Female chess Grandmasters suggest boycott if they are forced to wear hijabs at tournament in Iran

[davidn3600]

The world's top female chess players have reacted with horror after being told they must compete at next year's world championship wearing a hijab.

Within hours of Iran being revealed as its host country, the prestigious event was plunged into crisis as it emerged players taking part face arrest if they don't cover up.

In response, Grandmasters lined up to say they would boycott the 64-player knock-out and accused the game's scandal-hit governing body Fide of failing to stand up for women’s rights.

Fide's Commission for Women's Chess, meanwhile, called on participants to respect “cultural differences” and accept the regulations.

Hijabs have been mandatory for women in Iran since the Islamic Revolution of 1979 and the strict law is enforced by the country's "morality police".

Any woman found not wearing one in public faces arrest, a fine or public admonishment. However, players claim by awarding the event to Iran Fide is turning a blind eye to sexual discrimination.

Nazi Paikidze, the US women's champion, also raised concerns about players' safety in the Islamic republic.

She said: "It is absolutely unacceptable to host one of the most important women's tournaments in a venue where, to this day, women are forced to cover up with a hijab.

"I understand and respect cultural differences. But, failing to comply can lead to imprisonment and women's rights are being severely restricted in general.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09/29/female-chess-players-accuse-governing-body-of-sex-discrimination/

Fide is already dealing with controversy and allegations of corruption. The organization's very wealthy president, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, was recently placed on a U.S. list of sanctions for illegal dealings with Syria. (An allegation he denies).

[niyad]

1. why in the hell would iran be chosen, knowing how the rulers feel about women??? WTF??

[Warpy]

2. The country is a little more complicated than that.

I can see requiring the head scarf when the contestants are out and about, just so they won't be attacked by the religious vigilantes. I can't see requiring it during the competition.

However, I'd probably avoid this particular one, myself. Enough.

[TeamPooka]

3. All world class sporting events should boycott Iran and North Carolina. nt

[WillowTree]

4. While I don't get why they would want to hold it in Iran, I'd say.......

........that if they want to compete in the tournament that's being held there, then they need to respect Iran's laws and customs, even if onerous, so long as no one or nothing is actually being harmed. If they don't want to do that, then they're entirely within their rights to take a pass on the tourney.

[stopbush]

5. Bullshit. This comp could be held anywhere in the world.

Besides, this is not an Iranian "custom." It is a RELIGIOUS dictate. Religion is based entirely on make believe. That fact that the real rights of real women can be ignored and abused due to fucking make believe is entirely unacceptable.

Our species needs to grow up and chuck out these ridiculous fairy tales.

[WillowTree]

8. You're right. It could be held anywhere.

But it's not. It's being held in Iran. And theirs is a culture that, at present, is based upon radical Islam. It's their country. If they accept the dictates of that religion and submit to the mandate that women wear the hijab, so be it.

Look, I disagree with requiring the hijab as much as anyone, which is among the plethora of reasons why you'd never catch me even considering going there. But I wouldn't stand for one of them coming here and insisting that they don't have to abide by our way of doing things in our country and I don't see why they should have to bend their rules to accommodate us in theirs.

Again, if you don't want to do things their way, don't go there. Just my opinion.

[The2ndWheel]

19. Human rights are as made up as religion

It's not like rights physically exist somewhere and we found them one day.

[stopbush]

20. But that's the difference, is it not?

Human rights exist as a concept that is entirely intellectual in its basis, whereas religion makes the false claim that it is based in actual events, like god becoming incarnate, etc.

Were religion to admit that it is also a purely intellectual exercise, I'd have no problem with it. It's the ridiculous claims of being reality based that make religion based entirely on make believe.

[The2ndWheel]

21. Human beings love to make up stories

Religion, rights, progress, language, time, etc.

Not sure I'd agree that rights are a concept entirely intellectual in its basis. No more than religion anyway, which also came from the human mind. We do think rights actually exist. Whether endowed by a creator, or somehow natural, or whatever, they're written down somewhere, so it must be true.

And hey, it's the 21st century! Whatever that means. As though the amount of times the planet has gone around the sun since we've started tracking that makes any difference in what should or should not be.

The human imagination can be a silly place.

[Coventina]

6. Relatively few women in Iran wore the hijab before the religious zealots took power.

It's misogyny, and it has no place in the 21st century.

[WillowTree]

9. I agree. But do you think you or I are going to change the minds of the Mullahs?

[Coventina]

10. No, but I think the female chess-players are correct to raise a stink about this.

Your attitude in your original post came across as "Meh,if you don't respect their rules, don't go."

Well, if you are a top female chess player, and this is the World Championships, it's not quite that simple.

[WillowTree]

11. Fine. They can, and probably should, "raise a stink" with the tournament organizers.

If they can be convinced to move the tournament to a country that participates in the 21st century, more power to them. But failing that, then those women's choices are limited to either 1) go, wear a hijab and compete or 2) don't go. At some point people have to deal with things as they are, not as they think things should be.

I realize that it's a matter of some import to the participants, but in the Big Scheme, it's just a chess tournament and not, in my world, sufficient for me to get all worked up over. I respect your right to feel otherwise.

[Coventina]

13. This is another example of how women are not treated as equal human beings

by an INTERNATIONAL organization.

No, chess is not "my thing" either, but women being treated like human beings IS "my thing" and I WILL get worked up over examples of it.

SISTERHOOD IS GLOBAL

[Texasgal]

16. Damn SKIPPY!

SISTERHOOD IS GLOBAL. A-fucking MEN!

[cwydro]

14. Thank you. nt

[randome]

12. Right. Because trashing one's dignity and self-respect is no kind of 'harm', is it?

I wonder if some who take this position would feel differently if men were forced to wear dresses.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]The truth doesn’t always set you free.
Sometimes it builds a bigger cage around the one you’re already in.[/center][/font][hr]

[rollin74]

7. Good. I hope they boycott.

fuck the Iranian clergy and their "morality police"

[Binkie The Clown]

15. Imagine if Iranian women chess players had to REMOVE their hijabs in an American tournament!

What's wrong with allowing each individual to dress in the way that's appropriate to their own religious beliefs?

If the Iranians want fair treatment when they visit abroad then they should consider showing fair treatment to foreign visitors in their own home country.

[smirkymonkey]

17. +1000

[niyad]

18. goodness, what a novel thought!!

[davidn3600]

24. We are the ones being told to be "multicultural" not them

And that's the problem.... And for some reason many who support multiculturalism don't seem to understand that.

[Marr]

22. Anyone who excuses this is utterly refuting the whole 'but she chooses to dress that way' line.

Here's an instance where women are flatly stating that they do NOT wish to dress that way, and the same liberals who will condemn misogyny and religious authoritarians at home do a 180, and say these women have to dress that way now, because that's what religious authoritiarians command. And doing any less would be culturally insensitive, or insulting, or whatever.

[CK_John]

23. IMO, there will be a lot of huffing and puffing but the chess games will playon.

Hijab fashion is all the rage.