According to claims from the media, an Iranian woman competed in a chess tournament without wearing a hijab.
Born in 1997, Khadem is also known as Sarasadat Khademalsharieh, and she holds the number 804 spot in the global rankings.
According to media sources, an Iranian chess player recently competed in an international tournament without wearing a headscarf. Since the start of anti-government protests, several Iranian sportswomen have done the same.
Iran has experienced a wave of anti-clerical leadership protests since Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman, died while being held by morality police after being arrested for “inappropriate dress” in mid-September.
In articles published on Monday, the Iranian news portals Khabarvarzeshi and Etemad claimed that Sara Khadem had taken part in the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan, without wearing the hijab, a headscarf required by Iran’s stringent dress standards.
She didn’t appear to be wearing a headscarf in the photos shared by both sites while she was competing. Along with the picture of her sans a headscarf, Khabarvarzeshi also shared a picture of her wearing one.
Regarding the competition or the reports, there was no commentary on Khadem’s Instagram profile, and she didn’t immediately reply to a direct message from Reuters.
According to the website of the International Chess Federation, Khadem, also known as Sarasadat Khademalsharieh, was born in 1997 and is now number 804 in the world. She was listed as taking part in both the Rapid and Blitz categories on the event’s website, which was up from December 25 to 30.
SIGNIFICANT SUPPORT
Iranians from all walks of life have participated in the protests, which represent one of the most audacious challenges to the Iranian government since the 1979 revolution.
Women have taken a leading role in the protests, taking off and in some cases burning their headscarves, while demonstrators have found encouragement in what they perceive to be gestures of solidarity from both Iranian male and female athletes.
Iranian climber Elnaz Rekabi competed in South Korea in October without a headscarf, later admitting that she had made a mistake.
A video appeared to show an Iranian archer letting her hijab fall during an awards ceremony in Tehran in November. It was widely believed that she was doing so to show support for protesters. However, the archer said she was unaware of the hijab’s fall.
Iran’s deputy sports minister, Maryam Kazemipour, claimed in remarks published by state media in November that several Iranian female athletes had transgressed Islamic law before remorsefully doing so.
The national anthem has not been sung by a number of national sports teams, most notably before Iran’s World Cup soccer opening match. Prior to their second and third games, the team sang.
The protests were violently suppressed by Iranian authorities, who labelled them as riots instigated by foreign enemies.
As of Thursday, 507 protestors had been slain, including 69 children, according to the activist HRANA news agency. Additionally, 66 members of the security forces have died.
According to state sources, up to 300 people have died, including security personnel.
