Interview with Iranian President Gets Cancelled after Journalist Christiane Amanpour Refuses to Wear Head Scarf
Now, veteran journalist Christiane Amanpour has made a revelation that her interview with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was cancelled as she refused to wear a headscarf prior to an interview with him.
All eyes are focussed on Iran due to the increasing violence and protests that have recently erupted in the nation.
Both men and women are protesting on the streets over the death of 22 year old Mahsa Amini who passed away following her arrest by the “morality police” over a hijab dress code violation.
Though police say that she died of heart failure and went into a coma, eye-witnesses offer a different and a disturbing version to this story. Mahsa’s parents say that their daughter had no history of heart problems.
Now, veteran journalist Christiane Amanpour has made a revelation that her interview with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was cancelled as she refused to wear a headscarf prior to an interview with him.
One of the President’s aides had approached the journalist and made a request to her to wear a headscarf.
The explanation he gave Amanpour for his request was the “situation in Iran” and as a “matter of respect.”
“I politely declined. We are in New York, where there is no law or tradition regarding headscarves,” Amanpour said.
“I pointed out that no previous Iranian president has required this when I have interviewed them outside Iran,” she said.
“I said that I couldn't agree to this unprecedented and unexpected condition.”
Christiane further posted a photograph of herself on Twitter without the head scarf with an empty chair in front of her where the President was to be seated.
“And so we walked away. The interview didn’t happen. As protests continue in Iran and people are being killed, it would have been an important moment to speak with President Raisi. 7/7”, the picture was captioned.
Christiane said that the event left her “unsettling.”
The popular journalist’s father is an Iranian and her mother is a catholic. She completed her primary education in Tehran, Iran, after which she moved to England. Amanpour relocated to America to pursue journalism.
According to The Associated Press at least nine people have been killed amid clashes between the Iranian security forces and the locals over Mahsa Amini’s death. The protests, now on its seventh day, have reached 80 other cities and towns in the Islamic republic.