PM of Spain holds meetings with chess players from Iran
2023.01.26 09:48
PM of Spain holds meetings with chess players from Iran
By Kristina Sobol
Budrigannews.com – On Wednesday, an Iranian chess player who was warned not to return to her country after competing without a hijab met with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in Madrid. She defected to Spain.
Sara Khadem, also known as Sarasadat Khademalsharieh, 25, arrived in Spain at the beginning of January. She had not worn a hijab, the headscarf required by Iran’s strict Islamic dress codes, when she competed in the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan, at the end of December.
After hosting Khadem at his official residence, the Moncloa Palace, Sanchez wrote on his Twitter account, “How much I have learned today from a woman who inspires me.”
He continued.
“My complete support for female athletes. “Your example makes the world a better place.”
Khadem is seen chatting with Sanchez on a couch in a black suit and without a hijab in footage provided by the prime minister’s office. Later, it appears that they are playing chess at a table.
Since mid-September, when a 22-year-old Iranian-Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, died in the custody of the morality police for wearing “inappropriate attire,” protests against Iran’s clerical leadership have swept the country.
During the unrest, laws mandating the wearing of the hijab have become a flashpoint, as a number of international athletes have appeared in public without their headscarves.
Khadem, who holds the title of Woman Grandmaster, stated in a recent interview with the newspaper El Pas that she used to only wear the headscarf at tournaments when there were cameras because she was representing Iran.
She stated:
“With the hijab, I’m not me, and I don’t feel good, so I wanted to end that situation.” So I decided to stop wearing it.
According to the website of the International Chess Federation, Khadem is ranked 9th in Iran and 771st worldwide.
