Iranian womens' soccer uniform controversy

[aci]

TEHRAN, Iran - Iran may not send its girls' soccer team to the Youth Olympics in Singapore next month because of a dispute over the players' Islamic attire, Iranian media reported Thursday.

The deputy head of Iran's physical education department, Marzieh Akbarabadi, was quoted by newspapers, including Khabar Varzeshi, or Sport News, as saying the newly designed dress was "inappropriate."

Read the rest of the MSN.ca article here

[loogodude90]

TEHRAN, Iran - Iran may not send its girls' soccer team to the Youth Olympics in Singapore next month because of a dispute over the players' Islamic attire, Iranian media reported Thursday.

The deputy head of Iran's physical education department, Marzieh Akbarabadi, was quoted by newspapers, including Khabar Varzeshi, or Sport News, as saying the newly designed dress was "inappropriate."

Read the rest of the MSN.ca article here

"The outfit was supposed to be a compromise with soccer governing body FIFA, which has banned traditional hijab headscarves — which protect the modesty of Islamic girls and women — in 2007 for safety reasons and to prevent political or religious statements on the field."

-Riiight.... is that why several Catholic players and coacees have Crossed themselves several times, while on camera?

This whole thing is just racism/discrimination...

[aci]

For once, I agree with you. There is no competitive reason for the players to not be able to wear a full body-covering uniform.

The safety reasons are a joke, and the religious reasons are more of a joke. It's not like it's a sport that requires a helmet, and these girls are trying to wear turbans. At least that kind of argument would make sense.

They should be able to wear whatever they want unless it's directly offensive or legitimately dangerous. I don't foresee players strangling each other with their headscarves any more than they'd strange each other with a ponytail, so that argument is out. And as you said, other players cross themselves on the field, and just about every quote Maradona makes in the media seems to give credit to God... or himself... or somehow both simultaneously...

Now if Iran puts 'Kill the Jews' on their uniforms, I can buy into this kind of argument... til them, it's FIFA being jerks.

[walkerws]

It's just grandstanding IMO. It's not Iran or FIFA, just someone being difficult to be difficult.

[jimbojohnny56]

Screw Iran how can anyone side with these savages.

[oldschoolvikings]

Screw Iran how can anyone side with these savages.

How can anyone side with you, without a comma and a question mark?

[OMMF]

Screw Iran how can anyone side with these savages.

How can anyone side with you, without a comma and a question mark?

Let's try this:

Screw! Iran, how can anyone side with these savages?

[The_Admiral]

If Iran wants to play soccer in and against other countries, that means traveling to the 21st century. Get this headscarf noise out of here. Here's a thread where a group is being accused of discrimination for saying, "no, actually you don't have to cover yourself in shame because you're a girl; you may, in fact, expose your bare head and limbs like the rest of the modern world prefers to do." How upside-down is that?

[walkerws]

It's not that difficult. Someone is just being hard to get along with. Deoending on here you are in the Islamic world, it's a non-issue.

[The_Admiral]

I'm going to go ahead and postulate that the government forbidding its women from exposing their legs is the one being hard to get along with.

[Primal]

Full body coverage in Singaporean humidity? Gonna need some state-of-the-art fabric to make that work...

[whitedawg22]

Full body coverage in Singaporean humidity? Gonna need some state-of-the-art fabric to make that work...

Nike is hard at work on its System of Fundamentalist Dress?.

[Canadian_Idiot]

If Iran wants to play soccer in and against other countries, that means traveling to the 21st century. Get this headscarf noise out of here. Here's a thread where a group is being accused of discrimination for saying, "no, actually you don't have to cover yourself in shame because you're a girl; you may, in fact, expose your bare head and limbs like the rest of the modern world prefers to do." How upside-down is that?

^this

[loogodude90]

If Iran wants to play soccer in and against other countries, that means traveling to the 21st century. Get this headscarf noise out of here. Here's a thread where a group is being accused of discrimination for saying, "no, actually you don't have to cover yourself in shame because you're a girl; you may, in fact, expose your bare head and limbs like the rest of the modern world prefers to do." How upside-down is that?

It's their religion and culture dude... what gives you the right to tell women how to dress?

