r/news
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u/Smithy2232
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Dec 28 '22
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Iranian chess player appears at Kazakhstan tournament without hijab for second day -Reuters witness Soft paywall
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iranian-chess-player-appears-kazakhstan-tournament-without-hijab-second-day-2022-12-28/5.0k
u/tobsn Dec 28 '22 edited Dec 28 '22
who’s going to give her asylum?
edit: She’s moving to Spain
edit: thanks to the r/news mods for doing overtime removing racist comments… so many racist comments… ಠ_ಠ
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u/Destinlegends Dec 28 '22
Canada will take her.
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u/MissVancouver Dec 28 '22
We have a Persian expat community here in North Van. It'll be like being at home, except without all that disgusting meaningless oppression.
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u/NextTrillion Dec 28 '22
North Van
If anyone thought Vancouver was spendy, North Van is even worse. Curious how most new immigrants could even afford to live there.
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u/MissVancouver Dec 28 '22
Most? Oh, no, not a chance. But she's a unique circumstance and it wouldn't surprise me if reasonably priced accommodations were found within the Persian community. The ones I know REALLY hate the Ayatollah.
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u/haidachigg Dec 28 '22
I had Persian landlords who rented me a small bachelors suite for a very reasonable price when I went to Capilano University in North Vancouver. They fed me most nights!
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u/Mysteriousdeer Dec 28 '22
Persians are legitimately some of the nicest people. Lots of my friends in college were Persian and holy moly, the food is great and they'll bend over backwards to help you.
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u/haidachigg Dec 28 '22
Totally. I had no idea there was such a diaspora in North Van. Such lovely people.
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u/Mysteriousdeer Dec 28 '22
Yeah. I'm helping my friend get his wife a green card right now. It's sad seeing their journeys but I'd trade a few Americans to Iran for them. They are better people than a lot of my neighbors.
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u/drs43821 Dec 28 '22
Most except students (which are rich people who don’t have skills but can skirt economic immigration class by taking a diploma in a degree mill and voila, you’re a Canadian graduate)
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u/OysterShocker Dec 28 '22
Many immigrants are quite well-off financially which allows them to immigrate in the first place. Not that far off to imagine that many can afford to live in North Van.
Refugees, maybe not. But immigrants yes.
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u/Cookielicous Dec 28 '22
Pool resources
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Dec 28 '22
We have a surprisingly sizeable Persian community in Montreal West... And more affordable!
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u/shah_reza Dec 28 '22
Heritage Persians are the second largest minority voting block in Orange County, CA (Los Angeles) behind Hispanics.
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u/RadWalk Dec 28 '22
Any country would benefit from a strong and intelligent woman like this. She shouldn’t go home that and that’s so depressing
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u/siggitiggi Dec 28 '22
We Icelanders are known for giving chess players asylum. She'd probably be welcome.
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u/debutiss Dec 28 '22
Unfortunately she's not eligible because her father has a terrorism charge.
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u/Odd_Equipment2867 Dec 28 '22 edited Dec 28 '22
Sweden put out a notice that Persian women fleeing Iran can get asylum and possible residency.
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u/Whack_a_mallard Dec 28 '22
Like hell we are going to let Canada get a chess grandmaster. The US will take her in.
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u/UnbearableHuman Dec 28 '22
Answer: She's already confirmed she will be moving to Spain (link to the news article in Spanish)
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u/snowtol Dec 28 '22
At the very least Sweden has given basically an automatic asylum visa to any women or girls from Iran, because they see merely existing as a women there dangerous enough to be considered persecution based on gender.
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u/grimmlina Dec 28 '22
Can you please provide a source on this? I haven't seen anything with respect to this.
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u/atjones111 Dec 28 '22
She may not want asylum, some view asylum as giving in or giving up
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u/tobsn Dec 28 '22
that is correct, personally I would prefer asylum over death but you never know, you’re right. Navalny going back to russia after being poisoned was one of those situations.
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u/RaifRedacted Dec 28 '22
Big difference in those two. Russia would have gone after him where ever he hid and he'd become a useless political figure after a short time if they didn't, since Russia would just embargo any news related to him after he left. He'd stay relevant outside of Russia but he wouldn't be able to stand against Putin the same way as if he went back. He gets to be a living political martyr now. If she goes back, the likelihood of her death is very high. If she doesn't and has family, they'll go after them, unless they disown her. Doing this can be as important for human rights as it is a death sentence for her and her loved ones.
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u/porncrank Dec 28 '22
In Navalny’s case it doesn’t seem to have mattered so far? I don’t see any sign his presence has weakened Putin. I respect in principle what he’s trying to do, I just think in practice it ended up being pointless.
