WUNRN
Iran Will Allow Women in Sports Stadiums, Reversing a Much-Criticized Rule
By THOMAS ERDBRINK - APRIL 4, 2015
TEHRAN — In
a major shift, Iran announced
Saturday that women would be allowed to attend big sporting events, reversing a
rule that had barred them from entering stadiums to watch matches attended by
men.
The announcement,
following criticism from international sport federations and protests by
Iranian women and women’s rights activists, appeared to have been timed to
coincide with the news of a breakthroughin
the negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.
A Ministry
of Youth Affairs and Sports official told the state-run Islamic Republic News
Agency that women and their families would be allowed to attend most athletic
events, except for those of “masculine” sports, like wrestling or swimming,
during which male athletes wear uniforms or suits that cover little of their
bodies.
Women will
most likely be assigned to special sections in the stadiums, while mixed
seating will be available for families.
The
official, Abdolhamid Ahmad, the deputy sports minister, called for a new
atmosphere in stadiums, which many Iranians consider too rowdy and “not Islamic
enough” for women. “Stadiums must become family-oriented, and the atmosphere
there must be softened,” Mr. Ahmad said. He added that there were some sports
that women were not interested in, “nor is their attendance possible, because
these sports are for men.” He did not say which sports he meant.
The
decision, if put in effect, will be a big victory for President Hassan Rouhani,
who has been trying to allow Iranians more personal freedoms and to adjust laws
that are seen as outdated as Iran becomes an increasingly urbanized society.
Iran’s National Security Council, which is supervised by the Interior Ministry,
confirmed the change two weeks ago, but the official announcement was delayed
until Saturday, two days after Iran reached an agreement with the United States
and five other world powers on the parameters for an accord on Iran’s nuclear
program.
Although
challenges to entrenched policies and conservative sensibilities often
encounter resistance from hard-liners, the news cheered activists working for
change. “I am very happy,” said Najiyeh Allahdad,
a 38-year old activist who has campaigned for women to be allowed into
stadiums. “We have done all we could to get our rights back. This should have
happened some time ago. It is now clear for me that this government is really
trying hard to improve our lives.”
Shiite
Islam, the state religion in Iran, generally tries to separate men and women.
But compared with countries like Saudi Arabia, where the segregation of the
sexes is widely enforced, Iran takes a more pragmatic approach. For instance,
buses and trains have special compartments for women, but shared taxis do not.
During
official and religious gatherings, men and women are allowed to mix, but at
most universities, they are not. Many of these measures are not codified in
laws but are results of decisions made by bodies like the National Security
Council in consultation with religious leaders.
Usually, the
Supreme Cultural Revolution Council, which determines Iran’s major cultural
policies, must confirm such a major change. It is unclear whether it has done
so in this case.
Iran was one
of the few countries that barred women from sporting events, including soccer,
an immensely popular sport in Iran. Last year, it also barred them from attending
volleyball matches, prompting an angry reaction among women.
Women’s
rights activists protested and demanded equal treatment. An Iranian-British
activist, Ghoncheh Ghavami,
was arrested after trying to attend a men’s volleyball match in June. She was
convicted and sentenced to a year in jail and a two-year travel ban. But last
week, an appeals court dismissed the charges against Ms. Ghavami, who had been
released on bail after five months in prison.
“I want to
shout inside the stadiums again,” said Monireh Davari, 23, a volleyball fan.
“It was our right to be there.”
With the ban
lifted, Ms. Davari said she hoped that Iran would start hosting international
sporting events. “I want to see the foreign fans, mix with them and be friends
with people from all over the world,” she said.
The
international soccer and volleyball federations had objected to the ban,
threatening a boycott of Iranian teams if it was not lifted. In March, Sepp
Blatter, the president of the soccer federation, called the situation
“intolerable” and complained that Mr. Rouhani had not done enough to change it.
“Nothing has
happened,” Mr. Blatter wrote in a letter published in the federation’s weekly
magazine. “A collective stadium ban still applies to women in Iran, despite the
existence of a thriving women’s football organization. This cannot continue.
Hence my appeal to the Iranian authorities: Open the nation’s football stadiums
to women.”
In March,
the United Arab Emirates was chosen over Iran to host the 2019 Asian Cup in the
wake of criticism of Iran’s policy.
Ms. Davari
said it was clear that international pressure had played a role in Iran’s
decision to reverse the policy. “Iran was missing out on so many
opportunities,” she said. “This had to change.”