Iran allows woman to enter football stadium to watch FIFA qualifier

In a massive breakthrough, Iran has allowed women to enter the stadium for the first time in two years to watch the Football World Cup 2022 qualifier. According to a report published in the Iran Front Page, females of all ages would be allowed to watch the match between Iran and South Korea on October 12. The FIFA qualifier is scheduled to be held in Azadi Stadium, located in the country capital Tehran.  

Restrictions on Iranian women to witness football matches were first imposed after the 1979 Islamic revolution. Since then, the country has been fostering start-stop restrictions on females to apparently protect them from inappropriate male behaviour. Notably, the last time that the administration allowed women in the Azadi stadium was two years back in 2019 when Iran defeated Cambodia. 

Deteriorating female rights in Iran

Previously, a young Iranian woman was arrested for "insulting the Islamic hijab" after a video of her cycling without a veil started making rounds on the internet, reported state media. According to the IRNA news agency, the video of the woman riding her bike in front of a big mosque provoked protests from residents and clerics. Najafabad governor reportedly said that the motive of the action is being investigated.

The short video clip was circulated on social media which showed a bear-headed woman cycling in front of a mosque and frequently raising her arm as she rode the bike. Since the popular revolution of 1979, women are mandated, under Islamic law, to wear a hijab that covers the head and neck and that conceals their hair. 

In a similar incident, an Iranian court, in December, sentenced Instagram celebrity, Sahar Tabar, for 10 years in prison on December 12, 2020. Reportedly, the young icon has been posting distorted pictures of herself and calls them a characterisation of 'Zombie Angelina Jolie'. The icon is charged with "promoting public corruption" as a consequence of her actions. Iranian journalist Masih Alinejad voiced her opinion on the case, saying that using makeup and hairstyles to create a 'Zombie Angelina Jolie' was not that big of a crime for which Sahar Tabar should have received a 10-year-long sentence in jail. 

Image: AP