EU urged to support women's role in sport

Europe should reject cultural separatism in sport and support equal access for all, argues the League for Women's Rights amid calls for more funding to support female sports participation.

Stakeholders meeting at a round-table on 26 January debated the role of women in sport and the direction that future EU sport policy should take on the issue.
The event, organised by Sport et Citoyenneté, a European think-tank for sports policy, addressed issues such as women's access to both sport itself and to decision-making positions in sports governing bodies. It also discussed equal pay and health benefits.
Positions:
Amanda Bennett of the UK Women and Sport Council argued that the political instruments to address the gender gap in sport already exist (see background) and it is time to act. "We need commitment and resources, not just encouragement," she said, calling on the European Commission to assume leadership and provide resources.
Pedro Velázquez Hernández of the European Commission's Sports Unit said calls for proposals on sport are underway and should be published in 2009, in view of the EU's future competences following the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty.
A number of speakers showcased government and grass-root level initiatives, ranging from the promotion of women's access to sport in poorer urban areas, the creation of "safe spaces" for women to play sports or initiatives to enable Muslim women to be physically active.
But these initiatives were called into question by the president of the Ligue du Droit International des Femmes , Annie Sugier.
Recognising the social value of such initiatives, Sugier underlined that social policy and sports policy should not be mixed. "If we establish sports clubs for women only, or decide to reserve swimming pool visiting hours for women only, then we reinforce the cultural separatism which in the first place is the reason for women not doing sports," she argued.
Trying to get women to be physically active through social policy will not increase the number of women participating sport, nor pave the way for future champions, she explained, adding that the only way to increase the number of young people participating in sports was through a true sports policy implemented in schools in cooperation with sports clubs.
MEP Pál Schmitt (EPP-ED, Hungary) echoed her comments, saying policies should focus on increasing participation. Indeed, 70% of youth in general - both boys and girls - do not play any sports at all, he said.
Emir Kir, a minister in the government of the Brussels Capital Region, agreed that participation in sports and sports club membership should be valued in schools.
Speaking to EurActiv after the event, Annie Sugier underlined that sport has universal rules that are based on the needs of different sports "so that we can run and swim the best we can". In most sports, Islamic robes and headscarves make it impossible for an athlete to perform at her best, in particular at the Olympic Games, she said.
While Olympic rules forbid all expressions of religion and politics during the Games, 14 delegations in last year's Olympics included veiled women. "This is in total contradiction with the Olympic Charter," Sugier lamented, deploring the International Olympic Committee's lack of courage to stand behind its own values of universalism and equality.
Sugier added: "We should in no way encourage segregation, as the more we accept this kind of behaviour, the more it will happen, and the more we endanger women who dare to do sports without the headscarf."

http://www.euractiv.com/en/sports/eu-urged-support-women-role-sport/article-178849

An Interesting Article, from a Forum on Islam: "Sports Practiced by Early Muslims"

