Surfing Sisters in Gaza Hit Waves of Disapproval

BY: EMAN MOHAMMED

Sisters Sabah and Shrouq Abu Gunaim surfing in the Gaza Strip

Two Palestinian sisters, Sabah and Shrouq Abu Gunaim, are struggling to hang on to their identities as active surfers despite cultural opposition to body-baring sports for girls and women.

When they were little girls they could surf with relative freedom. But now that they are teens, it's different.

"My family encourages me, although the community thinks it's shameful to do so," says Sabah, age 14, as her mother braids her long ponytail.

For her older sister Shrouq, 17, the pressure is now particularly intense.

The Abu Gunaim family lives in a modest, thatched-roof house just across the street from the beach, in the windswept spot of Sheikh Ejleen.

For a while Sabah, as a younger girl, surfed openly on the beach. But now she avoids broad daylight. "Once I got older and became more of a woman, as they say, I had to surf when no one is looking, in the early morning and sometimes late at night," she says.

Both sisters are careful not to go out alone anymore.

"I always surf with my father and brothers around now," says Sabah. "I enjoy it; but not as much. But do I have any other choice?"

If their father is nearby, men on the beach are less likely to harass and scold them for flouting constraints on girls' sports. But sometimes even if their father is there, a male passerby will threaten and harass him to get his daughters out of the water.

Still, Sabah remains committed to the sport. "The community might say it is 'aib,' a disgrace, for a girl to surf, but it doesn't feel this way. I want to go to the Olympics with Shrouq and prove them wrong."

Hurting Marriage Prospects

Their mother, a 35-year-old full-time homemaker who asked not to be named, worries that surfing could hurt her daughters' chances at marriage.

"My daughters can't draw attention to themselves anymore," she says. "It will hurt them and ruin their small dreams. I only hope they don't get hurt; it's what they love to do and that's all I care about."

The sisters' surf boards--one black and white and one blue--have been featured in a number of stories in the foreign press in recent years. But here at home the attention is beginning to work against them in a community where young women are expected to stay largely inside and wear modest attire.

Whether they will be knocked off balance by waves of public disapproval is a question as they are getting older.

The girls' father, Rajab Abu Gunaim, helped pioneer the sport in the Gaza Strip and passed on his passion to his two daughters, the oldest of six children. Sabah and Shrouq in turn taught their younger brothers.

"I consider myself a self-taught surfer, a lucky one," says Rajab Abu Gunaim "What I have learnt represents my heritage, one that I'm working on passing on to my children, both boys and girls."

When the novelty of two surfing sisters in the Gaza Strip began to attract the media, their father worried the exposure might bring negative attention. At the same time, however, he thought it could also work to foster their talent and help the local community adjust to the idea of female surfing.

The sisters are breaking no laws in surfing, but girls and women are by custom expected to be accompanied by a male in public, to dress in modest attire and to exercise and participate in sports indoors. Outdoor sports, with body-revealing attire, are borderline taboo.

TV-Taught Skills

Rajab Abu Gunaim works as a full-time life guard during the summer and as a fisherman throughout the year. Much of his surfing skills, he says, came from watching the sport on TV. He learned how to swim at age 8 and at 17 began training others to surf.

Now about a dozen male surfers--ranging from 14 to 35 in age--are a common feature on the beach, all of them trained by him.

His daughters ride on boards donated by a cross-border cooperation organization, Surfing 4 Peace, which encourages surfers in Gaza and Israel.

Gazans' use of the sea was limited to three nautical miles after the 2008-2009 war imposed a blockade that has made fishing and sailing nearly impossible. Israel says the blockade is necessary to stop the infiltration of militants into Israel and arms importation to Gaza.

Rajab Abu Gunaim, who says he has come under fire many times while fishing, condemns the blockade as a form of "collective punishment" that has hurt his livelihood and blocked the import of surf boards to the Gaza Strip.

"No surf boards are allowed to come in and of course none of us are allowed to get to the boarders to bring them in. It is hopeless. Although surfing is a joyful and challenging sport all over the world, apparently in Gaza it threatens Israeli security," he fumed.

