The fate of Sahar Khodayari roiling Iranian society. Disguised as a man she wanted to sneak into the football stadium. She was discovered and arrested. Before the court, set it on fire, and died.
Sahar Khodayari has. already on 1 September before the Islamic revolution court in Tehran doused with gasoline and set on fire. This desperate act will be announced in the last week has shocked many Iranians. Just today, Iranian media reported that the woman had died on Friday at her severe burns in the hospital.
Sahar Khodayari was 29 years old and did not want to go to prison. You threatened up to six months in prison. Disguised as a man she had crept into a football stadium. The visit of the football games but women and girls is prohibited in Iran. Sahar was a Fan of the football club Esteghlal Tehran. The players run in blue jerseys. With a long blue coat she wanted on 12. March to the stadium, the game Esteghlal against the club al-Ain from the United Arab Emirates to witness live. She was arrested and was released a few days later, on bail, until your court hearing on 1. September.
Scene from an Iranian soccer stadium
Authorities want to “no Trouble”
“She was not only the ‘blue girl’. Sahar was the girl of a country, where men decide what women do or can. We are all responsible for their arrest and combustion,” writes Parvaneh Salahshouri, Chairman of the women’s faction in the Iranian Parliament, on your Twitter Account. Reform-oriented deputies had discussed in the last few days, several times the fate of the ‘blue girl’ in Parliament.
“Your family was shown a yellow card and not allowed to talk to the media,” said Maziyar Bahari, Iranian-canadian Journalist and film-maker in the DW-Interview. Bahari is in direct contact with the Sahars family: “Sahar died on Friday, and the security authorities have buried her immediately. The authorities have told the family: ‘your daughter has brought us enough Trouble as it is, we want to hear from you, nothing more.’ The members were massively intimidated”.
Sometimes, there are – under international pressure -exemptions for women in Iranian stadiums
Attempts at a solution and international pressure
The case of Sahar Khodayari has stirred up Iranian society. The stadium ban for women is religiously founded, and has long been a sensitive theme in Iran. It would be a sin, “half naked men at Play to watch”, my conservative clerics in Iran. However, many women do not want to accept that. They protest again and again in front of the stages and have contacted several times on the world football Association FIFA. At the world Cup in Russia in 2018, Iran was the only participating country with Mrs. ban in their own country.
FIFA asks Iran to lift the ban, otherwise the participation of the country at the 2022 world Cup is at risk. The moderate President Hassan Rouhani had tried several times to solve the Problem at least partially: with an extra grandstand for women in various Tehran’s stadiums. Up to now he has failed with these plans, however, the resistance of the clerics.
Anger in Iran
Now, many Iranians are angry and desperate. The former captain of the national team, Masoud Shojaei writes on Instagram: “The stadium ban on women is just disgusting and comes from lazy minds.” Dariush Mostafavi, former head of the Iranian football Federation, said in an Interview: “The love for football is pure love. The Motto of the National Olympic Committee is the freedom of the people. What will think the world of us, when she finds out what happened here?”
And just want to tell Iranian women now. Writing under the Hashtag #blue girl in English in their Twitter Accounts and carry the story of the ‘blue girl’ in the world.