Soumya Swaminathan has done the right thing, and should be applauded for her courage. And where are the feminists on this? They should be loudly proclaiming that this requirement of the Islamic Republic of Iran is nothing short of grotesque. Not only because forcing non-Muslim women to wear Islamic garb is an outrage, but because of Iran’s human rights record, and in particular, its brutal treatment of women, which is monstrous. Right now, all over Iran, women are risking imprisonment and torture and proclaiming their freedom by taking off the headscarf. Western feminists should be standing with them, and with Soumya Swaminathan. Instead, we hear not a word.
“Indian Chess Star Soumya Swaminathan Refuses To Wear Headscarf, Withdraws From Iran Event,” by Tanya Rudra, NDTV, June 13, 2018:
Woman Grandmaster and former world junior girls’ champion Soumya Swaminathan has refused to participate in the Asian Team Chess Championship, to be held in Hamadan, Iran, from July 26 to August 4, because of the compulsory-headscarf rule in the country which she said violated her personal rights. She took to her Facebook page to say, “I find the Iranian law of compulsory Headscarf to be in direct violation of my basic Human Rights including my right to freedom of expression, and right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion. It seems that under the present circumstances, the only way for me to protect my rights is not to go to Iran.” She further said that the religious dress codes should not be imposed on players.
Story continues below advertisement“I understand the organisers expecting us to wear our National Team Dress or Formals or Sporting attire for our games during official championships, but surely there is no place for an enforceable religious dress code in Sports,” she added….
Here is what Soumya Swaminathan wrote on her Facebook page about her decision.
“I am very sorry to state that I have asked to be excused from the Indian Women’s team for the forthcoming Asian Nations Cup ( Asian Team ) Chess Championship 2018, to be held at Iran from 26 July – 4 Aug 2018, as I do not wish to be forced to wear a Headscarf or Burkha. I find the Iranian law of compulsory Headscarf to be in direct violation of my basic Human Rights including my right to freedom of expression, and right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. It seems that under the present circumstances, the only way for me to protect my rights is not to go to Iran.
I am very disappointed to see that player’s rights and welfare are given such less importance while allotting and/or organising official championships. I understand the organisers expecting us to wear our National Team Dress or Formals or Sporting attire for our games during official championships, but surely there is no place for an enforceable religious dress code in Sports.
It is a huge honour for me to represent India everytime I am selected in the National Team and I deeply regret that I will be unable to participate in such an important championship. While we sportspersons are willing to make several adjustments for the sake of our sport, always giving it top priority in our life, some things simply cannot be compromised.”…
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The failure on behalf of feminist groups to devote adequate attention to the Muslim rape epidemic and Islamic Female Genital Mutilation unveils the true face of what characterizes third wave feminism – rampant hypocrisy and an agenda to downplay and dismiss genuine women’s rights issues that don’t fit into their warped paradigm .
The Left claims it opposes bigotry. Yet Islam, the most bigoted ideology that exists today, is being promoted.
Its the Left/Liberal /Feminazi pro-jihadi supported immigration that created the mess . Third wave feminism has created pussified men who won’t step up to protect them http://tinyurl.com/y9ll38ls
while muslims are more male driven thuggish and get away with it.
well, if you would simply cover all hair on your property, you would not have to worry about other men defiling it.
You won’t hear a peep about Ms. Swaminathan from “feminists,” as they are continuing to gin up anti-male hatred as part of #MeToo and “Time’s Up.” They also don’t say a word about the evisceration of women’s privacy, dignity, boundaries, their personal safety and even the risk to their lives caused by the Left caving to LGBT supremacist groups demanding that all bathrooms, showers, locker rooms et al., be completely redesigned to accommodate the 0.3% in our society that identify as “transgender.” Nor about the mass drive to transgenderize increasing swaths of society.
They are cowards, they don’t want to “offend” anyone.
Not a word from Roger Waters or Haaretz or the NYT.
Why would they? It doesn’t fit their left wing progressive commie line.
Are Chinese, Japanese and Korean players and the rest of the India team going to bow down to Sharia and wear head scarves? Shame on those countries and on the participating competitors.
all involved are free to choose. While this young Indian girl’s choice is most admirable, others do not need to be villainized for their choices. There are many other circumstances, and we can’t possibly know all of them.
