A while back, we reported on the groundbreaking protests by Iranian women demanding admittance to Azadi ("Freedom," ironically) Stadium to watch the Iranian national soccer team play. The brave women stubbornly managed to push their way into the match, defying a ban since 1979 on women attending soccer games.
Now, in advance of the World Cup, the Iranian Soccer Feminists have scored a goal. Big time. By threatening to launch an international campaign decrying the ban on women at soccer games, they forced AhMADinejad (seen at right kicking one for the team) to act. Thus the new ruling that grants women and families entrance to soccer matches.
Sure the Farsi-Speaking Female Football Fans will be separated off in women-only and family-only sections. And the Iranian prez justified his decree by claiming that "the presence of women and families in public places promotes chastity." Nonetheless, the clerics are hopping mad: "Four grand ayatollahs and several MPs have protested against the move, saying it violates Islamic law for a woman to look at the body of a male stranger."
It will be interesting to see how this stand-off is resolved. But the larger lesson is that international campaigns shaming and spotlighting civil rights abuses CAN have an impact, even on the most repressive and brash regimes. A successful partnership between brave women inside Iran and supporters outside has achieved a small victory. May it herald many more.
I will have an album up soon, once I go through all the pictures! If anyone else took photos, please send them our way and we'll put them in the album!
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