Features of sports in Islam are many. In fact, many Islamic obligations include physical activities in addition to spiritual activities and ways of straightening behavior. Prayer, for example, is a spiritual purification as well as motions for the body. Hajj also involves physical effort in its various rituals. So do visiting fellow Muslims and the sick, and walking to mosques. All kinds of social activities in Islam can be considered to be a physical exercise of the body and a way to strengthen it, as long as these activities are done moderately.Among the sports that early Muslims played are the following:1. Running. It was a form of training for traveling, jihad, seeking provision, etc. Running is also implicitly included in the command to hasten to do good, which is both a spiritual and physical hastening. It was reported by Ahmad ibn Hanbal that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) raced `A'ishah and she outran him. Then they had another race where he outran her, whereupon he said, "This time makes up for the other." Some versions of the same hadith mention that his outrunning in the second time was due to the fact that `A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) had gained weight. Also, one of the famous Arabs known for running was Hudhayfah ibn Badr, who once attacked An-Nu`man ibn Al-Mundhir ibn Ma' As-Sama', and crossed in one night what people could cross in eight nights. 2. Horsemanship and horse racing. Arabs are famous for horsemanship. Once children reached 8 years, they used to learn how to ride horses. Allah Almighty referred to horse riding in the time of war in the Qur'an: [By the (steeds) that run, with panting (breath); Striking sparks of fire (by their hooves); And scouring to the raid at dawn; And raise the dust in clouds the while; Penetrating forthwith as one into the midst (of the foe)] (Al-`Adiyat 100: 1-5). Horses are also important in days of peace. Allah Almighty says [And (He has created) horses, mules and donkeys, for you to ride and as an adornment] (An-Nahl 16: 8). Allah Almighty also recommended the Prophet to care for horses in this Qur'anic verse: [And make ready against them all you can of power, including steeds of war] (Al-Anfal 8: 60). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was also reported to have held races for horses that had been especially prepared for the purpose, from Al-Hafya' to Thaniyyat Al-Wada` (about 6 or 7 miles from Madinah), and for those that had not been trained, from Thaniyyat Al-Wada` to the mosque of Banu Zurayq (about 1 mile). In Sahih Muslim it is reported that Allah's Messenger said, "Ride horses, for they are the legacy of your father Isma`il (Ishmael)." Also, in Sahih Al-Bukhari, the Prophet himself is reported to have participated in a race while riding on his unbeatable she-camel, Al-`Adba'. Once a Bedouin rode a young camel that beat Al-`Adba' in a race. The defeat was hard for the Muslims, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "It is Allah's law that He brings down whatever rises high in this world." 原帖地址: The Muslim Zone Islamic Forum - Guiding Humanity To The Truth http://www.themuslimzone.com/general-sports-fitness/1792-sports-practiced-early-muslims.htmlAl-Jahiz also reported in his book Al-Bayan wa At-Tabyeen that `Umar ibn Al-Khattab wrote to his governors saying, "Teach your children swimming and horsemanship." In another narration, `Umar was reported to have added " Tell them to jump on the horses' backs, and narrate the stories of famous proverbs and good poetry to them."3. Archery. A number of hadiths show that this sport was popular among early Muslims: `Uqbah ibn `Amir said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saying while he was on the pulpit, 'In the verse, [And make ready against them all you can of power, including steeds of war], the word power means archery; the word force means archery.'"Salamah ibn Al-Akwa` narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed by some people of the tribe of Banu Aslam who were practicing archery. The Prophet said, "O children of Ishmael! Practice archery as your father Ishmael was a great archer. Keep on shooting arrows and I am with (the team of) Banu so-and-so." So one of the parties ceased shooting, whereupon the Prophet said, "Why do you not shoot?" They replied, "How should we shoot while you are with them (i.e., on their side)?" On that the Prophet said, "Shoot and I am with all of you" (Al-Bukhari and Muslim).`Uqbah also said, "I heard Allah's Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) saying, 'Allah will cause three persons to enter Paradise for one arrow: the maker when he has a good intention in making it, the one who shoots it, and the one who hands it. So shoot and ride, but your shooting is dearer to me than your riding. If anyone abandons archery after becoming an adept because of his distaste for it, it is a blessing he has abandoned; (or he said: for which he has been ungrateful)'" (Abu Dawud, An-Nasa'i, and Al-Hakim).4. Fencing. Arabs knew a sport by the name niqaf, which is in fact the origin of fencing as known today. One of its forms was a special dance that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) witnessed being done by Abyssinians inside a mosque. This niqaf refers to some movements being performed with arrows. In a narration reported by Abu Salamah, those Abyssinians were playing with their spears.5. Wrestling. The Prophet wrestled with a number of men, one of whom was Rukanah ibn `Abd Yazid ibn Hashim ibn `Abdul-Muttalib, who lived in Makkah and was a skillful wrestler. People used to come to him from distant territories and challenge him in wrestling. Ibn Ishaq narrated the story of Rukanah: Once the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) met him in one of the mountain paths of Makkah, whereupon he said to him, "O Rukanah! Will not you fear Allah and accept what I am calling you to?" Rukanah replied, "O Muhammad! Do you have a witness to verify your truthfulness?" So the Prophet said, "If I beat you in wrestling, will you believe in Allah and His Messenger?" The man replied, "Yes." The Prophet wrestled him and defeated him. Rukanah was astonished with that, and he asked the Prophet to acquit him of their agreement, which is belief, and to have a rematch. So they had a second and a third rematch where the Prophet also defeated him. Rukanah was astonished and said, "This is very strange indeed!" Then he immediately embraced Islam. Other narrations state that he embraced Islam after the conquest (fath)of Makkah" (Al-Hakim, Abu Dawud, and At-Tirmidhi).The Prophet also wrestled with Abu Al-Aswad Al-Jumahi, who was so strong that he would stand on a cow hide, and ten men would pull the hide to take it from under his feet, but in the end, the hide would be torn and he had not moved an inch.原帖地址: The Muslim Zone Islamic Forum - Guiding Humanity To The Truth http://www.themuslimzone.com/showthread.php?t=17926. Weight lifting. It was known to Arabs as rab`, which men used to practice by lifting a stone with their hands to show how strong they were. It is also reported that the first person to invent this game was Jabir ibn `Abdullah Al-Ansari, who was known for his physical strength. Among those who were famous for being strong was `Ali ibn Abi Talib, who, in the Battle of Khaybar, lost his shield so he used a door of the fort as a shield. Amazingly, that door was too heavy to be carried by seven persons (see Ar-Rawd Al-Anif, vol. 2, p. 239).7. High jumping. It was known to Arabs as al-qafizi. In this sport, the players used to place a piece of wood to jump on, and the game had special rules (see `Uyun Al-Akhbar, by Ibn Qutaybah, vol. 1, p. 133).8. Stone tossing. Its rules are mentioned in Arabic literary books. Al-Harithah ibn Nafi` reported, "I used to play with Al-Hasan and Al-Husayn (the Prophet's grandsons) with madahi (round stones). The game used to go as follows: A hole is dug; the competitors throw their stones aiming to drop them in the hole, and the winner is the one whose stone falls in the hole. Sa`id ibn Al-Musayyab was asked about this game, and he deemed it permissible."9- Swimming. `Ata' ibn Abi Rabah narrated that he saw Jabir ibn `Abdullah and Jabir ibn `Umayr Al-Ansari while they were practicing shooting, but one of them felt bored, so the other said to him, "Do you feel bored? I heard Allah's Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) saying, "All things in which there is no remembrance of Allah are frivolity and idle play except for four things, and he mentioned teaching another to swim" (At-Tabarani). Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "Once, `Umar ibn Al-Khattab say to me, 'Let's compete in water and see who can hold his breath under water longer than the other.'"It is also reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had swum while he was a child when his mother visited his maternal uncles in Madinah. That is why when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) immigrated to Madinah, he looked at the place where his father had been buried and said, "Here is where my mother brought me."It is also reported that the Prophet could swim well in the well of Banu `Ady ibn Al-Najjar. Through this incident, As-Suyuti could prove that the Prophet knew how to swim. As-Suyuti also reported that Abu Al-Qasim Al-Baghawi narrated on the authority of Ibn `Abbas that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and some of his Companions once swam in a stream. That day, the Prophet said, "Let everyone among us swim towards his friend." The Prophet himself swam towards Abu Bakr until he embraced him saying, "Here I am and my friend" (see Al-Zurqani's comment on Al-Mawahib Al-Ladunniyyah, vol. 1, p. 194).

