Futsal victory

November 25, 2015 11:22 PM

Niloufar Ardalan, star of women's futsal, has been granted permission to travel abroad by an Iranian court, overturning her husband's veto. Ardalan, captain and top goal scorer of her national team, was prevented by her husband from travelling to the AFC championship where her team nevertheless triumphed against Japan.
posted by Segundus (10 comments total)

I know someone whose son (I think he was 11 at the time?) was her "guardian" while she was working in Saudi Arabia. I presume he didn't know what sort of powers he had over his mother: he could certainly have confined her to the home, but I think he could also have had her lashed for disobedience. I'm astonished any Western women choose to work there.
posted by Joe in Australia at 1:55 AM on November 26, 2015 [6 favorites]

Apparently when the team came back from the championship they met her at the airport and handed the trophy to her.
posted by Segundus at 2:25 AM on November 26, 2015

I know someone whose son (I think he was 11 at the time?) was her "guardian" while she was working in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia ≠ Iran.
posted by headnsouth at 2:26 AM on November 26, 2015 [25 favorites]

Authoritarian patriarchies of any stripe suck. Good for her.
posted by adept256 at 4:25 AM on November 26, 2015 [8 favorites]

I hope I see any country anywhere get freedom from sharia law in my lifetime.
posted by gt2 at 5:53 AM on November 26, 2015 [1 favorite]

It's everywhere, everyday - and yet I am still every once in a while taken aback when I think about the fact that patriarchy is encoded into law in 2015 and that this is, like, a thing we are not putting all of our resources into ending.

I mean Iran's not an ally but it's all just so normal that we accept it elsewhere too. We make some token protest, score ourselves some points, but it's other stuff that impacts who we're friends with, not whether or not women are brutally oppressed.

We don't really think it's that bad, I think.
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 7:31 AM on November 26, 2015 [2 favorites]

I hope I see any country anywhere get freedom from sharia law in my lifetime.

Me too, but the process is not going to be pretty.
posted by Meatbomb at 8:30 AM on November 26, 2015

Let's not forget that we have fairly effective methods of oppressing women and restricting their movements without writing it into our legal codes.
posted by Ashen at 12:30 PM on November 26, 2015 [1 favorite]

granted permission to travel abroad by an Iranian court, overturning her husband's veto.

Boy, I'll bet supper in their house that night was interesting!
posted by magstheaxe at 4:05 PM on November 26, 2015 [2 favorites]

Boy, I'll bet supper in their house that night was interesting!

این فقط می گویند

I have said
oh hell no
to your ideas
about my personal autonomy

which
you seemed to
have
some pretty piss-poor ideas about

Tough beans
futsal is awesome
and I’m going to play it so sweet
and so well

posted by blueberry at 9:25 PM on November 26, 2015 [6 favorites]