International Women’s Day: Why are women banned from running in Iraq?

Although she achieved remarkable progress in training, Soha and hundreds of other participants found themselves facing a sudden ban.

This was not the first time that the city of Basra witnessed similar events, but the uproar caused by the marathon this year was unprecedented, as the marathon became the focus of attention of clerics and tribal leaders, who called on the authorities to cancel it immediately, and threatened to take firm stances in the event of no response.

They pointed out that the marathon might lead to the “loss of chastity and honor” for Basra women, which increased controversy and tension in the city.

Indeed, after a video of a cleric criticizing the marathon was widely circulated, the organizers of the event announced that the Basra Marathon “will be for males only, to preserve everyone’s safety,” so that the sporting event will be held on the ninth of last February without any women’s participation.

“I aspired to show my abilities and skills in the marathon, and this challenge was an interesting goal for me, as I love sports and am committed to training regularly,” Soha (a pseudonym) tells the BBC.

She adds that her decision to withdraw was “painful,” as she was setting her goals and working on them seriously, so she started running for 30 minutes a day, then gradually increased the duration to 45 minutes, and then to a full hour, until she was finally able to run a distance of nine kilometers in less than an hour and ten minutes. .

But talk about the marathon quickly turned from a sporting event that would promote tourism in the ancient city, to a societal political issue discussing women’s right to participate in the marathon, and was marred by threats from some clerics, which made Soha retract her decision to join.

“After I heard about the threats directed against the participants, I was overwhelmed by feelings of fear and anxiety, and this prompted me to withdraw and surrender to the reality,” Soha adds.

But why did clerics use their widespread popularity and platforms to talk about marathons and women’s running? The Shiite cleric, Saleh Al-Jizani, described women’s participation as “deviant openness.”

The matter did not stop there, but another cleric said that the number 13, which is the number of kilometers that the contestants must run, is a “Masonic number.”

The same cleric also questioned women’s motivations for participating in a running race due to “their body characteristics that are different from men’s.”

These statements sparked concern and uproar among activists and women’s rights defenders in the country, some of whom called for a complete boycott of the marathon.

In an interview with the BBC, one of the marathon organizers, who preferred to remain anonymous, said, “We were exposed to major threats, especially from clerics, but we ignored them at first, and then they turned into pressure and threats from officials in power, and until the last moment we were not They want to cancel women’s participation in the marathon.”

He added: “We began receiving threatening messages saying that if women participated in the event, they would be killed and harassed, and this is what made us retreat, to protect their lives and for fear that the participants would be harmed.”

The marathon organizers had initially announced the presence of security forces to protect women from any harassment during the event. Some participants considered this an “encouraging step,” but others did not find it sufficient.

Amal, a swimming coach in Basra, says, “I would prefer if males and females had different places designated for running and preparation, before and after the event, such as starting tents. This might make us feel safer.”

Away from the direct repercussions of the decision that prevented Suha and hundreds of Iraqi women aspiring to participate in the marathon, Helen Hassan, director of an organization called the “Basra Feminists Team,” expresses her concern about the future consequences of the decision, as the human rights activist and feminist activist described the decision as “frightening,” as the role of tribal customs In Iraqi society, according to Helen Hassan, women’s reality was not clearly reflected in governmental social decisions, but now what Basra has witnessed of “the subordination of the local government to extremist voices raises concern.”

Hassan doubts what she described as the narrative promoted by the government about the city of Basra being open to tourism and adopting progressive decisions under the leadership of Governor Asaad Al-Eidani, such as hosting the 2023 Gulf Cup, the first prominent sporting event hosted by Iraq in decades.

Helen Hassan talks about the close relationship between the clergy and the local authority. She says that the marathon is not “the only example of the oppression of women and their exclusion from life under the pretext of honor.” She cites a case that coincided with the marathon in February, when a fashion show in the Shanshal Mall sparked an uproar in Basra, after the governor filed a lawsuit against the mall and ordered its closure. He considered the show “indecent,” and said in a statement that the government is taking legal measures against “those who break social rules, violate chastity, and offend public modesty.”

Helen Hassan believes that the government and tribal leaders follow the same school of thought. “I do not buy this civilian image that they are promoting.” She stresses the need to preserve civilian voices in Basra, “against those who use weapons and fear to impose their authority.”

Marathon organizers told the BBC that they are determined to have women participate next year, even if they are threatened. “We will use media pressure before the event to confirm this, and we will learn from our mistakes and hold the marathon inside the city of Basra in order to fully control it security-wise.”

Basra is distinguished by its ancient history, as Islamic history books state that it was built in the first century AH, that is, more than 1,400 years ago. During that period, the city became famous for being one of the centers of Islamic culture with its poets and jurists.

Basra was also the headquarters of a famous grammar school, as was the case with one of the Mu’tazila groups. Its population is more than 1.4 million people, and it is the main port of Iraq.

One of the marathon organizers concludes his interview with the BBC by looking to the future again and says: “We will prevail and get the city we want. We will show the positive side of our city, and we will fight to achieve the civilization of Basra.”