Iran warns chess player Sara Khadim not to return for not wearing hijab

 Iran warns chess player Sara Khadim not to return for not wearing hijab

• Khadam took part in the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship in Almaty last week without a hijab

Authorities in Iran have now told its national chess player Sara Khadem not to return to her homeland after she decided to compete in an international tournament in Kazakhstan without wearing a hijab or headscarf, news agency Reuters reported.

The report comes amid massive protests following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of Iran's 'moral police'. Moral police arrested her for not wearing hijab properly.

Sara Khadem, a 25-year-old Iranian chess player born in 1997, is receiving threats not to return to Iran, Reuters reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Khadam took part in the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship in Almaty last week without a hijab. It should be noted that the hijab or headscarf has been made mandatory for all women under Iran's strict dress code.

The report added that Khadam received several phone calls from people warning him against returning home after the tournament, while others said he should come back, promising to "solve his problem".

Khadam's relatives and parents, who are in Iran, also received threats.

Khadam, also known as Sarasadat Khademalshahrih, arrived in Spain on Tuesday. Newspapers including Le Figaro and El Pais reported last week that Khadem would not return to Iran and would not go to Spain.

The source said that because of the phone call, the organizers decided to provide security in cooperation with the Kazakh police, resulting in four bodyguards being stationed outside Khadam's hotel room.

According to the website of the International Chess Federation, Khadem is ranked 804th in the world.

The protests in Iran are one of the boldest challenges to Iran's leadership since the 1979 revolution and have attracted Iranians from all walks of life.

Laws enforcing compulsory hijab wearing have become a flashpoint during the unrest, with a string of women competing overseas appearing in public without their headscarves.

Women have played a prominent role in removing and in some cases burning headscarves, while protesters have seen this as a show of support for both female and male Iranian athletes.