Muslim angered by "unjust" headscarf sport ban

Apparently, the veil becomes the most symbolic issue when it comes to "Muslim Women" even in sports news. I am not very comfortable with this situation as it makes the unveiled Muslim women less and less visible. -SSK

A Muslim basketball player is set to challenge a decision by Swiss sport authorities requiring her to either remove her headscarf or stop competing.
Sura Al-Shawk has been playing the game with a headscarf for some time at a local level but came to the attention of ProBasket, the northeastern regional basketball association, when she reached the national B-league team, STV Luzern.
The association stated that according to International Basketball Federation (Fiba) rules, headscarves cannot be worn during the game, and ruled the 19-year-old would have to choose between the game and her scarf. The federation bans all religious symbols during official games.
Failure to follow the ruling will cause the team, which Al-Shawk captains, to forfeit their matches.
Although Al-Shawk has decided not to play in the team's next match on September 19, she is angered at what she describes as an "unjust" decision and, determined to appeal, has begun talking to a Geneva lawyer.
"This decision has come too late. I've been playing wearing my scarf for almost a year and a half. Many of the players have Christian tattoos and religious symbols on their bodies and nobody objects to that," Al-Shawk, an Iraqi who recently gained her Swiss citizenship, told swissinfo.ch.
"In the past few days, a famous Swiss lawyer in Geneva contacted me and gave me specific instructions about the steps that I should follow. I also received a telephone call from a law professor at Bern University, who also works as a lawyer. He told me that a large number of lawyers were concerned about my case and that they have been following the developments."
« The right of individuals to be allowed to express their religious convictions is also protected in public life. »
Markus Sahli, Swiss Council of Religions
Raises questions
Fiba has explained that they must show "absolute political and religious neutrality" in the sport and that making an exception would open the floodgates to other requests.
"Contrary to athletics or volleyball, basketball is a contact sport, therefore the risks of injury which can result from clothing accessories are higher," spokesman Marco Beltra told the Tribune de Genève newspaper.
Al-Shawk's coach, Danijel Brankovic, has countered saying he does not understand the decision as "the Islamic headscarf does not represent any danger to the players nor hinder the game in any way".
But in an official statement STV Luzern said it "endorsed and supported" the ProBasket association in its work promoting the sport.
The case comes ahead of a controversial nationwide vote in November on an initiative to ban minarets in Switzerland.
The Swiss Council of Religions last week came out against the ban saying it infringed the right to freedom of religion. It says Al-Shawk's case raises the question of what freedom of religion means in sport.
Markus Sahli, the council's secretary, says there is no easy answer to the question and told swissinfo.ch the issue should be looked at on a case-by-case basis.
"The Council of Religions is of the opinion that the right of individuals to be allowed to express their religious convictions is also protected in public life. One can debate whether limits should already be placed on this right at the sports club level."
The Federal Commission Against Racism for its part described the basketball association's decision as "shocking in regard to the religious freedom guaranteed by the Swiss constitution".
The Iraqi Islamic Centre in Switzerland spokesman Karim Samaoui has expressed solidarity with Al-Shawk but told swissinfo.ch that Muslim communities needed to present a unified view of the issue. He urged them to use the channels of the Swiss democratic system to ensure Muslims are not subjected to "racist practices".
Jessica Dacey, swissinfo.ch (with input from Abdelhafidh Abdeleli)

