Accepting Iranian Chess Player Who Compete Without Hijab, Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez: I Learned A Lot

JAKARTA - Demonstrations of bravery by an athlete like Sarasadat Khademalsharieh, an Iranian chess player who competes without the hijab, is contributing to a better world, the Spanish Prime Minister said after meeting with her.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he was inspired after his meeting with Khademalsharieh at his official residence, Moncloa Palace.

Khademalsharieh, 25, better known as Sara Khadem, took part in the Fide World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan, without a hijab last December.

Instead of returning to Iran, she flew to Spain, where she arrived earlier this month.

"How much I have learned today from a woman who inspired me," Prime Minister Sanchez wrote on Twitter, launching The National News on January 26.

"All my support goes to female athletes. Your example contributes to a better world," she added.

In the footage provided by the prime minister's office, Khademalsharieh can be seen chatting with PM Sanchez on a couch while wearing a black suit, but without a hijab. They then played a game of chess.

Demonstrations against Iran's clerical leadership have swept the country since mid-September, when a 22-year-old Iranian-Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, died while in the custody of the moral police, who detained her for wearing "inappropriate clothing".

Laws mandating the wearing of the headscarf had been a flashpoint during the unrest, with a string of female athletes competing overseas appearing in public without wearing the headscarves.

In a recent interview with the El País newspaper, Khademalsharieh who holds the title Women's Grandmaster said she used to wear the headscarf in tournaments only when there were cameras, because she represented Iran.

"With the headscarf, I'm not me, I feel bad, so I want to end that situation," she said.

"So I decided not to use it anymore," she said

It is known, Khademalsharieh is ranked 771st in the world, according to the International Chess Federation website, and ninth in Iran.