Sheikh `Atiyyah Saqr

http://www.themuslimzone.com/general-sports-fitness/1792-sports-practiced-early-muslims.html

Verhüllt ins Schwimmbad

Er ist eine Mischung aus Bikini und Burka - dem Ganzkörperschleier islamischer Frauen - und dementsprechend sieht ein Burkini auch aus: Das Kleidungsstück bedeckt den gesamten Körper seiner Trägerin, bis auf Hände, Füße und Gesicht. Nun darf die extra für Musliminnen entwickelte Bademode auch ganz offiziell in den Bädern getragen werden. Die Berliner Bäderbetriebe (BBB) haben die Genehmigung dafür erteilt - allerdings befristet bis zum Sommer und nur beim Frauenschwimmen im Stadtbad Neukölln und dem Bad am Spreewaldplatz in Kreuzberg. "Wir sind ein öffentliches Unternehmen und wollen das Baden allen anbieten", sagt Bädervorstand Klaus Lipinsky. In den Sommerbädern seien Muslimas häufig in voller Montur baden gegangen, er gehe davon aus, dass die Hallen von solchen Frauen eher gemieden wurden. Zeitgleich, so der Bädervorstand, habe eine Burkini-Händlerin beim Unternehmen darum gebeten, Burkinis zu erlauben. "Uns war vor allem wichtig, dass der Burkini beim Schwimmen nicht behindert." Das sei durch einen Test belegt worden.Innen- und Sportsenator Ehrhart Körting (SPD), der auch BBB-Aufsichtsratsvorsitzender ist, hat den Plänen im Dezember zugestimmt. Die Position des Senators sei allerdings "zwiespältig", erklärte gestern seine Sprecherin Nicola Rothermel. Der Senator sehe den Burkini als Beitrag zur Integration, wolle seine Zustimmung aber keinesfalls so verstanden wissen, dass nun alle Musliminnen einen tragen müssen. Aus diesem Grund habe der Senator auch den Probebetrieb befürwortet.Protest kommt von der CDU. "Wenn man so etwas zulässt, wird Druck auf andere Frauen ausgeübt, auch einen Burkini zu tragen", sagt der integrationspolitische Sprecher der CDU-Fraktion, Kurt Wansner. Früher hätten auch weniger Frauen auf der Straße ein Kopftuch getragen, "jetzt steigen die Zahlen wieder". Er ist überzeugt: "Burkinis zuzulassen ist integrationsfeindlich." Man könne darüber streiten, ob der Sinn von Integration darin bestehe, muslimischen Frauen das Schwimmen zu ermöglichen oder ob man ihnen die gleichen Rechte einräumen will wie deutschen Frauen. "Mit solchen Regelungen geben wir all das auf, worum Frauen jahrelang gekämpft haben, und das unter dem Deckmantel der Integration." Über das Thema müsse noch diskutiert werden, ist Wansner überzeugt.Was die Besucher der Schwimmhallen tragen, ist bislang durch die Hausordnung der Berliner Bäderbetriebe geregelt. "In den Schwimmbädern ist von allen Badegästen Badebekleidung zu tragen" heißt es dort. Und: "Bitte waschen Sie sich vor Benutzung unserer Einrichtungen und legen Sie dazu die Badebekleidung ab." Die Mitarbeiter seien darüber informiert worden, dass Burkinis nun auch als Badebekleidung gelten, so Lipinsky. "Wichtig ist uns, dass Sicherheit und Hygiene nicht beeinträchtigt werden." Doch genau darin dürfte ein Problem bestehen - wie man im Stadtbad Kreuzberg aus leidvoller Erfahrung weiß. Seit 2002 wird das Bad von Vereinen betrieben, ein Mal wöchentlich steht Schwimmen für muslimische Frauen an. "Wir erlauben auch den Burkini", sagt Rita Geisler, die die Besucherinnen betreut. Unter den 40 bis 50 Frauen, die wöchentlich kommen, seien auch zwei Burkini-Trägerinnen. "Allerdings behalten die sowohl BH als auch Slip darunter an", sagt Geisler. "Und sicher wechseln sie die Sachen vor dem Baden nicht." Das sei unhygienisch und stoße bei anderen Besucherinnen auf Widerstand.Für solche Fälle wollen die Bäderbetriebe vorsorgen: Bad-Mitarbeiterinnen sollen sich davon überzeugen, dass die Frauen tatsächlich nur einen Burkini tragen. Falls nicht, dürfen sie nicht baden.
Berliner Zeitung, 20.01.2009

http://www.berlinonline.de/berliner-zeitung/berlin/118749/index.php

Muslima verhüllt ins Hallenbad

BERLIN AP/taz Auf den ersten Blick wirkt er nicht wie ein Badeanzug: Mit langen Ärmeln und Beinen, Kapuze und Tunika verhüllt der so genannte Burkini die Schwimmerin komplett. Für manch gläubige Muslimin aber ist er das einzige Kleidungsstück, mit dem sie sorglos ins Wasser gehen kann. In Berliner Hallenbädern wird der Burkini - eine Wortschöpfung aus Burka und Bikini - jetzt erstmals probeweise zugelassen.
Ohne großes Aufsehen genehmigte Sportsenator Ehrhart Körting Ende des Jahres einen zunächst bis Sommer befristeten Versuch. Damit folgte der SPD-Politiker der Praxis in anderen westlichen Bundesländern. Der Vorstandsvorsitzende der Berliner Bäder-Betriebe, Klaus Lipinsky, sagte, es gebe keine vernünftigen Gründe, den Burkini nicht zuzulassen: "Wir sind eine multikulturelle Stadt, hier ist ein bisschen Toleranz gegenüber Andersgläubigen gefragt."