[IceCap]

If Iran wants to play soccer in and against other countries, that means traveling to the 21st century. Get this headscarf noise out of here. Here's a thread where a group is being accused of discrimination for saying, "no, actually you don't have to cover yourself in shame because you're a girl; you may, in fact, expose your bare head and limbs like the rest of the modern world prefers to do." How upside-down is that?

It's their religion and culture dude... what gives you the right to tell women how to dress?

UN Charter of Human Rights?

This is the 21st Century dude. Gender equality and all that jazz.

TEHRAN, Iran - Iran may not send its girls' soccer team to the Youth Olympics in Singapore next month because of a dispute over the players' Islamic attire, Iranian media reported Thursday.

The deputy head of Iran's physical education department, Marzieh Akbarabadi, was quoted by newspapers, including Khabar Varzeshi, or Sport News, as saying the newly designed dress was "inappropriate."

Read the rest of the MSN.ca article here

"The outfit was supposed to be a compromise with soccer governing body FIFA, which has banned traditional hijab headscarves — which protect the modesty of Islamic girls and women — in 2007 for safety reasons and to prevent political or religious statements on the field."

-Riiight.... is that why several Catholic players and coacees have Crossed themselves several times, while on camera?

This whole thing is just racism/discrimination...

Catholic players crossing themselves isn't the same thing. In Iran's case we're talking about clothing. In the case of Catholic players we're talking about a hand gesture. No one's saying Islamic players can't make hand gestures to signify their religion, but this is the 21st century. The kind of full body dress Iran is making a fuss about is best left in the past where it belongs.

[loogodude90]

If Iran wants to play soccer in and against other countries, that means traveling to the 21st century. Get this headscarf noise out of here. Here's a thread where a group is being accused of discrimination for saying, "no, actually you don't have to cover yourself in shame because you're a girl; you may, in fact, expose your bare head and limbs like the rest of the modern world prefers to do." How upside-down is that?

It's their religion and culture dude... what gives you the right to tell women how to dress?

UN Charter of Human Rights?

This is the 21st Century dude. Gender equality and all that jazz.

Could you please be more specific about where in the UN Charter of Rights it states that women can't dress as they wish?

I agree about gender equality, which is why I think women should be able to dress the way they want.

And by the way, gender equality is a myth, at least up until this point. Gender equality doesn't exist anywhere.

[Sodboy13]

If Iran wants to play soccer in and against other countries, that means traveling to the 21st century. Get this headscarf noise out of here. Here's a thread where a group is being accused of discrimination for saying, "no, actually you don't have to cover yourself in shame because you're a girl; you may, in fact, expose your bare head and limbs like the rest of the modern world prefers to do." How upside-down is that?

It's their religion and culture dude... what gives you the right to tell women how to dress?

I dunno, what gives us the right to say that a woman shouldn't be publicly beaten and/or imprisoned for "allowing" or "encouraging" a man to rape her?

[loogodude90]

If Iran wants to play soccer in and against other countries, that means traveling to the 21st century. Get this headscarf noise out of here. Here's a thread where a group is being accused of discrimination for saying, "no, actually you don't have to cover yourself in shame because you're a girl; you may, in fact, expose your bare head and limbs like the rest of the modern world prefers to do." How upside-down is that?

It's their religion and culture dude... what gives you the right to tell women how to dress?

I dunno, what gives us the right to say that a woman shouldn't be publicly beaten and/or imprisoned for "allowing" or "encouraging" a man to rape her?

I dunno, what gives us the right to drop bombs and kill over a million people just because we don't like their religion?

[IceCap]

If Iran wants to play soccer in and against other countries, that means traveling to the 21st century. Get this headscarf noise out of here. Here's a thread where a group is being accused of discrimination for saying, "no, actually you don't have to cover yourself in shame because you're a girl; you may, in fact, expose your bare head and limbs like the rest of the modern world prefers to do." How upside-down is that?

It's their religion and culture dude... what gives you the right to tell women how to dress?

UN Charter of Human Rights?

This is the 21st Century dude. Gender equality and all that jazz.

Could you please be more specific about where in the UN Charter of Rights it states that women can't dress as they wish?

See my concern here is about the Iranian government forcing their women to cover every inch of their bodies as a form of oppression. Not to mention my problems with all the examples Sodboy13 has listed. Obviously you think it's ok, and that's fine. It's good to know.