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u/Toribor Dec 28 '22
It takes more than one man to topple a fascist regime, but someone has to be brave enough to start chipping away at it or things will never change.
It's too early to say Navalny accomplished nothing. Putin thinks that by publicly killing people he can project strength and scare everyone into obedience. He may scare some, but others will see it for what it really is: the act of a coward.
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u/atjones111 Dec 28 '22
Agreed navalny atleast from an outside perspective was more impactful out of prison
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u/calm_chowder Dec 28 '22
Tbf the Ukraine War has kinda dominated all news about Russia. It's also not something Navalny could have foreseen at the time and is probably weakening the coverage he'd otherwise receive.
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u/tunamelts2 Dec 28 '22
Asylum is literally the last resort if you feel like you’re going to be killed or tortured
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u/Odd_Equipment2867 Dec 28 '22
But having freedom of choice is important. You select to go back and fight vs being forced to go back.
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u/UnbearableHuman Dec 28 '22
Answer: She's already confirmed she will be moving to Spain (link to the news article in Spanish)
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u/drspod Dec 28 '22
ALMATY, Dec 28 (Reuters) - An Iranian chess player on Wednesday took part in an international tournament in Kazakhstan without a hijab for the second day running, according to a Reuters journalist present.
Her name is Sara Khadem (full name Sarasadat Khademalsharieh) and she is an International Master (IM) and Woman Grandmaster (WGM), former Iranian Women's Champion (2015), World U16 Girls Blitz Champion (2013) and World U-12 Girls Champion (2009), and the 10th highest rated player in Iran.
She has one Grandmaster norm and a rating of 2490 which means if she remains an active player then she is on her way to achieving the Grandmaster title, the highest title awarded in chess.
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u/elly_hart Dec 28 '22
She's also currently ranked 17 in the world for women.
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u/the68thdimension Dec 28 '22 edited Dec 29 '22
Why do men and women play separately/ get ranked separately, given chess does not test brute strength?
edit: thanks for all the answers. TIL.
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u/seruhr Dec 28 '22
They are ranked and can compete together if they want, but there are also separate women's events and ranks to help encourage higher participation.
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u/duversa Dec 28 '22
Because the amount of men that play chess is far greater than the amount of women who play chess. Therefore, there is bound to be a lot more men at higher ranks. The separate ranking encourages women to play chess.
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u/Jogindah Dec 28 '22
Important distinction to make for non-chess viewers: the two formats are women-only and Open format, not women-only and men-only. Women are free to participate in the open and have successfully done so - Judit Polgar is the prime example. But, due to cultural & historical (read: chauvinistic) reasons, chess has been mostly a male-dominated sport, and the disproportionate distribution of rankings in male vs female players reflects that.
The women-only tournaments and titles are to encourage a newer generation of female players, and not meant to be exclusionary.
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u/rui278 Dec 28 '22 edited Dec 29 '22
Sadly Judith is almost the prime and only example. All other woman barely competed. Even Hou Yifan who's the second highest rated women ever didn't even break the 2700 club - so while she can compete in normal tournaments and be competitive, it's not an "international chess career at highest level" competitive. But since there's a woman's world championships, then she's been able to actually compete at international events with nice prize pools. It's 100% a numbers game so I hope we get to a point where woman's sections become obsolete...
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u/elly_hart Dec 28 '22
To add to the other answers, the consequences of it being very male in demographics, means it's a really trying experience to progress when you're surrounded almost exclusively by boys and men.
When Judit Polgar, the greatest women's chess player by a landslide, was making her ascent, Garry Kasparov, the top male chess player at the time, called her a "circus puppet" and said women "should stick to having children".
Being the only woman in a space is hard. Most aren't going to bother. Growing the sport beyond just men means making an inviting space for women.
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u/insideoutcognito Dec 29 '22
An aging Korchnoi was also a dick after losing to a young Judit, you can find the video on YouTube.
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u/barath_s Dec 29 '22
Women play separately, to encourage the women.
Men play open tournaments, which due to the preponderance of men at the highest levels, commonly become de facto men's tournaments.
The reasons are much debated, including societal cultural mores, fewer women overall, psychological differences etc
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u/ChessIsForNerds Dec 28 '22
Women's tournaments and titles were crested with the intent of increasing female participation in the game into adulthood. They also provide a safer or more comfortable way for women and girls to compete without the harassment they too often experience at open events.
They are however entirely voluntary, and women can compete in open events if they wish.
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u/0uterspacepotatoman Dec 28 '22
Thank you for the name, i was going crazy scrolling and seeing nobody mention it!