Körting sieht das kritischer. Zwar sei die Zulassung des Burkinis eine Integrationsmaßnahme. Gleichzeitig dürfe sie nicht dazu führen, dass Frauen dazu gezwungen würden, diese Ganzkörper-Badebekleidung statt eines normalen Badeanzugs zu tragen. Aus Lipinskys Sicht aber werden die Nachteile schon dann aufgewogen, wenn auch nur ein paar muslimische Mädchen infolgedessen schwimmen lernten. Bislang sei der Burkini kein Thema gewesen, heißt es bei den Bäderbetrieben weiter. Doch Musliminnen hätten versucht, mit Kleidung ins Wasser zu gehen. Das aber sei aus Gründen der Hygiene und der Sicherheit nicht erlaubt. Baumwollkleidung zum Beispiel sauge sich voll und werde schwer. Das könne gefährlich sein.
Erfunden wurde der Burkini von einer Tochter libanesischer Einwanderer in Australien, der es wenig Spaß machte, in ihrer Burka ins Wasser zu steigen, denn diese wurde vollgesogen schwer wie Blei. Inzwischen tragen den Burkini in Australien sogar Rettungsschwimmerinnen. Auch in der Türkei und Ägypten ist er schon lange auf dem Markt.
In Berlin setzte sich Nele Abdallah für die Zulassung in Schwimmbädern ein, die die vierteiligen Anzüge über ihre Firma Dressed To Swim vertreibt. Dort gibt es Modelle aus Polyester und Elasthan in verschiedenen Farben und Mustern ab rund 70 Euro. Andere Internetseiten bieten "Slim Fit"-, "Modest Fit"- und "Active Fit"- Schnitte an, je nachdem wie sehr sie die Silhouette des Körpers verschleiern.
In Berlin wird der Burkini nun probeweise zunächst in zwei Berliner Hallenbädern zugelassen und das nur während der Frauenschwimmzeiten. Stichprobenartig sollen die Bademeisterinnen kontrollieren, ob es sich tatsächlich um einen Badeanzug handelt und nicht um Straßenkleider oder gewöhnliche Sportbekleidung. Mit einem Blick festzustellen ist das oft nicht. Einige Marken-Burkinis haben zwar aufgenähte Typenschilder, andere kann man nur erkennen, indem man das Gewebe anfasst. Das weibliche Personal soll sich stichprobenartig auch davon überzeugen, dass die Schwimmerin keine Unterwäsche trägt. Hält sie sich nicht an die Vorschriften, kann sie des Bades verwiesen werden.
Verläuft der Pilotversuch erfolgreich, soll der Burkini in der Sommersaison auch in den Berliner Freibädern zugelassen werden. Lipinsky zeigte sich sicher, dass die neuartige Badebekleidung über kurz oder lang auch von den nichtmuslimischen Schwimmbad-Besuchern akzeptiert wird, auch wenn er am Anfang vielleicht Diskussionen auslöst. In den Niederlanden ist das nicht in allen Städten der Fall. In Zwolle wurde zwei Frauen in Burkini der Zugang zum Schwimmbad verwehrt. Die Begründung: Andere Besucher sähen die Ganz-Körper-Schwimmbekleidung nicht gerne.

http://www.taz.de/1/politik/deutschland/artikel/1/muslima-verhuellt-ins-hallenbad/

Indian schoolgirls practice Chinese martial arts

A Muslim schoolgirl from St. Maaz high school practises Chinese wushu martial arts inside the school compound in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad July 8, 2008.

Wushu trainer Rahman Aqeel instructs students during Chinese wushu martial arts practice at St. Maaz high school, in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad July 8, 2008. Girls from ages 10 to 16 participate in weekly sessions during school term.

Muslim schoolgirls from St. Maaz high school practise Chinese wushu martial arts inside the school compound in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad July 8, 2008.

Qatar Launches Women’s Tour Event

PARIS, Jan 21, 2009 (AFP) - The Gulf state of Qatar will launch a women’s Tour event next month, bringing together 15 teams, including six national squads, and 90 riders.
The Ladies Tour of Qatar will run between February 8-10, following on from the Men’s Tour which runs from February 1-6.
Although 90 riders from 14 countries on five continents will gather for the three-stage race, there will be no local riders competing.
“A place for the women,” said Sheikh Khalid Bin Ali Abdulla al-Thani, head of the Qatari cycling federation.
“We hope to gradually develop women’s sport in Qatar,” Sheikh Khalid said, adding that the holding of the Tour event would be a “real boost” for women’s sport in the Muslim state.
Ladies Tour of Qatar teamsNuremberg (GER), Columbia (GER), Lotto (BEL), Giant (CHN), Flexpoint (NED), Leontien (NED), Selle Italia (ITA), Bigia (SUI), Cervelo (SUI); Australia, France, Italy, Japan, South Africa, United States

Source: http://www.bicycle.net/2009/qatar-launches-womens-tour-event

Sports for Peace Case - 2

First Arab-Israeli team: Teenage footballers play for peace in Middle East as Israel pounds Gaza

By Agency Reporter

Published: Saturday, 10 Jan 2009

The pitch is scruffy, with bare patches of earth and sand. The crowd is desultory, half a dozen girls and boys, yawning in the winter sunshine of the Judean hills. The home players are having a lazy kickabout, as they wait for their opponents‘ bus to arrive.

