Tehran: Iranian climber Elnaz Rekabi received a jubilant welcome on her return to Tehran, after competing in South Korea without wearing a headscarf.
33-year-old Elnaz Rekabi competed without a headscarf or hijab during the International Federation of Sport Climbing’s Asian Championships in Seoul on Sunday, October 16.
Videos of her wearing a headband and her hair in a ponytail during the competition went viral on social media.
Rekabi left Seoul on a Tuesday morning flight. The BBC Persian Service, which has extensive contacts inside Iran despite being barred from operating there, quoted an unnamed ‘informed source’ who described Iranian officials as having seized Rekabi’s mobile phone and passport.
BBC Persian said that Elnaz Rekabi had been due to make a flight on Wednesday but apparently travelled a day earlier. Another Iran-focused website, IranWire, has claimed that my passengers will be transferred to Tehran’s Evin Prison.
However, Tehran quickly rejected the media reports and claimed that they are fake.
The official Twitter handle of the Iran embassy in Seoul wrote, Elnaz Rekabi, departed from Seoul to Iran in, early morning of October 18, 2022, along with the other members of the Team.
The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in South Korea strongly denies all the fake, false news and disinformation regarding Elnaz Rekabi.
A large number of Iranians were at Imam Khomeini International Airport in the early hours of Wednesday morning to receive the climber Elnaz Rekabi, who defied the brutal Iranian laws and participated in the Asian climbing competitions in the South Korean capital without a headscarf.
The videos showed crowds chanting Rekabi’s name and calling her a hero.
She was seen entering an airport terminal, photographed by state television cameras, wearing a black baseball cap and a black hood covering her hair. She received flowers from a spectator.
Outside, she reportedly entered a van and was driven slowly through the gathered crowd, who cheered her on. It was not clear where she went after that.
“This is how Iranians are welcoming #ElnazRekabi at 3:45 am in Tehran. Khamenei once announced that for Iranian female athletes hijab is more important than medals. By refusing forced hijab Elnaz humiliated Khamenei,” tweeted Masih Alinejad, an Iranian journalist and activist.
State media later aired an interview with Rekabi in which she explained that “I was suddenly and unexpectedly called up for a competition while I was in the women’s locker room.” She further adds, “I was busy putting on my shoes, fixing my equipment and forgot to wear the hijab I should have worn.”
“Fortunately, I came back to Iran with peace of mind, although I went through a lot of tension and stress, so far, thank God, nothing has happened,” she added.
These statements were similar to what was published, on Tuesday, on Rikabi’s page on Instagram, where she apologized in a written text for the concern she had caused, and confirmed that her blatant appearance was “unintentional.”
On Tuesday morning, Elnaz in a Instagram story, apologised for the “worries that I caused”. The statement posted to Rekabi’s 240,000 followers said her head covering “inadvertently faced a problem” after she was unexpectedly called to compete ahead of schedule in the finals of the sport’s Asian Championships in South Korea’s capital, Seoul.
A number of international celebrities, including actress Jessica Chastain from the United States and Iranian counterpart Taraneh Alidoosti, praised her on social media for her “bravery”.
In the midst of Iran’s non-stop uprising, which began on September 16, Elnaz Rekabi grabbed the spotlight by defying the laws relating to the headscarf in public places.
Since September 16, the Islamic Republic has been witnessing protests following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, three days after she was arrested by the morality police for not adhering to strict dress codes.
Dozens, including members of the security forces, died on the sidelines of the protests, of which women are an essential part. The authorities announced the arrest of hundreds of protesters for their involvement in protests.
Taking off the hijab is illegal for women in Iran and punishable by law.
What is Iran’s rule?
According to Iranian regulations, no female athlete can participate in any competition of any sport without wearing a hijab. However, in support of the ongoing protests in Iran, Elnaz Rekabi decided to participate in the competition without wearing a hijab. She is the second female athlete to disobey the Islamic Republic of Iran’s mandatory hijab rules.
In 2019 Boxer Sadaf Khadem competed in France without covering her hair or body, but then remained in the country amid speculation that she could be arrested upon her return.
