The Leftist intelligentsia is very concerned to protect the rights of Muslim women in the U.S. who wish to wear hijab. Very well. No one should harass any woman who chooses to wear hijab. But will they stand with Shiva Amini? Do they have any sense of solidarity with her? Or would supporting a woman who doesn’t wear hijab be “Islamophobic”?
“Female Iranian footballer is kicked out of the national team after she is seen playing without a hijab in Switzerland,” by Gareth Davies, Mailonline, April 27, 2017 (thanks to Marozia):
A female Iranian football has been kicked out of the national team for playing without a hijab while on a personal trip to Switzerland.
Shiva Amini was on holiday when she took part in a kick-about with a group of men and officials from the Iranian Futsal Federation waded through her social media accounts to find a picture of her playing in a pair of shorts and without a headscarf.
The veil has been a mandatory dress requirement for women in Iran since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, and officials suspended her from the national team.
Speaking out against the decision, the footballer said sport is more important than any veil.
‘The hijab should be an unimportant issue for us, the female players,’ she said.
‘However for the officials of the country, it seems to be a deal-breaker.
‘I received a note from the federation to say not only had I played without a veil, but also I dared to play with boys.
‘So I was disqualified and I was removed from the national team.
‘I was told this behaviour would cause me a lot of headaches at home.’
She also hit out at certain individuals who had previously supported her and the team.
She said people were on their side when they were winning medals and matches, but that they had turned their back on her and the squad by not coming out to criticise the decision.
‘Silence is betrayal of ourselves,’ Amini said.
The athlete talked to Iranian journalist Masig Alinejad, an activist behind My Stealthy Freedom, and said: ‘They were not even official games where I had to represent the Islamic Republic.
‘The officials of the Iranian Futsal Federation told me, ‘”When you are a member of an official team, you do not have the right to play without the veil even in non-official games abroad. We are living in an Islamic country. Why did you have to play with boys? You would have been disqualified from the team even if you had played with boys wearing a veil in Iran”.’
In February, two promising chess-playing siblings were banned from tournaments in Iran after the sister failed to wear a hijab and her brother played an Israeli.
Dorsa and Borna Derakhshani, two of the country’s leading youth chess players, were told they can no longer be part of the national team.
Dorsa, an 18-year-old student in Spain, was banned after she did not wear a head covering during the Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival earlier this year.
Her 15-year-old brother, Borna, who still lives in Iran, was told he couldn’t compete after playing a match against Israeli chess player Alexander Husman during the same tournament.
A month later, Iran has banned some of its female competitors from billiard competitions for a year for violating the Islamic codes of conduct at a tournament in China.
The Disciplinary Committee of Bowling, Billiard and Boxing Federation did not reveal the nature of the alleged offences, saying it would name the transgressors later.
‘Women sent to China Open (billiard) competitions will be banned from all domestic and foreign competitions for one year for violating the Islamic code,’ it said. …
Pumbar says
I think Iran should move in to broadcasting live ‘Chador vs Niqab’ football matches. That’d be hilarious. The half time water and oranges might get tricky; but watching them swap shirts at the end would be priceless.
gravenimage says
The Leftist intelligentsia is very concerned to protect the rights of Muslim women in the U.S. who wish to wear hijab. Very well. No one should harass any woman who chooses to wear hijab. But will they stand with Shiva Amini? Do they have any sense of solidarity with her?
…………………..
Probably not. I wonder what will happen to Shiva Amini now? Is it even safe for her to return to Iran?
Mike Silva says
I am concerned for her safety.
Terry says
Mr. Spencer- how could you ask the question- But will they stand with Shiva Amini? Do they have any sense of solidarity with her?
The answer is obvious.
SHE WAS TAKEN OFF THE IRANIAN NATIONAL TEAM. IRAN HATES ISRAEL.
THE LEFT HATES ISRAEL.
A NO BRAINER.
STAND WITH THOSE WHO HATE WHOM YOU HATE.
It does NOT matter that Israel gives FULL AND EQUAL RIGHTS TO ALL WOMEN WHO LIVE THERE, INCLUDING MUSLIM WOMEN. (Civil rights, not religious rights). Israel is evil; Muslims are good.
That is the leftists creed.
(Go back to 1939-40 or so; the leftists had NO PROBLEM WITH HITLER, AND THE SLAUGHTERING OF JEWS, GYPSIES; HANDICAPPED; HOMOSEXUALS; ETC. THE LEFT ONLY HAD A PROBLEM WHEN HITLER INVADED THE USSR.
Lefties are assholes, and today’s version are even worse than their ancestors.
Bill says
She will be lucky to only suffer being kicked off the team.
Soccer is very popular in Iran and, from time to time, has been the vehicle for citizen expression of dissatisfaction with the ruling Mullahs. The Mullahs hate the game but have learned that trying to squelch it has been problematic.
I fear for her safety.
mortimer says
What will they do to those veiled women if they take it off?
mortimer says
WESTERN FEMINISTS, THIS MESSAGE IS FOR YOU:
‘Silence is betrayal of ourselves,’ Shiva Amini said.
Matthieu Baudin says
“… will they [the contemporary left] stand with Shiva Amini? Do they have any sense of solidarity with her?…”
No they don’t. This is because the contemporary left, decades ago, became more attached to the past than to the future. Today’s left is in many respects hyper conservative and reactionary, allergic to any sense of civilisational or technological progress. They now have a natural affinity to traditional, usually undemocratic leadership and will gravitate towards maintaining existing privileges and prejudices, in this case Traditional Muslim Women’s Dress Code, instead of standing up for the liberty of an individual young women who chooses to ‘make peace’ with the modern era.
Manny says
Is Shiva Christian? I think I’ve seen a picture of her with a cross pendent. I’m just not sure if it’s her.
Baucent says
” But will they stand with Shiva Amini?” A very good question to put to Germaine Greer and others. I suspect not.
Spike1033 says
Why are any Iranian national teams allowed to play in the west? The leftists probably believe that to ban them will increase their adherence to Islam. Any muslim playing professional football in the west should be banned. Put pressure on THEM for a change.
marina says
Doesn’t these iranian mullah’s ever think that a woman may pass out from extreme heat if their head is covered with hijab during games.
Jeanette says
One of the Iranian Muslim bigwigs announced a few years ago that it was fine to rape one year old baby girls.
Do we think he’s worried about them getting overheating when they are older?
Jeanette says
“getting overheated” – tried to splice two sentences into one and it didn’t work!