Iran Reinstates Ban on Women Attending Soccer Matches

The real revolutionaries of Iran.

Fundies rule in Iran. Kind of like Kansas, but with abayas and hejabs.

WaPo: SOCCER

Iran's women will be barred from attending soccer games, a reversal by the president that comes a month before the national team plays in the World Cup.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had ruled in April that he would allow women to go to soccer games and sit in a separate section of the stands. He wanted to "improve soccer-watching manners and promote a healthy atmosphere."

But Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei -- who under the Islamic republic's constitution has the final say -- opposed the move.

Ahmadinejad's decision to allow women into stadiums had provoked outrage among hard-line Shiite Muslim clerics, who supported his election last year.

Previous posts: Women to Attend Football Matches in Iran (April 25, 2006)

Take Action for Women's Rights (April 11, 2006)