Source: The Guardian
BY Michael Safi and agencies
An Indian chess champion has withdrawn from an international competition in Iran, saying a rule requiring her to wear a headscarf would violate her human rights.
Soumya Swaminathan ranks fifth in India and was preparing to compete in the Asian chess championship in Bangladesh. However, when the competition was moved to Iran, the 29-year-old withdrew from the competition.
“I find the Iranian law of compulsory headscarf to be in direct violation of my basic human rights including my right to freedom of expression, and right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion,” Swaminathan wrote on Facebook last week.
Categories: Asia, Hijab, Human Rights, India, Iran, Middle East, The Muslim Times