- A Female Iranian footballer filed for asylum in Switzerland
- She faces jail at home for playing football without the hijab during a personal holiday
- An official accused her of being part of the opposition and anti-Islamic groups
- Her parents think the Swiss government provided her with a job as a sports teacher
A top-class Iranian footballer has filed for asylum in Switzerland because she faces jail at home for playing without a hijab while wearing shorts and in a match alongside men.
Five-a-side international Shiva Amini, 28, was on a personal holiday in Switzerland in March when the Iranian FA spotted pictures of her wearing shorts while playing in a match with friends.
The veil has been a mandatory dress requirement for women in Iran since the Islamic Revolution in 1979.
She was dropped and barred from the national side as well as being banned from coaching or playing in league teams.
Amini has now stayed in Switzerland, fearing arrest on her return home and now thinks there is no safe way for her to return to her old life.
"I cannot go back to Iran. I would be arrested at the airport and put in jail," she said.
An unnamed Swiss asylum center is now her home. Her parents and siblings have been questioned to track her location.
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Amini explained that the problems started when she uploaded images of the friendly match to her social media account.
She talked with some people in the Iranian FA, and although Amini said some people showed understanding, others branded her as a danger to the Islamic Revolution.
Amini said: "A high-ranking official told me it was obvious that I was working with the opposition and anti-Islamic groups."
She fears that she became the target of the Iranian government after international media picked up her plight, especially after the U.S.-funded "Voice of America" covered her case in a Persian language program.
She said she could not tell her parents the full story because of their advanced age. "They think that the Swiss government gave me the opportunity to live here as a sports teacher."
Every day Amini goes out for a run, or on warmer days to play football with fellow asylum seekers.
Speaking out against the decision, the footballer said the sport is more important than any veil. "The hijab should be an unimportant issue for us, the female players," she said.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
