http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7227094.stm

Seems such a shame for her and her fans but once again fanatics ruin sport once again... :rolleyes: :( :tsk:

It's a shame but sadly it's evidence of the arhciac attitude towards women in certain countries. I am not disrespecting cultural or religious choices but in this day and age these attitudes need challenging as they are discrimination and often lead to a violation of rights. What can she do if it is getting her down? You can't blame her because she might have a more promising career if she got away form this kind of rubbish. If elements fo her country are pushign her away like this then let them suffer when she refuses to play home tournies.

Apparently the USA isn't the only country with flag issues :(

I'm not surprised. Might as well reproduce my commentary from the mixed doubles AO thread, in which she reached the final alongside countryman and class doubles specialist Bhupathi:

(In fact she's returned to the Top 30.)

good on Mirza for taking a stand. patriarchy and misogyny are so tired :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Soooo right! :ok:

Interesting what Mazikert said about how playing in England. Whilst I have no real objection for folks playing for whoever they like, it does feel more real to have an actual British born and bred national playing for my own country and I feel I have more to cheer about then - like Henman over Rusedski for eg. I'm not being exclusive or extremely patriotic btw - I'm sure we all get excited and proud when I is our own countryman or woman in the top 10. I do make exceptions where people are doing it because they have good reasons, like when Navratilova played under a different flag because she was forced to defect to play tennis. And Sania does have some reasons to consider playing for a different country here. And there is a massive Indian community who would love that and she'd certainly be an icon for her ethnic group. :ok:

That aside, I have always opposed Britain bringing in top players form elsehwere to mask the fact that we cannot produce our own, we still need to do that. However as said it would be good for the women at the LTA to be training with a top player, so we should consider that angle as well. And she has such a great personailty and icon for women standing up for themselves in oppressive cultures that she would be an asset, so why not :ok:

Also does Bhupati get rubbish in India? Or has he ever ha dany?

Nah, purely just Mirza, probly the fact she is India's firs real female sports star. Maybe not just in tennis too.
Seems some of the more religious and extreme right MEN of India can't handle this and need to bring her down a peg or two to me...

Maybe she should do the ultimate and switch nationalities. I knw she probably doesn't want to as she loves her homeland but England needs a female tennis star, Sania :D We won't mind the short sleeve shirts you wear. In fact, some areas of the press will encourage you to wear less!

Hmmm - I am not really sure what to make of this. She is from a country of 1bn people and has so far faced:

* a complaint by one person who is a flag obsessive (you want to see what the golfer Natalie Gulbis has had to put up with after a cock up on the flag etiquette front by her http://thesandtrap.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6827)

* a trespass claim after she did a photoshoot in a mosque - well she might not have got the right permission

* the usual complaints from a large muslim community that attach to so many muslim sportspeople

We none of us know the facts on the trespass claim, I am not a stickler for flag etiquette but it's hardly a death threat, and whilst I don't like this aspect of the Islamic attitude towards women, she's hardly the first one to face it.

Unless she's faced threats etc. that the article does not tell us about (which I suspect must be the case), I am not hugely impressed by her response to what the article describes.

As far as i believe, Mirza is treated with as much respect and celebrity in India as the cricket team :shrug: If she wants to throw that back in their faces because of a few old fashioned doomsayers, then she WILL become unpopular

Liam that's not strictly true... :shrug:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4256052.stm

She has faced threats which isn't on so she isn't throwing anything back at anyone here... :ok:

funny that, because its the BBC that stated she was as popular as the cricket team :shrug:

again its all rumours from a minority. is Mirza is going to let these narrow minded radicals win even though they deny the threats? looks like it and i think thats sad

No I didn't mean about the cricket team bit, I meant about she isn't always treated with respect... Most people probably do but some don't...

I don't blame her to be honest, it's tough enough being a top player. I think we underestimate the pressure they are under.
If people at home are making it difficult for her then she is doing the right thing... :ok:

well after living in Leicester for a few years, i have a lot of Indian friends (lol) and they have told me how she has gone from hero to zero in their eyes, and they know more about Indian affairs than i do. I try to liken it to when i came out of the closet, which was 12 years ago now and in a small homophobic town. I was threatened with all sorts, including one death threat. Did i move away or hide away? no. I carried on as normal and challenged peoples views. you know what? not only did i never come to any harm, but Fleetwood now has a thriving gay community. I know the comparrison is vague and Indias extreme groups are more dangerous than the Fleetwood thugs but the principal is the same. Mirza is in a position where she has a chance to challenge peoples views, and i think to turn her back on her nation despite that is sad :(

I agree it's sad but I don't blame Mirza for doing this.
The same people who are whining about her wearing a t shirt are the same people who are running round Iraq lopping people's heads off, blowing up Russian school children, killing a Dutch film director because they didn't like his film... :shrug:
It's all well and good challenging people but if the people you are challenging are religious fanatics who have no regard for human life, then personally I'd skip a couple of tennis events... :shrug:

Well she'd get support over here because many have emigrated for a more liberal and less sexist culture. I wan the rhere now ! think we should get onto her agent Trisco :lol: She can join CC as well and run the womens forum :lol:

Btw I like her dresses - her AO one was very nice I thought and she isn't a complete slut at all, far from it. She can hardly play in a full length sari and a burkah can she? :lol:

I agree with Liam that you should challnge prejudice, i always do where I can do safely. Bu these people as you say are the same ones blowing innocent folks up, and of the same ilk as those who wanted to stone a woman to death last year and the same ilk as those in I thin Afghnistan who have sentenced someone to death for downloading a paper on feminism - thouroughly prejudiced fundamentalists who will carry out extreme acts in the name of god and whatever pretence they use. Dangerous people.