As football games go, this is as ordinary as it gets. And yet the presence of a tiny FIFA film crew, for this apparently insignificant fixture, shows that something rather special is taking place.

In fact, the match scheduled to hold at the Jerusalem dormitory town of Mevaseret, might be recorded by future sports historians as one of those rare moments when sport was history, when sport made history.

It will be an epochal event like Jesse Owens‘ gold medals in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, which alerted the world to Nazi racial theories. It will also be an event like the ping-pong diplomacy of the ‘70s, table tennis tournaments now seen as the first thaw in the Chinese and American Cold War.

But how can this game of youth football rank alongside those seminal episodes? To understand, you have to know the history of the two teams involved.

Football‘s Hidden Story reports that the home team is Katamon Abu Ghosh Mevaseret FC - ”Katamon” for short. The club was founded by one-time Israeli diplomat, Alon Liel. A few years ago, Liel approached the mayor of Abu Ghosh, a small Arab-Israeli town near Jerusalem, with the idea of combining Abu Ghosh‘s team with a mainly Jewish team from the larger settlement of Mevaseret.

According to the report, Liel‘s intention is to fight the anti-Arab feeling prevalent in sectors of Israeli football. ”The hatred exists mainly in places like Jerusalem, where there has been a lot of Palestinian terrorism. The fact that the Arab population in Israel often identifies with the Palestinian cause, leads to a very low level of trust,” said Liel.

Whatever the reason, this racism can be decidedly nasty. Liel recalls a match between the mixed Arab-Jewish team of Sakhnin, and Betar Jerusalem, one of the leading teams in Israel. ”For 90 minutes the Betar crowd chanted horrible things. They sang, ‘Ahmed, clean the toilets,‘ ‘Ahmed, get me coffee,‘ ‘Death to Arabs.‘‘

To help fight this racism, Liel had a working lunch with the mayor of Abu Ghosh. The mayor agreed to Liel‘s innovative proposal. Since then, the mixed-race football team they established has fought its way through the divisions, and now boasts a strong following of supporters. All three youth squads, attached to the club, combine Arab and Jewish players. The management of the club is likewise divided between Arabs and Jews.

The diversity of Katamon is written on the faces of the young players in Mevaseret for this match. Some of these faces are dark: they are Jews from Ethiopia, who speak Amharic. And some, of course, are Muslim.

There is Fawzi, just 15, and a right back, limbering up for the match. ”I like playing with this team. It‘s difficult for Arabs and Jews to play together normally. But here that‘s what we do - we play together, just like anyone else,” he explained.

The sports director of the team is 31-year-old Mohammad Isa from Abu Ghosh. He said, ”When kids reach their teens it is difficult to integrate them because they fall in love and marry within their own community. But if you start them young, it is easier. I hope we teach these Arab and Jewish kids not just to train together, but to learn from each other.”

The work of Katamon is well known in Israeli society. Liel has harnessed the energy of his mixed-race soccer team to other causes: helping kids from Darfur for example. He likes to think of Katamon as ‘socialist‘ in principle: assisting poor people anywhere.

But the match is a giant stride beyond anything Liel has attempted before. As 12 noon approaches, his face twitches with anxiety. Will the opponents even show? A proper crowd has gathered: alerted to the unusual nature of the game.

At last a big bus sweeps in. And the first person who alights is a woman with a white veil.

She is a Druze Arab, from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. And her son belongs to the first Syrian-born football team ever to play in Israel.

A reporter from Yedioth Ahronoth, Israel‘s biggest selling Hebrew tabloid, has arrived. He explains why the game is very remarkable as the young players step down from the bus, with their parents and grandparents.

”These people, the Druze team, are being incredibly brave. They are Syrian nationals, even though they live in the Israeli-occupied zone. Syria has been at war with Israel for decades. Maybe one day Israel will give the Golan back to Syria. Then these people could be shot by the Syrian government: as Israeli spies. Yet they have come here, anyway, to play football. That shows great courage,” the journalist said.

The Druze belong to a religious sect whose beliefs deviate from those of mainstream Islam. They are over a million worldwide with 100,000 living in Israel. The players certainly look rather shy and anxious; Alon Liel rushes forward to reassure them.

It‘s a long and arduous road. The negotiations have been disowned by the respective governments, conscious of popular sentiment. Yet the urge for peace persists. Because without a conclusion to the Golan dispute, Israel can never be truly secure like any normal country.

And this football match is a crucial element of the normalisation of Syrian-Israeli relations. Alon Liel puts it bluntly, ”These Syrians would never have been allowed to come here without the tacit permission of the Damascus government. I see this match as a smile from Syria.”

At first there are not many smiles on the faces of the young and muscular Druze players. But as the match unfolds everyone starts to relax. The Druze team slot three goals past the weaker Israeli squad. At half time the friends and relatives of the Druze players hand out sweetmeats and pastries from Damascus and rosy red apples from the Golan orchards. It is a touching scene.

Rifat and Nedaq are a young couple from the Druze village of Majdal Shams, in the Golan. They are here to watch their brother play: a talented number 10, who has already whacked a brace of goals past the Arab-Israeli keeper for Katamon.