Sabah recounts the astonishment of her classmates the first time they saw her surf. "I once came back from school with some of my classmates and they saw my board. I tried to explain to them about surfing and my dad took us all on his boat into the sea. I dived into the water and when I looked back, they were all astonished."

Eman Mohammed is a 25-year-old Palestinian photojournalist and reporter based in the Gaza Strip.

source: http://womensenews.org/story/athleticssports/130221/surfing-sisters-in-gaza-hit-waves-disapproval#.UTTqoTDvvwD

Fearless and Female: Cox's Bazaar Best Surfer

BY: SHIREEN AHMED

“I feel free on the water...where I am from and who I am doesn’t really matter”.- Nassima Atker

Cox’s Bazaar, in the southeast corner of Bangladesh, is a perfect spot for surfing. In the early nineties a local resident, Jafar Alam, set up a surf school and promised to teach kids and passer-by how to surf. He was supported and encouraged by a group of Americans who had stopped to surf in Bangladesh. Alam’s surf school: Surfing Bangladesh now has more than 70 participants. One of whom is Nassima Atker, a Rohingya refugee from Burma. Atker moved to Bangladesh with her family to escape persecution, sectarian violence and ethnic cleansing.

According to the United Nations the Muslims of Rohingya are one of the most persecuted minorities in the world. There are more than 200,000 refugees in Bangladesh who are struggling to live in squalor. 40,000 of them are undocumented.  Due to a recent NGO ban in the area, these people are not provided with any type of assistance. They are resented by Bangladesh who insist they are illegal migrants although the Burmese government denies they are Burmese. Since the 8th century their historical and natural ties to land are mostly from Arakan in Burma.
No one is willing to accept or embrace them.

Essentially, they are a people without a home. Rohingya’ are denied citizenship and victims of institutionalized discrimination. They look similar to Bangladeshis and speak a different language and are of a different religion but essentially they are from Burma.
In addition to being a displaced and vulnerable population, the women struggle with poverty, illiteracy, lack of access to health care and are often forced into sexual and forced labour.

One woman is facing insurmountable struggles, not only culturally and socio-economically; she is one of Bangladesh’s most agile and skilled surfers and receiving very little encouragement.

And she is labelled a “whore” for wanting to surf.

Obviously, in a region where survival is a basic challenge, surfing and participating in beach activities are not viewed upon favourably. Or a priority.

Nassima, is the only woman actively surfing. But she is not supported by her neighbours and community.

Her Muslim culture is very conservative and although there are organizations who were established to empower youth and teach them surfing, she is facing more and more opposition to her athleticism.

She recalls her first experience on the water was challenging but that she felt a connection to the ocean and keep practicing.

Nassima wears a salwar kameez- full shirt and loose pants- as her surfing kit. She is already married and is a doting wife. Her husband does not oppose her interest in surfing.

She and her family have seen much strife. Her people are still suffering. Nassima has been incredibly brave to continue with surfing and ignore the hostility and discouraging behaviour of some of the community.  She has developed and worked hard at an athletic skill that is difficult. She is accomplished and humble.

Had Nassima been in a different part of the world her talent would have been recognized and instead of being ostracized she would have been encouraged. She should be lauded for being an incredible role model for young women. Despite her struggles with malnutrition, at 14 years of age, Nassima managed to beat all the boys in a local surfing championship.

Unfortunately, her surrounding community feels differently.  

She has been beaten, cursed at and has had trash thrown at her en route to her beach to surf in the afternoon.

Nassima’s courage and passion for her sport has not gone unnoticed.

Lakshmi Puri, Deputy Director of United Nations Women, gave a talk at the 2012 International Olympic Committee Conference on Women and and referenced Nassima in her speech:

“Just a year ago, more girls than boys belonged to the [Bangladesh Surf] club. But as surfing gained popularity, some community leaders felt that surfing was inappropriate for women and girls. Since then, almost every female club member has dropped. Nassima is the only one left.

Today, Nassima is an outstanding surfer and has already won several local surfing contests. If she lived here in California, she could be competitive on the amateur girls surf circuit. If her potential was discovered and nurtured, Nassima could get a chance at competing internationally. She could become Bangladesh’s first international surf star and maybe change some of the views about girls and sports.

