The athlete standing next to her tries to pull off her scarf, but she lifts her head.
Dubai:
Archer Parmida Ghasemi, another Iranian athlete, has supported anti-government protests in the country by removing her hijab during an award ceremony in Tehran.
The gesture was made on a social media video post that sparked unrest in September following the death of a Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini. She was detained by ethics police for allegedly violating the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code imposed on women.
Reuters could not confirm the authenticity of the video.
The protest quickly turned into a popular uprising, in which athletes from students to doctors to lawyers to activists took part.
The Basij militia and other security forces have cracked down on the unrest, but the protesters have stuck to their demand for an end to the radical Islamist regime under Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
In a video shared by Masih Alinejad on Twitter, Ms Ghasemi, standing with other athletes on a podium, lets her headscarf fall as unseen people applaud as spectators clapping and shouting “Bravo”.
Ali Khamenei, leader of the Islamic Republic, said: Wearing a hijab is more important for female athletes than winning a medal.
A prolific athlete Parmida Ghasemi removes her hijab in front of officials during the award ceremony.
Another disgrace to the Iranian regime.#mahasaminipic.twitter.com/hTFfPTK2hI— Christ Alinejad ️ (@AlinejadMasih) 11 November 2022
The athlete standing next to her tries to pull off her scarf, but she lifts her head.
She is not the first Iranian athlete to express solidarity with the demonstrations, one of the biggest challenges to Iran’s clerical rulers since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Video clips have surfaced on social media purportedly showing Iran’s water polo team failing to sing the national anthem at a competition in Thailand.
Iran’s Deputy Sports Minister Maryam Kazemipour said on Wednesday that some Iranian female athletes had acted against Islamic norms and then apologized for their actions, the state news agency reported.
According to an activist Twitter account 1500TASVIR, players from the national beach soccer team refused to sing Iran’s anthem at the start of the match against the United Arab Emirates in Dubai.
The players then did not rejoice or celebrate after beating Brazil to win the championship, the account said.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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