Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Iranian Women Allowed to Attend Soccer Matches

American sports fans take a lot of things for granted. Sometimes we forget just how good we have it here in the States. Especially as women sports fans, we can attend sporting events whenever we want and sit in the stands along with our male counterparts.

However, women in other parts of the world do not have the same freedoms we do. A case in point is Iran. For years, we have heard about the inequities that Iranian women experience in their country. Recently, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad agreed to allow women to attend soccer matches. Women would be seated in a separate section away from the more rowdy male spectators with the hope that their presence will "improve soccer-watching manners and promote a healthy atmosphere."

According to the article, Iranian women are often blamed for "being the source of corruption" in their country, which the Iranian President says is unfair.

While I am encouraged by this move and hope that it will lead to other changes for Iranian women, I am also cautious. There's still a lot more work to be done.

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