Ace shooter Heena Sidhu has pulled out of the Asian Airgun Shooting Championship to be held in Tehran in December this year.
Heena, the reigning title holder, has withdrawn her name because of Iran’s insistence on female contestants adhering to the dress code which makes wearing of ‘hijab’ mandatory for women participants.
“Forcing tourists or foreign guests to wear ‘hijab’ is against the spirit of the game. Since I don’t like it, I have withdrawn my name,” Heena Sidhu told Times of India.
“You follow your religion and let me follow mine. I’ll not participate in this competition if you are going to force me to comply with your religious beliefs,” she added.
The organisers have made it clear on their official website that the female contestants will have to wear clothes in compliance with the rules of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
It’s not for the first time that Heena has withdrawn her name from a tournament being held in Iran.
Source: http://www.indiatvnews.com/
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