Rifat explains that this is the first time he has been to Jerusalem. ”I am a Syrian national. It is very difficult for the Golan Druze to travel, we do not have Israeli passports, nor do we have Syrian passports. But we are very happy to be here today. Moreso we are winning!”

He turns and cheers. The second half is something of a walkover. The final result is 7-1. The Israeli team hopes to do better when it plays the scheduled return leg, in the green hills of the Golan, a few weeks hence.

But the result, of course, is relatively unimportant. What remains in the mind is the sight of these players, from so many varied, remote and sometimes hostile cultures, brought together by a simple game.

And maybe that simplicity is the key. Make it any more complicated, any more significant, and it wouldn‘t work. Put it another way: peace begins not with politicians signing treaties in palatial halls, but with a shy Arab woman handing out Syrian pastries, to smiling Jewish kids on a scruffy football pitch.

Source: http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art200901104235123

Sports for Peace Case

Sports Talk: To be left out

By Alaa Abdel-Ghani
First Published: January 9, 2009

In 1960, South Africa was suspended by the International Olympic Committee and FIFA from participating in any regional or international sporting event because of its apartheid policy. The ban lasted 32 years until it was lifted in 1992 after Pretoria abandoned its racist policies.

In the midst of Israel's war crime in Gaza, perhaps a similar ban should be slapped on Israel.

A sports boycott of Israel would not be unprecedented. Following the 1973 war, Israel was kicked out of all Asian sports federations. In the years following, Israel had to travel all the way to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji to find willing competitors. In 1993, Israel was eventually accepted into European sports bodies, enabling it to compete in many of the world’s most prestigious competitions, including the UEFA football cups.

Because Israel plays mainly in Europe, Israeli and Arab and Muslim athletes don't meet many times. But on occasion their paths cross and when they do, the encounter is bumpy. In the Athens Olympics, one of Iran's top gold medal prospects, Arash Miresmaeili, abruptly withdrew from competition after being paired against an Israeli judoka in the 66-kilogram class. Miresmaeili was a two-time world champion and would have been heavily favored to beat Israel's Ehud Vaks.

Miresmaeili was not the first Iranian judoka to forgo competing against an Israeli. At the 2001 World Championships, Mahed Malekmohammdi declined to compete against Israel's Yoel Razvozov, and Asian champion Masoud Haji Akhoundzade pulled out of a match against Israeli lightweight Zvi Shafran.

The first time Egypt and Israel were involved in a political sports boycott was in 1956. Several countries, including Egypt, Syria and Lebanon, boycotted the Olympic Games in Melbourne that year after the Tripartite Aggression.

Even after Israel signed peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan, sports competitions have been limited. One exception was a handball game in the early 1990s when the Israeli national team came to play in Egypt. The Egyptians took their political aggression out on the court, playing an especially hyper game which left several of the Israeli players knocked out; one came back with a broken nose. There also was a friendly soccer match between Jordan and Israel in the mid-1990s back when hopes were high for Middle East peace.

Our last involvement with Israel in sports was in October 2007 when Israel fielded six drivers and five bicyclists in the Pharaons International Cross Country Rally in Egypt. None of them produced admirable results.

Even in the relatively safe confines of Europe, Israeli athletes are not always welcome, especially these days. A Eurocup basketball game last week between a Turkish team and a visiting Israeli squad had to be called off after the Israeli players refused to continue with the match. They had become rattled in the face of rabid Turkish spectators, incensed by the Gaza massacre, who hurled coins and lighters at them, chanting "Israel, killers." Rubbing salt into the wound of the Israeli Bnei Hasharon team, who are stuck at the bottom of their Group D, the group's leaders Turk Telecom were awarded a technical victory. Hasharaon was deemed to have forfeited the game.

Sometimes a ban on one country boomerangs on another. Indonesia was banned from playing at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo for not inviting Israel to the Asia Games the year before. But in general, sports boycotts can have a great impact on the intended target. Major sports events confer international recognition and status on participating countries. International sporting events can play an important role in shaping a country's image in the rest of the world. And countries increasingly utilize sport to legitimize and promote themselves around the world. Take away sports, and you strip countries of their identity, credibility and legitimacy.

In the case of apartheid South Africa, the sports boycott effectively sent a message to the regime and its backers that the international community did not accept the institutionalized racism it practiced and played an important role in isolating the regime and its supporters.

There have been sports sanctions imposed on countries other than South Africa. Dozens of nations boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games following the invasion of Afghanistan by the former Soviet Union. In 1992 the UEFA banned Yugoslavia from the European Championship because of the war in Bosnia. In all cases, the boycott's aim was the same: To stop the aggressor from promoting itself as a fair player via the participation of its sporting teams and individuals, and to raise public awareness about the crimes being committed by the offending party.

A sporting boycott of Israel would send a powerful message that its wanton murders in Gaza are abhorrent and its occupation as a whole is unacceptable.

A common reaction to proposals for a sporting boycott is that politics and sports should not mix. As such, sports boycotts should be used only in exceptional circumstances. This could be one of them.

