Iranian Ditches Hijab, Makes Statement During World Cup

The FIFA World Cup 2018 not only celebrates a game of unity without any geographical boundaries, but a message of empowerment too. The trailblazer – an Iranian woman gave out a crucial message at the World Cup grounds. She ditched her hijab and made a bold statement. Her picture is going viral.

Self-proclaimed ‘moralists’ should watch their tongue as a Reddit user has recently uploaded a photo taken at the World Cup this week by AP photographer Frank Augstein, making a woman the center of a game. The fan was awaiting a match between Spain and Iran in Russia, and to everyone’s surprise the woman cheered on without any headscarf. She was later identified as an Iranian woman who is traditionally bound to have a hijab, but in the photo she made a different choice.

Also Read: Indian Women Who Love Football. It’s Not A Myth Anymore!

This year’s World Cup is significantly historic one for Iranian women too. They had long been prohibited from watching men’s sporting events since a de facto ban was imposed following 1979’s Islamic revolution, the Huffington Post says. Last week, the ban was lifted and women were seen joining in the crowds at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran to watch a live broadcast of the Iran-Spain match.

ورزشگاه آزادی، هم‌اکنون! pic.twitter.com/02j1CiBPVq

— Team Melli IRAN (@TeamMelliIran) June 20, 2018

Iranian women were allowed to watch Iran’s FIFA 2018 World Cup clash with Spain as Tehran’s provincial council permitted women to attend the screening after Iran last week won its first World Cup match since 1998. It's been 40 years that the women have been banned from watching men’s sporting events in Iran.

READ: Basketball Federation Finally Okays Hijabs, Turbans On Court

Feature Image Credit: Frank Augstein/AP/Rex/Shutterstock

Read More Stories By Ria Das