Yeah because going along to get along is always the moral high ground for the muslum apologist/sympathizer/collaborator.
who says they are just “going along”? As I said, they are free to think for themselves. Maybe defeating these people on their own turf would mean something. Maybe they have a thousand other reasons to make the choice they make. But no, they shouldn’t do it because IzlamDownpressHumanity says it’s wrong. gfy.
Muslum appeasement by any other name smells just as sh!tty chump.
I have no problem not allowing scarves anywhere outside of Islamic countries. I think they should be outlawed here. is that too appeasing for you, chump?
I admire the Indian girl for refusing to wear the islamic slave rag, I revile any other girls who choose to go to Iran and volunteer to put it on because it’s an act of muslum appeasement.
I wonder if the poor girl will have to face the wroth of any of India’s 180 million muslum 5th columnists, er citizens?
If course she will. Injuh LOVES its moslems.
It’s sad. I’ve read that India’s educational system doesn’t teach about the systematic genocide of 80 million Hindus at the hands of the muslum vermin — just like in the USA!
It has been 200 millions, not 80 millions. But Hindus are infinitely more fit to survive and win over Islam than the European degenerate races who have submitted with no resistance to be slaves of Arabs and Muslims.
Why don’t you hear the left complaining about muslim women’s rights? Simple… the Muslim’s are paying big money to the left to destroy America plain and simple…
Brave and courageous female Indian chess star. Where are the melt down leftists? Oh, Islam is spared their rath.
Also, their wrath.
Way to go… kudos to you for standing up of for what you believe in a TRUE CAUSE…. I apologize to you for the lack of support from the feminists groups here in the US, but you have my unwavering support and you will not be forgotten…
Why are terrorists even allowed to host sporting events?
The only event they should participate in is the waterboarding event.
Did they rape her before she left as is custom…islam the cult of hate and death. Al-la-la wills it!.
They are conquering the world without resistance of the Western world and naive passivity of China. The only once resisting are India versus Pakistan, Israel versus Arabs and Iran and Russia still playing poker, but firmly defending boundaries against “migrants” and sheikhs. This is the reason of anti-Russia vicious campaign in England and USA.
I forgot mentioning the remarkable individuals like Pamela Geller, Wikileaks, Robinson who is now as well as dead and other real martyrs waging their individual war against Islamic conquest. Time will come when they will be called greatest heroes.
A Real Hero
Bravo, brave daughter of India! You make your people proud! 🙂
Agree. She is clearly a highly intelligent, articulate and courageous young woman.
Why does the organisation that arranges these championships permit Iran to lay down such humiliating conditions? If Iran can’t accept unveiled women, the championships should be held in a different country. Why aren’t ALL the Asian national chess federations protesting this? Cowards all.
If Feminists were REALLY interested about promoting equality for women they would tackle gender segregation in mosques where Females are forced to SIT AT THE BACK or curtained off from the important worshippers at the front.
If a U.S church made it’s female congregants sit apart, behind at the rear or out of sight behind a curtain can you IMAGINE the uproar from the hairy pitted purple headed fembians? But muslims trump women in the intersectionality hierarchy so ridiculous “feminists” are caught with their TROUSERS down!
You might also have Orthodox Judaism in such a case.
Not all synagogues require that though. I think the Reform and even Conservative temples typically do not.
Why would the chess competition be held in a terrorist nation state anyways?
LOL! You go girl!!
She should be treasured and well protected by Indian security. Such a brilliant young woman; honor to humankind.
Kudos to this brave girl.
I was selling a house and had an interested party who was an Indian family. They made a lowball offer, which I accepted with conditions of “as is”. The people came back after inspection and wanted me to spend $10,000 fixing items from the inspection. I pushed back on their realtor, and she told me “well, you have to understand that these people are from a different culture…”. Needless to say, they did not buy my house. I should not have to lose $30,000 to accommodate someone’s culture in my country. I do admire this young girl for her stance, and simply not attending is the best thing to do. If the Iranians want to impose that element of their culture into that event, it is their prerogative. It is also their prerogative to dilute the meaning of the event, and deny the competitors the challenge of taking on the best in the world.
Did you have as is or with all faults written in the terms?
yes – they wanted new a/c and unnecessary roof repairs, and as is was very specific.
At least iran doesn’t have to make excuses when she beat all of them.
Three billion cheers for Soumya Swaminathan.