PhotoWhen the World Chess Federation designated Iran host of the 2017 Women’s World Chess Championship games, Mitra Hejazipour was thrilled. Some international players are saying they don’t want to wear head scarves, but they seem to be making this statement for Iranian women, too: Iranian women shouldn’t have to do this, so we’ll make a stink. But this kind of protest — outsiders who think they know best — is exactly the opposite of what most Iranian women want, and is at the heart of what’s worst about policing how Muslim women dress. What best serves Iranian women must be kept separate from security-related outrages over jihadist terrorism, for instance, or Europe’s fractured relations with its Muslims. While mandatory hijab certainly matters, it is for Iranian women to determine what level of priority to accord it.

Source: New York Times October 07, 2016 13:05 UTC