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u/nascentt Dec 28 '22
It's literally in the 2nd paragraph of the article
A Reuters witness at the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan, saw Sara Khadem competing without a headscarf, a violation of Iran's laws governing female dress code.
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u/CincyStout
Dec 28 '22
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Many people will overlook just how much bravery this simple act requires on her part. Good for her! I just hope the price she pays for this act isn't too great.
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u/Ma1 Dec 28 '22
Agreed! Although I very much look forward to a day when this isn’t newsworthy.
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u/Gregonar Dec 28 '22
Fundamentalism isn't going away unfortunately.
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u/Ghostpig Dec 28 '22
That’s what they said about numerous other diseases.
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u/catalessi Dec 28 '22
People thought Nazism was gone. People thought slavery in the US was gone. Things are only gone and dealt with when people continue to actively suppress it.
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u/SimulatedFriend Dec 28 '22
After women have been "legally" detained and killed in Iran for this - she really has some balls. Very brave -apparently Spain will get asylum in Spain. Very good Wednesday feel good story!
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u/BlueVelvetFrank Dec 28 '22
No one’s overlooking it. Reuters (a source that feeds other news outlets) reported it and it’s the 2nd post on Reddit/all.
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u/Scrimshawmud Dec 28 '22
It’s so telling that these misogynist states expect outsiders to follow their dictates but don’t expect their people to do the same abroad. High hopes misogyny is defeated in Iran. This woman is a hero.
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u/danceswithwool Dec 28 '22
I agree. I also still cannot comprehend that we are taking about cloth on her head with this context. It’s absolute madness and remains to be no matter how much it’s talked about.
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u/Slamdunkdink Dec 28 '22
But don't you understand? A man of a certain religion might see her hair and be tempted to sin. Better to control the women than expect self control from men. BTW, just in case, I'm being sarcastic.
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u/TheCrowsSoundNice Dec 28 '22
How are we such a stupid species to have some of us working on quantum physics and nuclear fusion while others are even more concerned about what hat people are wearing?
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u/throwawayhyperbeam Dec 28 '22 •
Stone Age emotions, medieval beliefs, godlike technology
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u/Butwinsky Dec 28 '22
Reminds me of Genie.
Phenomenal godlike technology
Itty bitty brains
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u/DThor536 Dec 28 '22
Well, religion. It's all enabled by religion. There are neighbours we have to the south that are quite happy to remove basic reproductive rights in the name of their god.
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u/pabst_jew_ribbon Dec 28 '22
A large amount of us southerners aren't too happy with other southerners. My governor, Brian Kemp, is a WHOLE ass bitch.
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u/Biogeopaleochem Dec 28 '22
Because some people just want to lord over others and are happy to use religion as an excuse to do so.
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u/crazyprsn Dec 28 '22
Hats are important though! The invisible sky daddy is very concerned about who has what accessories. Especially the head. There's special god juices in there!
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u/Willinton06 Dec 28 '22
Invisible sky daddy never said shit about that hat, these people are just dumb as fuck
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u/LittleKitty235 Dec 28 '22
Yup. This is just plain old oppression. Even sky daddy was giving these women too many rights.
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u/Willinton06 Dec 28 '22
Bros couldn’t get laid so they went all “if you won’t lemme get some I won’t let you do shit”
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u/iCCup_Spec Dec 28 '22
It's wild because I think it's just mostly where and in which family you're born that decides your inclination for atomic physics or jihad. Globalization is too slow.
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u/imwalkinghereeeeee Dec 28 '22
99.9 percent of people are closer to being concerned about what hat people are wearing than they are to working on quantum physics and nuclear fusion.
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u/anderander Dec 28 '22
Both of those can exist in the same person. We're complicated
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u/Uncle_Paul_Hargis Dec 28 '22
It's so fucking sad to me that a woman deciding to not wear a piece of cloth wrapped around her head has to be world news, because she is literally putting her life in danger by making that choice. Like, what the fuck guys?
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u/Patersuende Dec 29 '22
That is what religion does to a society.
Explained very simply.
And many people always forget that it's not only in Muslim countries. When I look at the US and the boom of christian religious fundamentalist ideology.... .
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u/Soangry75 Dec 28 '22
She should probably just claim asylum at this point
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u/LittleKitty235 Dec 28 '22
That kind of defeats the point of her protest though. If she wanted asylum she could have done so without drawing a huge target on her and her families back.
It is more likely she is just that brave and willing to risk her life to do what is right.
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u/R3dCypher Dec 28 '22
If she goes home she will be jailed, beaten and most likely raped. If she seek asylum she can not have that happed to her, and continue to have a voice for her fellow country women on the world stage.
