I made a mistake, says hijab-free climber hailed as a heroine by Iranians
IRANIAN climber Elnaz Rekabi received rapturous applause upon her return to Tehran yesterday from South Korea, where she caused controversy by competing without a headscarf.
Crowds gathered before dawn at Imam Khomeini airport to cheer Ms Rekabi, 33, for appearing to defy the Islamic Republic’s strict public dress code at the Asian Championships.
Some women who turned out to greet her were without headscarves, which has particular significance as protests continue over the death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was detained for inappropriate attire.
But Ms Rekabi – who wore a black baseball cap and hoodie over her hair at the airport – insisted she had climbed without a hijab unintentionally.
She told state television she apologised to “the people of Iran for the turbulence and worry that I created”.
“The struggle that I had with wearing my shoes and preparing my gear made me forget about the proper hijab that I should have had, and I went to the wall and ascended,” she added.
She originally made the claim on her Instagram account on Tuesday that she had been called to climb unexpectedly.
“Due to bad timing and unexpectedly being called to climb the wall, I inadvertently created a problem with my head covering,” she wrote.
That apology came amid reports her phone and passport had been confiscated, with BBC Persian reporting that friends feared for her safety after being unable to reach her.
Ms Rekabi, who came fourth, denied she had been unreachable for 48 hours. However, many of her supporters believe her insistence the lack of a hijab was a mistake may have been the result of duress from the authorities.
An Iranian chess referee who claimed asylum in the UK after being pictured with her hair showing at an international competition suggested Ms Rekabi’s apology may have been coerced. “I think actions speak louder than words. And she made a very powerful statement in not wearing a headscarf,” said Shohreh Bayat.
At the Women’s World Chess Championship in Shanghai two years ago, Ms Bayat said she was photographed while her scarf had slipped down, leading to her receiving death threats and fearing arrest back in Iran.
She said she had also been asked to apologise publicly.
“I had to chose my side because I was asked to write an apology on Instagram and to apologise publicly,” Ms Bayat told BBC World News.
“I knew if I just followed those things I did not believe in, if I apologised for not wearing a headscarf, then I could not forgive myself.”
For Ms Rekabi’s supporters who turned out to greet her, her disavowal of her public appearance without a hijab made little difference.
“Elnaz is a heroine,” they chanted as her van left the airport to an unknown destination.