Title:Chess Star Refuses to Wear Headscarf in Iran Tournament

An Indian chess player has refused to wear a headscarf for a tournament organized in Iran, and decided to pull out of the competition.

一名印度棋手拒绝为伊朗举办的一场锦标赛戴头巾，并决定退出比赛。

Soumya Swaminathan said she would not take part in the Asian Nations Cup Chess Championship if it meant she had to cover her head, the Associated Press reported.

据美联社报道，苏米亚·斯瓦米纳比特说，如果她想遮住她的头戴，她不会参加亚洲杯足球锦标赛。

The former world junior girls champion said the Iranian law requiring her to wear a headscarf was in direct violation of her rights, including her  "right to freedom of expression, and right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion."

前世界女青年冠军说，要求她戴头巾的伊朗法律直接侵犯了她的权利，包括她的"言论自由权，以及思想、良心和宗教自由权"。

Iranian women wearing hijab walk down a street in the capital Tehran on February 7, 2018.   ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images

"I do not wish to be forced to wear a scarf or burka,"  the 29-year-old posted on her Facebook page Wednesday, arguing  "there is no place for an enforceable religious dress code in sports."

“我不希望被迫戴围巾，” 周三张贴在Facebook页面上的29岁棋手辩称“体育领域没有可强制执行的宗教着装规范”。

Swaminathan lamented the lack of consideration given to players by the organizers.  "While we sportspersons are willing to make several adjustments for the sake of our sport, always giving it top priority in our life, some things simply cannot be compromised,"  she said.

演出组织者没有考虑参赛者,这令人深感悲痛。她说：“虽然我们运动员们愿意为了我们的体育做几次调整，但总是把体育放在我们生活中的最高优先地位，有些事情根本不可能打折扣。”

Though Swaminathan said she was disappointed not to compete, she believed  "genuine change"  is only possible if  "players voice their opinion firmly about things they believe in."

尽管斯瓦米纳比特说她对竞争感到失望，但她相信“真正的变革”只有在“玩家对信仰的东西坚定地表达他们的意见时才能实现。

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It is compulsory for women to wear a headscarf in Iran. Anti-hijab protesters were involved in recent anti-government unrest in the country, which saw the authorities respond with intense repression. Dozens of demonstrators arrested and several were killed.

在伊朗，妇女必须戴头巾是强制性的，反头巾抗议者参与了最近该国反政府动乱，当局对此采取了严厉的镇压行动。数十名示威者被逮捕，数人被打死。

Amnesty International said Iran's modesty laws are part of the country's  "entrenched discrimination"  against women. Iranian women are barred from singing in public and attending public sports events. They also require permission from their father or husband to get a passport or travel outside the country.

大赦国际说，伊朗的法律是该国对妇女的"根深蒂固的歧视"的一部分，伊朗妇女被禁止在公众场合唱歌，不得参加公共体育活动。他们还需要得到父亲或丈夫的许可，才能获得护照或在国外旅行。

Swaminathan's decision echoes that of American chess player Nazi Paikidze, who refused to compete in last year's Women's World Chess Championship in Iran in protest of the country's approach to women's rights. The chess champion said it is unacceptable for the competition to be hosted by a country  "where women do not have basic fundamental rights and are treated as second-class citizens."

斯瓦米纳比特的决定与美国国际象棋手Paikidze的决定相同，后者拒绝参加去年在伊朗举行的妇女世界象棋锦标赛，以抗议该国对待妇女权利的做法。国际象棋冠军说，由一个“妇女没有基本权利，被当作二等公民”主办比赛是不可接受的。

Paikidze also started a petition that read,  "These issues reach far beyond the chess world…This is more than one event; it is a fight for women's rights."  The petition was signed by more than 17,000 people before it was closed.

Paikidze还开始请愿，请愿书称"这些问题远远超出了国际象棋世界的范围"，这是一次争取妇女权利的斗争。

Swaminathan is the second Indian star to withdraw from an Iranian event over the headscarf requirement—pistol shooter Heena Sidhu refused to take part in the 2016 Asian Airgun Shooting Championship. Sidhu, who also competed at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, said she was  "not a revolutionary,"  but believes compulsory religious dress is not in the spirit of the sport.