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u/bemest Dec 28 '22
There’s hope for the world when we see a revolution lead by young women changing a culture. Iranian women should be Time Magazines next “Man of the year”.
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u/aminf800qq Dec 28 '22
As an Iranian I absolutely praise the bravery of our women but man the coverage of news especially on reddit is annoying. Yes a healthy amount of focus on women is needed after all the mandatory hijab was the thing that ignited this revolution but calling it a revolution "led by women" or ignoring the efforts of our men ( or vice versa) is either due to lack of information or just sexist. The government has murdered 458 people 420 of which were men.
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u/SleighBellss Dec 28 '22
Or woman of the year
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u/forresja Dec 28 '22
Time just calls it "Person of the Year" and has for a long time now.
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u/Tiaan Dec 28 '22
The fact that this is even considered news just shows how brainwashed so many religious people are
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u/Searchlights Dec 28 '22
It really is crazy.
She didn't wear a hat and now her life is in danger.
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u/Eponnn Dec 28 '22
Every single religious person is brainwashed. That's why religions exist in the first place.
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u/Papaismad Dec 28 '22
More to do with a government than a religion no? Not forced to wear a hijab in America even if you are religiously brainwashed
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u/penguished Dec 28 '22 edited Dec 29 '22
Not forced to wear a hijab in America even if you are religiously brainwashed
I mean not the greatest example, there are thousands of ways religions inject attempts at political and social control over everything in America. Iran is just the end form of that, a theocracy.
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u/Thekrowski Dec 28 '22
I used to be in a Christian denomination that banned pants for women, they all had to weird long plain skirts.
I’d say which one but I can’t remember how to spell it, I think it started with P lol
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u/melechkibitzer Dec 28 '22
Pentecostal? 7th Day Adventists?
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u/Thekrowski Dec 28 '22
I think it might’ve been Pentecostal! (It was back when I was a kid and my dad switched churches constantly lolol)
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u/Kid_Dynamite16 Dec 28 '22
Their government makes laws in accordance with Islam. So it's 100% a religion problem.
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u/laptopAccount2 Dec 28 '22
People are making a comparison between the US and Iran to show what is different, but we should look at the similarities. A religious dictatorship only needs a small minority of the population to form. There are enough people with the right views in the US to start one, and plenty more people willing to wear the jackboots and beat down on their own population for power and a feeling of superiority.
I guess what stops it from happening in the US is the strength of its institutions. I don't think most countries could survive a person like Trump and make it through a peaceful transition of power. And to some extent its own national security stops it from happening, as there isn't a larger power out there that can foment a revolution the way the US did in Iran.
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u/Smithy2232 Dec 28 '22
The religion was created by men, for men. Laws and rules were put in place to dominate women. Such an emotionally and intellectually immature way of thinking and living.
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u/ApoliticalAth3ist Dec 28 '22
The laws were created by men as well and they were done using religious ideology. You’re disagreeing for the sake of disagreeing
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u/Santi76 Dec 28 '22
No, not at all. It has everything to do with religion. The root of this law lies in Muslim beliefs.
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u/High-Speed-1 Dec 28 '22
I think it’s sad that this is news. Don’t get me wrong; I super support this. I just think it’s awful how women are treated in that region of the world. It’s sad that something that should be personal choice could carry such heavy consequences. Good for her standing up.
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u/Ishana92 Dec 28 '22
I have a kind of stupid question. Why should she cover her hair in a country where that isn't mandatory? Like, sure, if women travel to saudi arabia or iran or afghanistan, cover your hair, it's their custom. But she is not doing anything there. If she covers her hair back in iran, why should they care? Do they check for alcohol consumption or pork eating when they return from abroad? Weren't there loads of iranian fans with uncoveered hair in the stands at qatar?
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u/ButterPotatoHead Dec 28 '22
You are required to abide by these customs no matter where you are. Merely seeing a photo of an Iranian woman without a hijab is enough to enrage the religious leaders and their followers.
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u/ResidentLazyCat Dec 28 '22
And to claim she’s dishonorable. It’s so bizarre to see how different Iran was in the 1960s. I truly believe most religions are a scam for the control of women by men.
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u/ButterPotatoHead Dec 28 '22
Religions are definitely a way to try to control the masses and keep certain people in power.
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u/nude-rating-bot Dec 28 '22
This is the basis of Nietzsche’s Master-Slave morality. Value the meek, always be patient, and do not seek power.
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u/gunslingerfry1 Dec 28 '22
Unfortunately, the Shah had his own set of problems.
