Iranian Athlete Elnaz Rekabi Competes Without a Hijab
Earlier this month, competitive climber Elnaz Rekabi made headlines by competing in an international competition in South Korea without the mandatory headscarf required of all female Iranian athletes: an action which was widely considered a protest of Iran’s strict regulations. Although she has received worldwide praise for rejecting Iran’s oppressive rules, many people expressed concern for her safety, fearing that she would be killed. Rekabi’s friends reported to BBC Persian that they had not been able to contact her after the competition.
The Tuesday after the competition, Rekabi released a message on her Instagram story reassuring fans that they did not need to be worried and describing her actions as “unintentional.” She claimed that her head covering “inadvertently came off” because of unclear timing of when she would compete. This message did not ease most people’s concerns, for the Iranian government often coerces activists or other people to make statements supporting the government. An anonymous source said that authorities threatened to take away Rekabi’s family’s property if she didn’t calm the media down with a statement.
Upon returning to Iran, Rekabi received supportive cheers from a large crowd while covering her hair with a black baseball cap. She reiterated that she was unexpectedly called to compete while in the women’s locker room and forgot to wear her hijab. The next day, she met the Iranian sports minister wearing the same clothes, leading to suspicions that she had been detained the night before.
Rekabi is now allegedly under house arrest, but Iranian authorities deny this and claim she is at home because she needs to rest. A New York based human rights group has warned against believing the Iranian government for “it has a documented history of detaining, maiming and killing those who oppose it.”
This all follows a national outrage and civilian uprising after Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman, was detained by Islamic law-enforcing morality police in Tehran on September 13th for reportedly wearing her headscarf too loosely. She later died while in a “re-education center.” Since then, many Iranian women have risked their lives by cutting their hair, speaking out, or refusing to wear the hijab.
Rekabi is not the first Iranian athlete to defy the country’s regulations. In 2019, Sadaf Khadem won a boxing match while wearing a sleeveless top and no hijab, later saying that she had been alerted of a warrant for her arrest. She now lives in France and fears ever returning to Iran. Rekabi’s supporters fear that she will eventually face the fate that Khadem was able to escape, especially since authorities have an enhanced determination to crack down on anti-government sentiments.
It is impossible to know what exactly will happen to Rekabi. Despite the Iranian government’s repeated claims that she is in no danger, many suspect that it has been covering up the reality of the situation from the start.
“What is expected of Iran, no one can predict,” Shala Haeri, a Boston University professor, said.
Activists are calling for more support for the Iranian protests, stressing that people and governments who can help should not watch from afar.
BY MAHI MIRCHANDANI