Iranian chess player warned not to return to Iran after competing hijab-less
A source close to Sara Khadem says she got multiple phone calls from people warning her not to return to Iran, while others urged her to go back
A female Iranian chess player arrived in Spain on Tuesday after she was warned not to return to Iran in case of consequences for competing without a hijab at an international tournament, a source close to her said.
Sara Khadem – also known as Sarasadat Khademalsharieh – took part in last week’s FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in Kazakhstan without a hijab, a headscarf mandatory under Iran’s strict dress code.
Iran has been gripped by anti-regime protests since the September killing of Iranian-Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini, while in the custody of Tehran’s morality police for wearing her hijab incorrectly. Laws enforcing mandatory hijab-wearing have become a flashpoint during the unrest, with a string of athletes competing overseas showing signs of solidarity with the protest movement.
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The unnamed source said that after the tournament, Khadem received multiple phone calls in which individuals warned her against returning to the Islamic Republic, while others said she should go back, promising to “solve her problem.”
Khadem’s relatives and parents, who live in Iran, were also threatened, the source noted.
Iran's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did Khadem. Spanish newspapers, including Le Figaro and El Pais, reported last week that Khadem would not be returning to Iran and moving to Spain.
The source added that the phone calls led to the tournament’s organizers upping security with the cooperation of Kazakh police, and bodyguards stationed outside Khadem’s hotel room.