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Iran Lifts Ban on Some Women Attending Soccer Games

A senior Iranian sports official said that a presidential order to end a ban on women spectators in stadiums did not apply to unmarried females. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad surprisingly announced this week that Iranian women could finally go to stadiums to watch sporting events, putting an unexpected end to a quarter-century ban. Ever since the Islamic Revolution the freedoms of women in Iran have fallen in line with conservative interpretations of Islamic law.

In Iran, where in accordance with the laws of Muhammad as set down in the Koran there is segregation of the sexes - and a strict dress code for women - only a tiny number of Iranian women have been allowed inside stadiums, despite a national passion for football that is shared by men and women alike in the country.

Mr. Ahmadinejad`s order has drawn complaints from some fellow hardliners, with one MP warning of the dangers for women of seeing football players` "bare legs" and hearing male spectators shout obscenities at referees. Ahmadinejad, while known for his bold genocidal statements regarding Israel and other countries, is a firm conservative when it comes to religious issues.