Source: http://dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=18955

Netherlands: Muslim sues gym for headscarf ban

A Muslim woman from Schiedam lodged a complaint against a gym in Rotterdam, because she may not train while wearing a headscarf.She thinks the headscarf ban is discriminating. The Equal Treatment Commission (CGB) will raise the topic with the state secretary of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport Karima Bouhannouch (27) doesn't intend to back down. "There are already various decisions by the CGB about this topic. This nationally operating gym has a general policy not to allow any clothing on your head. Therefore also a bandanna that I wanted to wear as an alternative, wasn't allowed."The CGB sent her a letter saying the gym chain in question had already been warned for the same complain in Dordrecht and Den Bosch. Looking for another gym or not wearing anything on her head is not an option for Karima. "I want to wear a headscarf because of my religion."The fitness center was not available for comment.
Source: AD (Dutch)
http://islamineurope.blogspot.com/2009/01/netherlands-muslim-sues-gym-for.html

Muslim Women in the World of Sport

The familial culture and adherence to fundamentals of Islam have a strong affect on girls access to, and participation in sport. Muslim women also represent an untapped market for athletic apparel companies who have only just begun to realize the potential. This session will unveil the Athlete Resource Guide for Muslim Girls and Women, a guide for physical education teachers and Muslim girls and women who want to participate more fully in active sport.
Presider: Sonja Lilienthal, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA
Speaker: Lailie Ibrahim, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA

Source: http://aahperd.confex.com/aahperd/2009/preliminaryprogram/session_41411.htm

2010 WORLD CONFERENCE ON WOMEN AND SPORT, SYDNEY

The 5th World Conference on Women and Sport will be held in 2010 in Sydney, Australia.It is being organised under the auspices of the International Working Group on Women and Sport (IWG) with the support of NSW Sport and Recreation, University of Technology Sydney and Sydney Olympic Park Authority.It follows those conferences held in Brighton, U.K. (1994); Windhoek, Namibia (1998), Montreal, Canada (2002) and Kumamoto, Japan (2006).The Organising Committee will publish information on this site in relation to dates, venues, themes etc as soon as it becomes available. To keep up to date with all the latest conference information and other news, make sure you subscribe to our e-newsletter by clicking here.This conference will provide an opportunity to:
Review the progress for women and sport since the 2006 World Conference on Women and Sport in Kumamoto, Japan, sharing experiences and celebrating achievements.
Strengthen international networks, both within sport and with outside agencies.
Foster inter-agency collaboration between international, regional, national and community levels.
Strengthen and support the development of Women and Sport within the Oceania Region.
Provide a vision for the continued development and progress of the global women and sport movement form 2010 - 2014.
The upcoming IWG World Conference in Sydney will offer a unique opportunity for participants to share experiences, strengthen international connections and find ways to stimulate action at local, national and international levels.The Conference program will be designed to promote interaction, emphasise practical experience and explore ways to support positive change.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?The Conference is intended for women and men who make decisions or influence policy related to women and sport at all levels. Participants at the previous four conferences have represented:
International and National sport federations and organisations
Government Ministries and Departments and non-governmental organizations concerned with sport, health, physical activity, education, girls and women, youth and community development.
National Olympic and Paralympic Committees
Local, national and international media
Professionals in the fields of sport, physical activity, physical education, health and leisure
Past and current athletes
Academics
LANGUAGES: English will be the official language of the conference, to which others may be added based upon the delegates’ needs and preferences.
It is therefore very important that delegates whose language ability does not include English make it clear to the Organising Committee during registration, as additional languages may be added depending upon delegates requirements.

Source: http://www.iwg-gti.org/

Allow youth to mingle

THE Women’s Centre for Change (WCC) Penang is greatly disturbed by the recent position taken in relation to the I-Dance street dancing competition in Penang.
State PAS Youth chief Mohamed Hafiz Mohd Nordin has been quoted as saying that "elements like shuffle dancing ... can lead to social ills amongst youngsters."
The response by the state government, as conveyed by the state youth and sport committee chairman Lydia Ong Kok Fooi has been to impose the condition that Muslim male and female participants are not allowed to mingle with each other during the competition.
It is sad and ironic that an activity such as street dancing, which has tremendous capacity to unite young people from diverse backgrounds and encourage interaction which can only enhance multiracial and multicultural unity should now be demonised as a potential source of social ill.
What is also disconcerting is the state government’s decision to segregate participants on the grounds of gender and religion. This move is an apparent compromise in relation to PAS’s earlier demands that no Muslim participant be allowed in the competition.
In a multicultural society, the characteristics of diversity must be promoted and valued as the strength of the society. The I-Dance is a healthy competition for youths of all races. On the basis of equality for all races, WCC calls for integration and not segregation. We cannot afford to segregate the youths based on gender as we move towards developing a human capital with first class mentality.
Source: http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=28754

