Iran jails woman bodybuilder for posting un-Islamic photos

IRAN’S social media police have struck again.
The Islamic Republic arrested and jailed a female bodybuilder after she published revealing photos of herself online, Iranian media reported Wednesday.
“One of the female bodybuilders who recently published nude photographs on social networks has been arrested,” the Mizanonline news agency reported.
But in Iran, “nude” can refer to women who are not wearing headscarves or are showing parts of their arms and legs, according to AFP.
The AFP also reported that she had previously been warned about posting selfies that were considered “unIslamic”.
The bodybuilder was sent to prison because she wasn’t able to post bail of 2 million rials ($82).
Her current status is unclear.
While the woman hasn’t been officially identified, it is widely believed to be Iranian bodybuilding champion Shirin Nobahari.
With 68,000 Instagram followers, Nobahari (who uses the Instagram moniker Shirin Muscleking) is considered a social media star in the conservative republic.
She is thought to be one of two Iranian women reported in September to have taken part in an international bodybuilding competition.
The New York Times reports that while women in Iran are permitted to compete in sporting events internationally, they are compelled to adhere to a strict Islamic dress code at all times.
Female swimmers have to wear full bodysuits and headscarves and women footballers and athletes have to wear tracksuits and long sleeves.
There have also been incidents where female sports fans were arrested for watching male sports events.
In 2014 a British woman, Ghoncheh Ghavami, 25, was arrested and taken to Tehran’s notorious Evin jail after attempting to watch a men’s volleyball match between Iran and Italy.
Iranian women are routinely banned from watching football matches, including the national team’s games.