Do You support Nazi Paikidze's petition?

A few updates from FIDE: 

The information below is posted on her Facebook.

FIDE has answered an inquiry - the contract with Iran is signed, and the players will be required to follow all the local laws in regards to dressing. Also answering my question about working with the trainers during the event - at the times when the local regulations prohibit man and woman to be in the same room, unless they are married or close relatives, I received rather odd "common decency to be respected".
Now, it is up to the players to decide what do they consider "common decency" in regards to their participation in the event. ACP will act accordingly.

My thought? So a female player will not be allowed in the same room as her male coach and assistants.

https://www.change.org/p/stop-women-s-oppression-at-the-world-chess-championship-by-challenging-fide-s-decision

So is this going to trigger a redefinition of the term "feminazi" ?

Sorry, I couldn't resist...  :-)

It would seem that this would mean that the event (where those particular regulations are in force) means that the event would have to have only female officials - obviously any male official who was not either married to or related to all of the competitors should recuse himself on the grounds of common decency. 

If you read the petition, Nazi is claiming that FIDE is violating its own rules and guidelines at least three times: So it is not just a matter of Iran enforcing its laws, it is also about FIDE violating FIDE codes and rules. and also FIDE's breaking it own stated obligation to ensure safety for its participating members. She also provides some very practicle solutions.

In its handbook, FIDE explicitly states its guiding moral principles and one of them is that the organization “rejects discriminatory treatment for national, political, racial, social or religious reasons or on account of sex.” (F.01(1)(2)). Yet, by awarding the Championship to Iran, it is breaking that pledge to its members and subjecting them to discrimination on all fronts.

These violations include:

• Dress restrictions for female players. In Iran, women are legally required to cover up with a hijab. Failure to do so is punishable by fines or imprisonment.
• Speech restrictions for female players. Women have been arrested for speaking out in favor of women’s rights in Iran.
• Several countries (including the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom) have issued travel warnings to Iran. Participants who are citizens of those countries would be traveling at their own risk. 

Her proposed solutions:

We propose two solutions:

• Change the venue or postpone the competition until another organizer is found to host the championship in a “no conflict” venue.
• Require that wearing a hijab be optional and guarantee no discrimination based on gender, nationality, or any other human rights as pointed out in the FIDE handbook (listed above).

 I do support her, I dont think women should be forced to cover up, while men wear what they please.

Though as other people have pointed out, there are other countries with equally as bad or worse treatment of women, like our "friends" the Saudis.

Carla,

I think a difference in regards here, is I don't think the Saudi's force their guest in these type of tournaments to comply to all the loca laws. As I teach overseas, Saudi is a popular spot for foriegn teachers, and they don't get these codes imposed on them. We don't teach in rural areas much, but rather international centers. I think part of what the petition is about is FIDE accepting a host which does not do as Saudi does in allowing foriegn guests a degree of self sovernty. This is not to underscore the treatment of women within the country. Many question why countries with human rights issues should be allowed to host, here it is taken an added element. Which I believe FIDE codes says would disqualify the host.

While I agree that Paikidze has the right to boycott the event there is a caveat in that I think it's ill-judged, and I say that as a feminist.

There's a strong case for arguing that hosting the event in Iran will help draw the country closer to the international community and that this will in turn boost the movement for social reform, which is gaining serious traction now within Iran; more and more Iranian women are defying the dress-code. Indeed, this has prompted some notable Iranian campaigners to speak out against the boycott, arguing that it will be counter-productive.

For these reasons I also think it's a bit shabby pointing the finger at FIDE - they're not the UN and they're not NATO either. Yes, the organisation has stated principles concerning gender-based discrimination but it has other principles too - FIDE's prime purpose is to promote the sport and chess has been surging in Iran over the past decade. The men and women's teams both shone at the recent Olympiad.

As for Ilyumzhinov, his "I've met aliens" routine makes him a prime candidate for weirdness but I'm not sure we can reasonably call him a half-wit and there's no denying that he's a powerful guy (look what he did to Kasparov).

That's because he forgot to take off his watch.

Yeah, I have thought about this a bit, since there have been three other threads on the topic :) 

Saudi Arabia is a distraction from the point really, though I read women's rights are worse than in Iran. 

I only know what I read about Iran, Im no big expert. However, I do think it cannot be right to force women to cover up. 

So the arguments seem to be

-its good for womens chess and for womens chess to hold the championships in Iran and might draw the international community closer.

-There are Countries with worse women's rights that are not boycotted.

-The West is hypocritical

versus

-Boycotting will make the point to the regime that wearing a hijab is repressive to women and will not be condoned by the international community.

I support the petition.  FIDE failed to keep its promise to protect professional chess players from gender discrimination.  FIDE should have waited for an acceptable bid, even if this delayed the WWC by a few months.

these hijab threads remind me of:

1) i know what you did last summer

2) i still know what you did last summer 

3) i'll always know what you did last summer

4) i think i remember what you did last summer, but the details are kind of hazy right now

5) I know what you did last summer 5, the final insult  :0)

6) the Revenge of what you did last summer.   The "remake"!

>So is this going to trigger a redefinition of the term "feminazi" ? Sorry, I couldn't resist...  :-)<

You should have. Think before you speak...or move...

7. I somewhat remember what you did the summer previous, but it might have been a dream.  The Prequel.

>Indeed, this has prompted some notable Iranian campaigners to speak out against the boycott, arguing that it will be counter-productive.<

No, you're wrong. It's counter-productive to support fascism of any kind, but especially religious.

The boycott is bringing international attention to this issue, plus revealing how toothless and morally bankrupt FIDE is as an organization. 

Anyone who speaks out against the boycott is making excuses for Iran and Islam's hideous culture of oppressing women. Don't kid yourself that this is about anything else. 

I support her personal decision not to participate in the tournament (if it is held in Iran under the currently proposed rules) 100%. As for the petition, I don't really have a strong opinion. I think decisions on venue or rules changes should be between the players, FIDE and the host.