.... s of now, Niloufar Ardalan, captain of the Iranian national women’s soccer team, will not be allowed to travel to or compete in the Asian Football Federation Women’s Futsal Championship held in Malaysia later this month.
The reason is her husband, who has denied her his consent to leave the country. According to Islamic law, wives must have their husbands’ approval before renewing or acquiring passports, and Ardalan’s husband has reportedly refused to give her that permission, insisting that she remain at home for their son’s first day of school on Sept. 23.
“Lady Goal,” as Ardalan is nicknamed in the Iranian athletic community, decided to speak out about this issue last week, explaining her predicament and explicating the prejudices of Iranian’s gender-specific laws.
“I wish authorities would create [measures] that would allow female athletes to defend their rights in such situations,” Ardalan told Iranian news site Nasimonline. “These games were very important to me. As a Muslim woman, I wanted to work for my country’s flag to be raised [at the games], rather than traveling for leisure and fun.” [The Huffington Post] Read more
