Iranian Olympic Committee has called on Muslim states around the world to protest to FIFA and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), said a report on a website Sunday.

FIFA has barred Iranian women soccer team from wearing religious headscarves during the August Youth Olympic Games in Singapore.

Bahram Afsharzadeh, the secretary general of Iran’s Olympic Committee, said the decision is a violation of Muslims rights.

The team, who qualified to compete in the Games, which are due to be held between August 14 and 26, wearing head scarves, have been informed by FIFA that they will not be allowed to compete unless they remove the hijab.

Ali Kafashian, the president of the Iran Football Association, has written to FIFA to ask them to reconsider their decision.

Afsharzadeh added the decision was made whereas most of international federations have accepted that women wear Islamic headscarf when taking part in competitions.

He also called for taking required measures so that FIFA reconsiders its decision and the Iranian team can attend the tournaments without any discrimination.

Ban

FIFA had passed a ruling in March 2007 that the hijab is forbidden in matches. It came after a Canadian Muslim was expelled from a match for donning a hijab.

The decision, taken by the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the body which decides the laws of the game and is made up of the four FA’s from the United Kingdom and FIFA, cited law 4 which lists the basic equipment that players are allowed to wear and does not include headwear except for the goalkeeper.

Afsharzadeh said the decision taken by the FIFA proves that it "does not care about such issues as nationality, religion and race."

“It is also an indication of creating obstacles on their part in the way of the women’s progress,” he added.

“Iran’s National Olympic Committee has forwarded copies of a protest letter to the IOC and a number of other leading officials around to consider the issue,” Afsharzadeh said.


Agencies