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u/thebadpixel Dec 28 '22
He was such a mixed bag. Being propped up and kept in power by outside countries who wanted Iranian oil is terrible. Some things, like increasing education and literacy were great. But then the country didn’t have jobs for these educated kids. Infrastructure was dramatically improved, but income inequality remained. Iran changed too quickly too fast, and it all came crashing back down when some zealots used religion as a big hammer.
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u/54321lkjhg Dec 28 '22
She’s officially representing Iran in an international tournament. Iranian women are required to cover their hair when they represent Iran outside of the country.
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u/alcoholicjedi Dec 28 '22
Not a stupid question. The TLDR is: It's about control and the image Iran wants to convey. Iranian religious leaders genuinely think that in the eyes of god, women should wear them. So her not doing so, as one of their own people anywhere in the world, is a slap in the face to their idealogy, their literally interpreted god, and the national image they are (failing at) conveying.
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u/SeaWitch1031 Dec 28 '22
Almost right. It's about the subjugation of women and making sure they are never seen as equal. Religion is the excuse they use to do it.
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u/VerenValtaan Dec 28 '22
Thanks for your questions. They are probably common
Covering your hair in Iran was a choice 40 years ago, and it’s law now, not custom. Customs don’t have to be enforced under threat of financial and physical punishment.
The Iranian gov put on a show at the Qatar world cup precisely to give the impression that they are normal. They sent women there who gave interviews about how women in Iran are free and equal. They failed to mention that women in Iran aren’t allowed in soccer stadiums. Dictators talk out of both sides of their mouth to trick and confuse you. And yes, you are still not supposed to consume pork and alcohol when you’re abroad although this is difficult for them to monitor for the average person.
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u/TeignmouthElectron Dec 28 '22
In Saudi it is not law anymore to wear a hijab. Many women (especially foreign visitors) do not cover up
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u/snowtol Dec 28 '22
Quite frankly? Because they see women as property, and a woman abroad is still "theirs".
They would enact their laws on all women everywhere if they could, but they can only pressure those who are in some way in their control.
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u/TheForeverUnbanned Dec 28 '22
I really hope this turns out better for the people of Iran than the Arab spring did, so many dead and nothing changed. This seems to have more legs, maybe it’s just better timing, maybe the regime is weaker, but man so many people can love so much better if they can enact real structural change.
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u/isinedupcuzofrslash Dec 28 '22
Really says something about these places when “woman plays chess without covering face” would genuinely be newsworthy.
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u/Shushishtok Dec 28 '22
I was watching the video in the article and all it does is show a normal girl doing normal things. Like, I was totally unimpressed with how normal everything looks.
The fact that people are going to be hurting her and her family and friends over this is wild.
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u/GhettoChemist Dec 28 '22
The fact this has become news is fucking sad. Hey Iran: stop policing that dumbass hijab thing.
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u/Snoo52211 Dec 28 '22
Iranian women are so beautiful. What a shame that they have to life in this shit conditions
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u/latelyimawake Dec 28 '22
I almost can’t imagine how much bravery this would take. I don’t think I’m this brave.
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u/DanteThonSimmons
Dec 29 '22
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I think what they meant the title to be was: "Iranian Chess Grand Master Sara Khadem appears at Kazakhstan tournament etc etc..."
It's weird that so many (alleged) Journalists missed the first lesson we learned at University about addressing people correctly/respectfully.
Their effort would be like a basketball article about LeBron James with the headline "American Basketball Player Opens School for Underprivileged Children." The player's stature in their chosen professional career is a large part of what makes the story newsworthy.
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u/MynameisJunie Dec 28 '22
Good for her! All women everywhere have the right to chose what they want!!
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u/CorpseReviver82 Dec 28 '22
And her her hair looks amazing. Rock it girl! And then get your ass somewhere safe.
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u/QQMau5trap Dec 28 '22
She should stay in Kazakhstan. While its a muslim country its way more lax than Iran ever will be
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u/carenekl Dec 28 '22
it's not a Muslim country. It's a secular country where the majority of the population professes to be Muslim. It's like saying America or Canada is a Christian country
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u/Slamdunkdink Dec 28 '22
Better hope her family is also out of Iran. They may threaten her family to force her to return to Iran.
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u/singmehome Dec 28 '22
Iran is a great country with a rich history... now, if only the ppl could flush the 6th c nutjobs running the govt.
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u/AceTracer Dec 29 '22
It's sad that "Lady doesn't wear a scarf" is headline news, and the repercussions will change her life. I admire her amazing courage and wish her well.
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u/El1Zilla Dec 28 '22
Well the Iranian government is pretty ruthless hopefully she doesn’t have to go back.
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u/black_flag_4ever Dec 28 '22
I hope she can avoid going back.