Two years ago, Zahra Kodai, the goalkeeper for Iran’s national women’s football team, was accused of being a man by Jordan without any evidence. The complaint was dismissed, similar to the objections against Iman Khalif. Ramtin Shahrzad explores how this harsh and exclusionary language against women contributes to societal violence and what can be done to counteract it.
Zahra Kodai and Jordan’s Complaint: “May She Not Be a Man”
Zahra Kodai, 35, was born into a poor family in the city of Baghmalek in Khuzestan province. She played for various club teams including the Municipality of Bam, the Municipality of Sanandaj, Pas Hamedan, Sepahan, and Zob Ahan. Kodai was the goalkeeper for Iran’s national women’s football team when Jordan requested an investigation into her gender. This request came after she saved two penalties from the Jordanian team during the 2022 Women’s Asian Cup, leading Iran to the final round.
Shortly after, Arabic-speaking social media users, judging by Kodai’s appearance, mockingly and derogatorily referred to her as a “man” or “trans”. The Jordanian Football Federation then lodged a complaint against her with the Asian Football Confederation. Their complaint, like those against Iman Khalif, was dismissed as there was no evidence to label her as a man or trans. It was later reported that the Iranian Football Federation and Kodai had filed a complaint against the Jordanian Football Federation.
In Arabic, Kodai was introduced as the “Iranian male goalkeeper”, and in some Iranian cities, her picture was displayed on the streets with the bold title “Hero Girl”. At that time, some social media users complained that the Iranian feminist community did not defend Kodai.
Other users, some of whom had the flag of the Islamic Republic on their profiles, tried to question feminism and equality by focusing on the accusations against the Iranian goalkeeper. Some others set beauty standards as their criterion; like this tweet that has been viewed more than 361,000 times and says:
“We had a similar story in Iran, like the transphobic incident with the Algerian boxer. They said the goalkeeper of the national women’s team was a man. The amount of ridicule and mockery she faced because of her appearance was beyond belief. In the end, it turned out she was just a poor rural woman whose appearance didn’t match the standard of what these gentlemen considered attractive.”
Iman Khalif: A Golden Woman in a Man’s World
One of the images that may remain from the Paris Olympics is that of Iman Khalif, the gold medal winner in women’s boxing. The Algerian woman was accused by her patriarchal world of not being a “woman” and was alleged to be trans, stronger than her opponent, having high testosterone levels, and that playing against her was unfair. All these allegations were refuted one after the other, to the point where her Italian opponent apologized and Khalif asked the world to stop bullying all athletes.
In the first part of this series of reports, “Iman Khalif in the Paris Olympics: What is the story and what can be done in the face of verbal violence?” I recounted what happened to Khalif and various issues were raised, including the fact that the Olympic Committee’s research says some male athletes even have lower testosterone levels than the standard for women.
In the second part, “Iman Khalif compared to the presence of a Dutch child abuser athlete in the Paris Olympics; and why is critical thinking important here?” I highlighted the case of Steven van de Velde, a blond European man who, despite a conviction and prison record for sexually abusing a 12-year-old child, was still allowed to compete in the Olympics. This situation went largely unchallenged by the same patriarchal society that had no issue with his participation.
Now in this part, I have gone to Zahra Kodai and compared her situation a few years ago with Iman Khalif to raise this question: Who are the objectors to Khalif’s presence, and whose language and beliefs are they repeating?
The reality is that there is a patriarchal tendency in society which imposes its standards on the rest of the community, as seen in the cases of Zahra Kodai and Iman Khalif. This patriarchal perspective, based on tradition and religion, ignores the history, culture, art, and civilization of a land, and opens the way for violence both online and in reality. This perspective does not go without damage, as we have witnessed instances of violence against individuals due to their gender identity or sexual orientation, such as the murder of a 17-year-old in Tabriz by his father for his sexual choices and “feminization”.
Gender is not determined at birth and cannot be changed by a single hormone. It emphasizes that an individual’s environment plays a significant role in their physical and mental development. The first step towards a solution is to strive for a comprehensive, equal, and fair understanding of society. The next step is critical thinking, equipping oneself against lies and deception using various available tools, such as access to a range of data and knowledge.
We must consider the bigger picture, questioning why out of hundreds of games in the Paris Olympics, only one person was introduced as an “unfair” player. Despite various organizations’ efforts to prevent their participation in sports, individuals like Iman Khalif and Zahra Kodai have reached this point of experience.
This is a summary of original Radio Zamaneh content crafted with the help of AI, edited by a Radio Zamaneh editor. To read the original article, click here.