I agree about gender equality, which is why I think women should be able to dress the way they want.

And by the way, gender equality is a myth, at least up until this point. Gender equality doesn't exist anywhere.

First of all, this isn't about women dressing how they want. It's about a government forcing their women to dress a certain way as a means of oppression.

Secondly, you don't get to dress how you want when you wish to partake in organized sports. If these women want to play soccer at the international level they have to confirm to the uniform standards FIFA sets out. I can't decide I want to play pro soccer and then argue I have a right to do it while wearing jeans. Or a better example. I'm Jewish. Should I be able to demand the right to play pro sports while wearing a prayer shall?

Finally, you agree with me about gender equality but then say it's a myth? Which is it?

If Iran wants to play soccer in and against other countries, that means traveling to the 21st century. Get this headscarf noise out of here. Here's a thread where a group is being accused of discrimination for saying, "no, actually you don't have to cover yourself in shame because you're a girl; you may, in fact, expose your bare head and limbs like the rest of the modern world prefers to do." How upside-down is that?

It's their religion and culture dude... what gives you the right to tell women how to dress?

I dunno, what gives us the right to say that a woman shouldn't be publicly beaten and/or imprisoned for "allowing" or "encouraging" a man to rape her?

I dunno, what gives us the right to drop bombs and kill over a million people just because we don't like their religion?

Wow. All I'll say is that this has nothing to do with the topic at hand.

[loogodude90]

If Iran wants to play soccer in and against other countries, that means traveling to the 21st century. Get this headscarf noise out of here. Here's a thread where a group is being accused of discrimination for saying, "no, actually you don't have to cover yourself in shame because you're a girl; you may, in fact, expose your bare head and limbs like the rest of the modern world prefers to do." How upside-down is that?

It's their religion and culture dude... what gives you the right to tell women how to dress?

UN Charter of Human Rights?

This is the 21st Century dude. Gender equality and all that jazz.

Could you please be more specific about where in the UN Charter of Rights it states that women can't dress as they wish?

See my concern here is about the Iranian government forcing their women to cover every inch of their bodies as a form of oppression. Not to mention my problems with all the examples Sodboy13 has listed. Obviously you think it's ok, and that's fine. It's good to know.

I agree about gender equality, which is why I think women should be able to dress the way they want.

And by the way, gender equality is a myth, at least up until this point. Gender equality doesn't exist anywhere.

First of all, this isn't about women dressing how they want. It's about a government forcing their women to dress a certain way as a means of oppression.

Secondly, you don't get to dress how you want when you wish to partake in organized sports. If these women want to play soccer at the international level they have to confirm to the uniform standards FIFA sets out. I can't decide I want to play pro soccer and then argue I have a right to do it while wearing jeans. Or a better example. I'm Jewish. Should I be able to demand the right to play pro sports while wearing a prayer shall?

Finally, you agree with me about gender equality but then say it's a myth? Which is it?

"See my concern here is about the Iranian government forcing their women to cover every inch of their bodies as a form of oppression."

That's not true.

And another thing. All countries oppress their citizens in terms of what they can wear. Even I, as a man, would be arrested if I went to a store without any pants on. I'm so oppressed! I can't dress the way I want! The government is out to get me! It's all relative to local culture.

"Secondly, you don't get to dress how you want when you wish to partake in organized sports."

Umm, says who?

In MLB, Ive seen players wear do-rags and winter caps.

In NBA, players can wear face masks and headbands.

In tennis, players can wear baseball caps and headbands.

And dont get me started on the NFL.

I'm Jewish. Should I be able to demand the right to play pro sports while wearing a prayer shall?

As a side note, I don't know if this contributes to your antagonistic view of Islam. But anyway, my Jewish friends have told me that prayer shawls (I think you meant shawls) are typically only used by men during ceremonies and prayers. If it's normal to go to Israel and see boys running around on soccer fields playing soccer while wearing prayer shalls (which I know it's not), then it would be a fairly resonable request, but in your case, its just being difficult.

Finally, you agree with me about gender equality but then say it's a myth? Which is it?

I agreed that we need to strive for gender equality. I say its a myth because anytime a woman does something that is considered "insulting" (such as wearing a headscarf), then people come out and says that she is oppressed.