Nassima’s example reminds us that more investments are necessary to foster women’s participation and leadership in sport. Female coaches, peer educators and sport staff offer visible proof that women and girls can excel and lead in society.”

Nassima and any other budding young female athletes should be given an opportunity to be youth and excel at their sport. They face enough challenges and difficulties on land that they feel liberated on water.

Nassima is part of a displaced community that is desperate for humanitarian assistance.

At present, she is hoping to train as a lifeguard. She would be Bangladesh’s first female lifeguard. She is hoping to use her techniques and talent to teach, inspire and keep riding the waves.

with notes from: http://www.theinertia.com/surf/the-most-fearless-surfer/

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2012/12/mil-121217-irin01.htm

images via: Heather Kissinger & http://surfingthenations.com/bangladesh/

Irish Surf Champion's mission to Iran to get women surfing

BY: TRACY MCVEIGH

Off a quiet stretch of Iran's Indian Ocean coast villagers gathered to stare in astonishment. Someone even called out the local police, who turned up in full force. The view of an Irish woman in a hijab wetsuit riding a bright pink surfboard through the swell of a monsoon sea is not one the Islamic state's citizens get to see often.

"But they were all incredibly nice, just really intrigued and interested. The police were just worried that I'd hit the rocks and hurt myself. The worst thing really was wearing the Lycra hijab suit in 30-degree heat, that was pretty tricky. But although I'm sure it would have been fine if I'd gone out in shorts, I was keen to show total respect," said Easkey Britton, 26, four times Irish surf champion and British pro-tour champion.

The Donegal surfer's trip to Iran has been made into a short documentary by French film-maker Marion Poizeau which will be shown on French TV later this month before beginning a tour of international film festivals, hopefully later in the year.

Both women arrived in Iran unannounced and unsure of their reception. "It was just a wild plan to surf where a woman had never surfed before, to try and get other women interested," Britton said.

They didn't even know if they would be able to find waves. She went into the sea in a monsoon swell close to Chabahar, southern Iran. "There was a lot of looking at Google Earth before I went!" she laughed. "But we've been overwhelmed by the reaction to the film."

Britton hopes to use it to get more women into the waves. "I'd love to see more women surfing and I'd love to see it become a sport for everyone, not just the wealthy. There's surfing in the Gaza Strip now, and in Bangladesh, believe it or not. It's amazing really. There's also a brilliant scheme I've seen in Brazil where they are taking the kids from the favelas and getting them into surfing, donating the boards and gear. It's transforming their lives and showing that surfing can be a lot more than just a leisure pursuit, it's a great tool to open life up for women and girls and offer opportunities."

While surfing is taking off among Muslim women in California, and at least one surf company has started producing "burkini" surfwear suitable for the all-body cover-up they require, along with the Islamic swimwear that is already available, Britton is keen to encourage women from impoverished countries to taste the freedom of the waves.

Named after a wave break off her native Ireland's west coast, that was in turn named after the Irish for fish, Easkey Britton had little chance to avoid the sea. She points out that she is not just trying to get more women in the water but wants to reclaim a sport that was at its origins possibly dominated by women.

"In Hawaii, where surfing began, it was a sport of royalty and of the poor, and mostly of women. The engravings from Captain Cook's trip show lots of people out in the water on some kind of board and almost all of them were women. I suppose the missionaries came long after that, however, and that was that," she said.

"But often when kids learn to surf the girls pick it up and get better much quicker than the boys. So it's just a shame there are not more women in surfing but I hope that's changing and I want to help change it. In Ireland there's not too many women surfing either, but I think that's maybe about climate and weather as much as anything.

"Surfing is still seen as very male-dominated, but that's changing. Women are making a big impact and aren't being put off by the notion that you have to be super-fit to surf. You just need to be a good swimmer.

"I've seen a lot of newcomers fall in love with surfing and I hope to be back in Iran next year getting a few of those women I met out of a board for the first time. That would be something to get them out frolicking in the ocean, with all the freedom of the sea to enjoy."

LINK: 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/oct/21/surfing-champion-iran-mission