Women Demand to Attend Men’s Sporting Events

Shahram Rafizadeh, Rooz Online:

A group of Iranian women have decided to ignore an unwritten and illegitimate order that has banned them from attending soccer games for three decades. While the government exercises a ban on women’s attendance of men’s sporting events, a group of young women has decided to attend the upcoming Iran-Costa Rica soccer match in Tehran’s Azadi stadium, and because the press has imposed its own self-censorship rules and would not publish their intention, the women have decided to announce their plans on different websites. READ MORE

Even though the ban had existed for 27 years, 33 Iranian women virtually broke the spell last June and physically broke into the stadium where men were playing an international soccer game. I the violence that followed because the police tried to stop the women, one girl had her leg broken. Perhaps coincidentally the very same day that the women stomped into the field, the renowned Iranian film-maker Jaafar Panahi (Crimson Gold, the Circle, and the White Balloon) was filming the women’s brevity from his own corner seat. His movie won the special jury award at the Berlin film festival.

In an effort to publicize their rights on the eve of the International Women’s Day on March 8th, Iranian women have stressed the oppressive nature of the ban because women form half the country's population. "We have decided to challenge the law", is the title of the women’s blogs. Since a number of women from the National Women’s Soccer team are among those that have created their web blogs determined to challenge the ban on women’s participation in men’s sporting events, the idea of challenging the ban enjoys a wider popularity and respect.

It is ironic that while women have played an acknowledged crucial role in the victory of the 1979 revolution that toppled the monarchy and brought in a republic, they were among the first groups to be suppressed by the harsh discriminatory policies. The ban on women’s participation in men’s sporting events was one of the early bans. But it has taken women some two decades to get together, organize themselves and openly demand their rights.

By implementing peaceful, compromising and inclusive methods, women’s groups have attained national prominence and accomplishments. One such achievement is women’s outnumbering of men in institutions of higher education in Iran. Another area is economic success where women are moving up.

In their personal blogs, Iranian women demand their right to watch soccer games outside the television box. They publish their goals, wishes and regrets over not being able to attend soccer games despite their passion to be treated like ordinary yet equal citizens.

With that said, when the Iranian soccer team on Wednesday faces the one from Costa Rica at Azadi (Freedom) stadium in Tehran, women too looks like will be facing the guards and security personnel in a different type of match. The outcome of both is yet to be seen.