Funny Answer on Muslim Head Scarf Asked by a Chrisitian Lady

Iranian women are exploring new boundaries and opportunities in education and careers - not least female racing car champion Laleh Seddigh - until that is she was banned from competitions following allegations of engine tampering.

Laleh's story is a symbol of what women can achieve in today's Iran.

But her desire to prove she could compete with men at every level ended up costing her dearly.

She burst onto the racing scene three years ago, becoming champion of the 1600GT class.

By exploiting a loophole in the regulations, Laleh found that as long as she respected Islamic dress codes, she could race directly against male drivers - something that does not happen anywhere else in the world.

But while they were obliged to tolerate Laleh's presence, the racing establishment never fully accepted it.
The regime was so put out, Iranian TV was forbidden from showing her on the victory podium

news.bbc.co.uk...

Driving career
Seddigh had to get special permission from a local ayatollah in order to compete against men. Permission was granted since driving is not deemed a contact sport, and on the condition that Seddigh would confirm to dress-codes. At 28, Laleh Seddigh was known for her stunning looks and legendary driving skills. A PhD student from Tehran, she has been nicknamed "a little Schumacher" after the German Formula One champion. She has been given the title of Iran's best female racing driver. The story is featured in a BBC TV documentary called "Girl Racer". some of her career achievements are:

Rally - Started her career in 2000 - Women Champion 2003, 2004 - Captain of Proton Rally team - Completed 28 Rallies - 7 Podiums, 3 First place

Races - Started car racing in 2004 - Completed 5 races (Peugeot 206, 1600 cc & Proton 1500 cc) - 7 Podium finishes, five 1st Places - National Champion Peugeot 206 - 1600cc

en.wikipedia.org...

During the penultimate race of the 2006 season, the stadium announcer called out Seddigh's name, ordering her to appear at the starting line, but guards refused to allow her through the gate, citing orders from above. She was later told that the head of the racing association had decided that she would never be allowed to race again.

He was afraid of the new president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a conservative extremist. "They wanted to prevent me from capturing the championship again," says Seddigh.

www.spiegel.de...

These news articles speak for themselves. Laleh more than complied with all relevent dress codes, yet she found that in 21st century male dominated Iran, by whatever means possible, capable women are prevented from achieving full potential.

The BBC documentary in the first link is worth a watch. It provides insight into how state sponsored gender separation fuels gender based personal value judgements and subjugation of half the population. It also contains footage about how the 'revolution' did not destroy the western values of freedom of association enjoyed under the Shah.

Hahahhaha...awesome story, but I'm not sure you'd want to use it as an example of "state sponsored gender segregation" in Iran, because such a thing happens nowhere else in the world. No other country (or racing circuit/rally) in the world allows women to compete against men.

reply to post by babloyi


Past tense is relevant! Iran cannot decide if Iran is secular or theocratic; Lahla and her father approached a cleric and a fatwa was issued, permitting her to compete. Couple of years later, official racing authority bans her from ever racing again! It's a perfect example of subjugation, segregation and national schizophrenia!

reply to post by babloyi


Ever hear of Danica Patrick?

Originally posted by babloyi
Hahahhaha...awesome story, but I'm not sure you'd want to use it as an example of "state sponsored gender segregation" in Iran, because such a thing happens nowhere else in the world. No other country (or racing circuit/rally) in the world allows women to compete against men.

Danica Patrick competes against men, and she's damn good at it too...might want to do a bit of fact-checking.





Peace be with you.

-truthseeker

Sorry, I was just quoting the article Teapot posted. It says (I'm too lazy to go back and check now, but I'll paraphrase) "she got a chance to race directly against other male racers, something that doesn't happen anywhere else in the world (source: bbc). You might want to take it up with them.


I checked up what you said (I'm really not a racing aficionado, so I wouldn't know), and while it does say that Danica races in the Indycar or Nascar or Formula 1, it doesn't specify. You might be right. I don't know.


So...I dunno.