面紗下的足球夢

這是一個無“禁”不歡的國度。

禁酒——茶是他們的精神飲料;禁色——沒有親戚關系的男女嚴禁往來互動。公交車、地鐵等公共交通工具，施行男女乘客分乘制。無論酷暑嚴寒，一襲傳統的黑衣長袍把端莊美麗的伊斯蘭女性包裹得嚴嚴實實。

2005年的西亞運動會上，準備倉促的伊朗女足竟一舉奪得亞軍殊榮，才使得該國政府開始關注這群低調的鏗鏘玫瑰……

就是在這樣一個恪守教道、男尊女卑的國度，她們卻夢想沖破重重關卡，打進國際賽場，不為取悅真主，不為自我修煉，只為圓自己心底的一個夢。

Iran has a civilization that dates back to 4，000 B.C. Today， the majority of its 70 million people are 1)Muslims. This is an oil and gas rich nation， but many still live in poverty. But some Iranian women have begun taking 2)tentative steps into the very male arena of football. Not just as kids， playing friendly games in the street， there’s nothing taboo about that; but as women， playing in international competition.

Before they reach 3)puberty， girls and boys may play together. But， beyond that， interaction between them， if they are not blood relatives， will be considered a serious offence. Many Iranians， especially men， have strong opinions about their women playing football， but there actually is nothing in Iranian law that 4)prohibits a woman from doing so， but only if she 5)abides by certain conditions. There are strict laws in place to protect a woman’s 6)modesty， and they are 7)rigorously enforced by the Iranian government. In Islam， the wearing of the 8)hijab， a head scarf， is a measure of a woman’s 9)conviction to God. In Iran， it is10)mandatory.

Such regulations have made it difficult for women to pursue a sport， but some have 11)persevered. And unlike their western 12)counterparts， these women are covered from head to toe， only their hands and faces exposed. This is the only way they’ll be allowed to play.

For the girls on this team， the youngest 15， the oldest 30， playing at competition level is living a dream. Most are from working-class families and have come from some of the farthest reaches of Iran. But it’s 20-year-old Katayoun Khosrowyar， who has journeyed further than anyone to get here. She’s the most unlikely player on the team. Behind the outward uniformity of the training gear， is someone who is quite different from the rest of the team.

Katayoun Khosrowyar: I was born in the States， in the South， and I was there for 16 years， and then that’s when I moved to Iran. One summer I decided to come with my father and my younger sister to see what it’s like. And then， now that you know， I never went back.

This country， the people are most amazing people I’ve ever met in my life. Because at first I was really quiet， I didn’t know what to say， what not to say. But， all of them， they started laughing with me， making jokes， especially because I have a bad accent in 13)Farsi. I couldn’t speak Farsi when I first came here.

I have been a person that had been deeply involved in(to) fashion， and what to wear， what not to wear. I’m covered head from[to] toe. I’m not wearing anything too flashy. It might be something different， but， after all， I was born and raised on the other side of the ocean. So， but I mean， people here dress like this as well.

In a place where much of a woman’s life is controlled by 14)doctrine， the act of 15)strapping on a pair of boots and playing competitive football， while still remaining true to the laws of the land， is perhaps a small， yet important step towards giving the Iranian woman a bigger voice in society.

Katayoun: I don’t understand， like， the American dream. Yeah， it is working for your goal and becoming， what? Becoming rich? Does rich make you anything? No. It’s the success you have with your own life and what you do and how you achieve it. Ya know， you can achieve that anywhere else in the world. And I’m achieving it right here， in my father’s country， now my country.

伊朗文明可追溯至公元前四千年。如今，7000萬人口當中多數為穆斯林。這是個富含石油和天然氣的國家，但許多人依舊生活貧困。但有些伊朗女性開始嘗試進入男性主導的足球界。不只是孩童時在街頭嬉戲——這點倒沒有禁忌，而是以女性的身份參加國際競賽。

進入青春期前，女孩和男孩可以一起玩，但除此之外，如果非血親間有交往互動，則會被視為嚴重罪行。許多伊朗人，特別是男性，對女性踢足球很有意見。但其實伊朗法律并沒有禁止女性這么做，但前提是她能信守某些規定。法律嚴格規定要維護女性的端莊謙遜，伊朗政府更以鐵腕執行。伊斯蘭女性佩戴蓋頭是衡量她們對真主的信念的標準。在伊朗，這是不可違背的。

此類規定有礙女性從事體育運動，但有些人仍鍥而不舍。與西方的女足對手不同的是，這些女足隊員們從頭到腳包得密不透風，只露出臉和手。