POLITICS AND SOCIETY
Soccer Gets Muslim Women Friendly Can Muslim perseverance pay off with positive outcomes just as it worked with getting hijab legalized for playing soccer?
BY SHIREEN AHMED
O
n March 13, when Samah Aidah was prohibited by soccer referees in Aurora, Colo., from playing in a game due to her hijab, her teammates on the Overland High School girls soccer team turned out in hijabs. Immediately after, her school submitted an application for an accommodation to the team uniform and she was allowed to compete. The scenario is changing for Muslims desiring to participate in the mainstream while maintaining traditional Islamic attire. FIFA Secretary-General Jerome Valcke announced rescinding the ban on March 1. The amendment also favors Sikh males who wear turbans. The judgment also could be interpreted to include goalkeepers who choose to wear protective headgear.
The wearing of head cover had been banned until 2012, with FIFA saying that they posed too great a risk of injury to the head or neck. However, FIFA’s governing body, the International Football Association Board (IFAB), then allowed them to be tested out over a two-year period following a request from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), a trial which proved to be successful. The law banning hijab was officially implemented in 2007. The hijabi footballer’s case was taken up more than five years ago by Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan, a FIFA executive committee member. This campaign was supported by numerous online campaigns, United Nations Special Advisor on Sport Support Initiative and advocates of women’s sports, the Asian Football Confederation, and the West Asian Football Federation. It also came after numerous Muslim women were denied a chance to play and
THE EFFORT FOR THE UNIVERSAL APPLICATION OF RULES HAS TO CONTINUE. UNTIL THE FIFA DECISION IS NOT IMPLEMENTED BY OTHER NATIONAL AND REGIONAL SOCCER ASSOCIATIONS, SOME YOUNG PLAYERS MAY BE TURNED AWAY FROM THE GAME. THE KEY IS INCLUSION, NOT ACCOMODATION. 46
national teams were ejected from various international tournaments for their choice to wear hijab while playing. For many athletes, this is not a moment of celebration but of sheer relief. Unsurprisingly, hijab being banned from the pitch has been a highly politicized issue. Some countries (such as France and the Canadian province of Quebec) had planned to continue to ban hijab despite this law being declared outdated and unfair. Many ethnic communities rallied around the women being excluded creating a league for players and women. In Mississauga, a city in the Canadian province of Ontario, the Muslim Youth Soccer League that boasts more than 800 players, including a women’s division, created an inclusive and challenging way to engage in the game. It has been an outlet for Muslim women who, otherwise, would have no access to play a sport they loved. Montreal-based Muslim designer Elham Sayed Javed, who created a velcro-lined prototype that met IFAB safety standards, was a huge advocate of the campaign to allow hijab on the pitch. In November 2012, her Resport-ON design for a hijab was accepted on a trial basis by IFAB requirements (velcro fastenings and easily removable). Fast forward two years and to much relief, IFAB approved hijab-clad women — just in time for the Women’s World Cup 2015 to be held in Canada. As important as it is for women to be included, it should be ensured that FIFA rules are applied not just for international competition but also that regional and local clubs adopt the changes. Otherwise, varying levels of players might not be able to participate. As yet, the National Federation of High School Athletics, which oversees state associations of all sport in schools, has not sanctioned hijabs. The effort for the universal application of rules has to continue. Until the FIFA decision is not implemented by other national and regional soccer associations, some young players may be turned away from the game. The key is inclusion, not accomodation.
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Shireen Ahmed, a writer and advocate focusing on Muslim women in sports, is an athlete, community organizer, and works with Youth of Colour on empowerment projects and is a sports coach and mentor. She contributes to Muslimah Media Watch, a Global Sports Correspondent for Safe World For Women and works on the Muslim Women in Sports website.
ISLAMIC HORIZONS MAY/JUNE 2014