a law to allow women to enter sporting arenas, it would not be applied to all sporting events.

The view of the traditionalist clerics on women even watching sporting events on TV is quite varied. At one point, the leader of Iran said: “Watching wrestling and other sports by ladies, if not meant as a way of seeking pleasure, is not a problem.” There are, however, certain strict religious authorities that hold that even watching a soccer game on TV, because of the shorts worn by the players, might be a problem.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.