Public space

TEHRAN — In a major shift, Iran announced Saturday that women would be allowed to attend big sporting events, reversing a rule that had barred them from entering stadiums to watch matches attended by men.

Iranian women aren't allowed to enter national stadiums or gather with men to watch sport in public. But many have defied the authorities during the World Cup, cheering on their team in local restaurants. Claire Cohen reports.

Nihal Saad Zaghloul is an Egyptian WLUML networker.  Here, she talks to Christopher Reeve of Community Times.

Nihal Saad Zaghloul is not afraid to get her hands dirty. Literally. After meeting with Community Times in a Zamalek coffee shop, Zaghloul was making a U-turn, when a young rookie driver, unfamiliar with Cairo’s traffic conventions, drove into her path. Zaghloul slammed her car’s brakes, but contact was inevitable.  Luckily, there was no major damage, except for a flat tire.  A policeman arrived at the scene, and all parties agreed that the tire simply needed to be changed.  The rookie driver, a young man, did not know how to change a tire. 

“I’ll do it,” Zaghloul offered.  The police officer objected:  what would people think if they saw a woman changing a tire as men looked on?     

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