Muslim Women are Taking Part in Aqua-aerobic and Swimming Events

All these year’s Muslim females have faced the problem of finding an appropriate swimwear which adheres to the Koran, which requires a woman to cover everything except her face, hands and feet.The swimwears available in the market were either not targeted for the Muslim women as they led to show of skin or were unpractical for swimming. To aptly describe how uncomfortable the swimwear designed for Muslimahs was I shall quote Aheda Zanetti who wrote to the National Geographic News stating “As an active Muslim girl, I found it difficult to participate in most sports, because of all the excess clothes we were wearing. And the veil very unpractical when playing sports”.For a market that was not targeted by big market share holders like Nike scattering small companies took the initiative of designing something fruitful for Muslimahs. People like Zanetti, Oliver Momeni and Hasema saw a great potential and design need in the market of swimwear for Muslimahs. Zanetti, is the owner of Ahiida, an Australian company that designs women’s sportswear. Oliver Momeni started his venture of Bodykini in 2007, based in Spain and Hasema a Turkish company started designing a line of swimwear for men, women and kids. Among all these products the most admired and reviewed is “Bodykini”.Surely, Oliver had the support and opinions of his Iranian family members and an experience of over 20 years in the family textile business. Before designing the final product “Bodykini”, Oliver conducted a lot of market research and held talks with many Muslim women. In the course of his time, he learned the important attributes targeted while designing the swimsuit. He designed Bodykini which is a complete blend of a swimsuit that looks great, designed for modest comfort, adheres to Islam’s tradition and most importantly lets women swim without any fear.It does so by removing all the excess fabric that the previous swimwear provided like the veil, pants and skirts. Oliver incorporated every thing into 2 main piece of clothing: a shirt with a hijood that serves as a close-fitting headpiece, which firmly lays on the head without slipping and a pant. The fabric used is a high quality water-repellent fabric that is not only highly Chlorine resistant but also provides protection from ultraviolet rays. The advantage of using a Polyester material is that it has low water absorbency, dries fast and ensures complete stretch in all directions leading to comfortable swimming or aqua-sport.The Bodykini comes in two colors to choose from and two unique features. The first feature is the two elastic bands that are attached at the inside of the pants that get buttoned to the inside of the suit, which prevent the suit from floating in case the swimmer performs a feet first dive. The second feature is the small pocket with a zipper in the pants; ideal for keeping small items like keys or money.So now, with products like Bodykini both the problems namely: meeting the Islamic traditional requirements and availability of a comfortable swimming garment for women, are solved. Bodykini is available online at bodykini.com. Along with this Bodykini has been launched in the Middle East and is available in Dubai at Al Boom Marine retail stores or at the Dubai Ladies Club.Now, Islamic women can remain more active and enjoy the aqua sports with the power of Bodykini. The Bodykini modest swimwear is becoming popular among not just the Muslim population but also among all those women who love to cover their bodies and prevent the tans while enjoying the relaxing water.Having said all this, Oliver Momeni is not just being thanked by all Muslim women for introducing such a wonderful product in the market but the big players are looking forward to promote products like Bodykini which is showing a very good grip on the swimwear market. Taylor, of Azizah Magazine, says that“In another 15 years there’s going to be a sizable Muslim consumer market and lots of demand”.I think we’re where the Hispanic market was 20 years ago, and today the Hispanic market is a big consumer market.” Further more, Arun Jain, a marketing professor at the University of Buffalo in New York State, agrees and states that given the growth potential of the Muslim community in the United States, major sportswear manufacturers could be missing out on an opportunity to break into an emerging market. Moreover, more than just the Muslim women the modern world women comprising of Christian, Jews and others don’t feel the need to show off their bodies and strive to be modest.
Source: http://estdebait.com/2008/12/muslim-women-are-taking-part-in-aqua-aerobic-and-swimming-events/

Daughters of Islam: Family Influences on Muslim Young Women's Participation in Sport

Tess Kay, Loughborough University, UK, t.a.kay@lboro.ac.uk

This article examines the significance of family influence on young women from minority (Muslim) communities who have participated in a combined sport and education programme designed to encourage access to further and higher education. The study explores how family expectations about the roles of young women affect the participants' responses to the programme. The research examines young women's understanding of their parents' views in relation to their participation in the programme and their broader aspirations for their daughters' adult lives in the family, education and employment domains. The young women's accounts of their family members' views on minority life in Britain, and the influence this might have on their own opportunities and experiences, are also considered. The research was conducted in partnership with a graduate female Muslim Sport and education development worker and with young female participants (n = 7) in the sports programme, all of whom were actively involved in the design, implementation and analysis of the study. The young women undertook in-depth interviews within their families, and responded to the content of these in subsequent focus group discussions. The study revealed extensive parental influence on the young women's involvement in the sports programme and over their lives as a whole, and the significance of Islam within this; however, it also highlighted the extent to which young people `navigated' between their family identity and the westernized experiences they were exposed to on a day-to-day basis. Conclusions are drawn about the value of sport in illuminating the lived experience of minority groups, and on the need for further analysis of young people's sports behaviour in the context of family.
sOURCE: http://irs.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/41/3-4/357?rss=1

Resport: Voted OverWhelmingly by Athletes!

Many Muslim women athletes are in a dilemma because of the design of modern sportswear: follow their faith and have their motions hampered or compromise their beliefs in the name of sports performance?
In 2006 new volleyball uniforms, designed through a partnership between Nike and the United Nations, were given to Muslim women living in a Somali refugee camp in Kenya. The uniforms permit the women athletes to practice sport while covering their bodies and heads in a way that remains true to their faith.
More recently, Al Ghasara, a Bahrainian sprinter, won the gold medal in the 200 metre race at the Asian Games. The athlete wore a modern Hijab to help her maintain a competitive edge.
Elham Seyed Javad, an undergraduate student at Université de Montréal’s School of Industrial Design, came up with a new design of the Hijab as her final-year project: Resport.

Resport is athletic wear that easily stabilises long hair, holding it high on the head and out of the way for free and safe movements. Resport was designed with the participation of athletes to maximize the performance. Resport’s unique design features a detachable hood for immediate versatility.
The ergonomic fit of the Resport models makes it indispensable for a variety of sports such as martial arts, hockey, skiing, water polo, football, etc.

Resport with its design is not only dedicated for sport use. With optimized fabric, it can be used as a flash hood or as a safety equipment (occupational safety). It can also serve as sanitary protection (agri-food, food service) or as caps (surgery).

Source:http://techupdateunivalor.wordpress.com/2008/12/09/resport-voted-overwhelmingly-by-athletes/