Top Iranian Chess Player Exiled After Refusing To Wear Scarf

Sara Khadem, also known as Sarasadat Khademalsharieh, an Iranian chess player, recently competed in an international tournament without wearing a hijab. Sara Khadem, who was born in 1997, competed in the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in Almaty without wearing the hijab, which is required by Iran's stringent dress codes.

The 25-year-old decided to forego her headscarf in order to support the Iranian protest movement and believed that the worst that could happen to her would be a warning, according to the BBC. Instead, the top chess player is unable to go back to Iran and is expecting arrest papers.

The BBC reported that the exiled chess player and her family are currently residing in southern Spain. For security reasons, she has asked that her location not be made public by the media outlet.

Top Iranian Chess Player Exiled

According to a Reuters report, a source who asked to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the situation said Khadem later received numerous phone calls, some of which warned her against going home after the tournament and others of which encouraged her to do so and promised to "solve her problem."

Suggested Reading: Afghan Woman Forced To Flee By Taliban Offers Virtual Tours Of Homeland

Without providing more information, threats had also been made against Khadem's family members and parents, who are located in Iran. Iran has experienced a wave of protests since Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman, died while being held by morality police after being arrested for "inappropriate attire" in the middle of September.

A number of sportswomen competing abroad have been spotted in public without their headscarves, raising controversy over laws requiring hijab wear. According to the website of the International Chess Federation, Khadem is currently ranked 804 in the world. She was listed as taking part in both the Rapid and Blitz competitions on the event's website, which was up from December 25 to 30.

Iranians from all walks of life have participated in the protests, which represent one of the most audacious challenges to the Iranian government since the 1979 revolution. Women have taken a leading role in the protests, taking off and in some cases burning their headscarves, while protesters have found encouragement in what they perceive to be gestures of support from both Iranian male and female athletes.