Source: http://www.swissinfo.ch/

India's Muslim girls box their way out poverty

By POH SI TENG
KOLKATA, INDIA -- As the sun dips below the horizon, roll call begins at a boxing club in southeast Kolkata.
Standing tall, soldier-style in three lines, are 47 students -- some as young as 8 years old, a few as old as 23 -- who hold their positions in front of an outdoor boxing ring at the Khidderpore School of Physical Culture, a community sports center.
Some girls in Kolkata, India, are casting off traditional gender roles and lacing up boxing gloves. As WSJ's Poh Si Teng reports, they're punching for gold and to secure a better life.
Several are clad in identical athletic shorts and tanks; others wear faded T-shirts and knee-length shorts. As they stand in formation, they look past the yellow ropes of the ring, past the grill that fences the complex, past the open dirt field and crumbling construction at a park, where the neighborhood kids are laughing, screaming and playing cricket and catch.
They look past the squalor. As a trainer eyeballs the lines, an assistant calls the students by their assigned numbers.
"Number 20," yells the assistant. "Present, sir," responds a soft voice from the second line.
The trainer, Sheikh Nasimuddin Ahmed, calls number 20, a 16-year-old girl named Sughra Fatma, to the front. Grabbing her ear firmly with a twist, the 31-year-old man berates her for snickering during roll call, and reiterates the importance of discipline. As punishment, Ms. Fatma must do a dozen squats. Everyone watches.
Here, Ms. Fatma is one of the boys. She looks like them: Her hair is cropped short; she's lithe, has calves of steel and walks as if she's bouncing on springs. In the ring, she even spars with them. And if she makes a mistake, she's punished like them.
Outside the club, however, Ms. Fatma's life is different. About 13 million people live in the predominantly Hindu city of Kolkata, formerly known as Calcutta. Roughly a fifth of them are Muslim, according to the latest census in 2001. In Khidderpore, a mostly Muslim neighborhood near the Hooghly river where Ms. Fatma lives, many homes are mere shacks that each house seven to 10 family members. It isn't the poorest part of town, but it's decidedly poor.
Ms. Fatma's father works as a crane operator in the port area, but his health is failing and there isn't much work these days anyway. Her mother tutors sometimes to earn a little extra pocket money. After boxing workouts that last from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. every day but Sunday, Ms. Fatma heads home where she freshens up, finishes leftover school work and then helps her sisters cook dinner -- a few pieces of beef in a curry and some bread -- at their family home, a tiny place that houses her parents, a brother and three sisters. After dinner she sleeps with her sisters on the floor; her parents and brother share an old wooden bed.
As it is for many of the kids at the boxing club, life is hard. For girls -- unlike boys who have a few more options -- it's practically scripted: They stay home, help their mothers, and get married so they aren't a burden to their families anymore.
Girls like Ms. Fatma, who dream of a better life with more options and opportunity, join the Khidderpore boxing club because it offers a potential way out.
Boxing is one of several avenues that have opened up to poor Muslim women across a modernizing India, including careers with nonprofit organizations and in teaching. It reflects the changing role of women within their own communities, particularly in the past decade, says Sabiha Hussain, an associate professor who studies women's issues at Jamia Millia Islamia university in New Delhi. "They find (boxing) as a way of coming out from conservativeness. They have very limited role -- poor Muslim women -- in the public sphere. So these women, these boxers, they find a way to come out and this is an outlet for them to fight poverty," Ms. Hussain says.
Sports in general, she says, are a good way for Muslim girls to achieve fame and break away from gender stereotypes. In sports, "they are captured by the media. If they are in a simple thing -- small business -- they are not visible. It's a question about visibility. Everybody knows Sania Mirza," the world-class Indian tennis player who is Muslim, Ms. Hussain adds.
Here at the Khidderpore community center, young Muslim women are liberated by the boxing ring, though few have yet achieved national standing. "In sports, boys and girls are equal. Everybody is the same," says Ms. Fatma, who trains at the boxing club with her twin, Zainab, and her younger sister Bushra, 14. Sometimes there are as many as 14 other girls who work out with the Fatma sisters. An older Fatma sister, Ainal, now 23, used to train with them but quit two years ago following her marriage.
Girls who compete and do well consistently at the national level might be able to parlay their success into a college education or a spot on a sports team -- and a job -- with the Indian railway or police force. That means a subsidized canteen, boxing trainers and facilities -- and a pension.
But to join the boxing club, the girls have to overcome many obstacles, including lack of money and a hidebound Muslim community.
"We are uplifting women," says D. Chandralal, national chief coach for youth women boxers, who has been coaching females since 2001. But, he adds, for girls to get to a competitive level, they need encouragement and financial support from their communities. "They have to break all the barriers."
Just getting dressed for afternoon practices takes a bit of derring-do. Most of the girls are modest dressers: a salwar kameez, a traditional Indian outfit of a loose-fitting tunic over pants, to school; at home, track pants and a shirt. "The first time Sir (the coach) said I would have to wear shorts, I felt ashamed because I had never worn anything like that," says Ms. Fatma.
When Ms. Fatma and her sisters picked up the sport two years ago, some of the neighbors looked down on what they were doing, and made the girls' father aware of their disapproval. But Ms. Fatma says, "My father would tell them, 'I have allowed them to box because there is a life in boxing and I want them to become somebody.'"
"I think it's very good that the girls are interested in boxing," says Mohammed Kashif Raza, a 15-year-old boy who trains at the Khidderpore boxing club. "They come from Muslim families and are not rich. They're poor. Their future is in sports only."
In Khidderpore, Muslims are more traditional than conservative. A handful of women wear a burqa, the head-to-toe loose outer garment that has only a small opening for the eyes. Many older women wear a hijab, a head cover. But teenagers and young girls typically wear a salwar kameez with no head scarf. They go to school; a few go on to university. And some women own small businesses, perhaps doing sewing, or work as maids or as managers of grocery stores.
Even so, gender roles remain strictly defined. Young girls slog through domestic chores, cook and clean for several family members and work odd jobs, such as operating private phone booths and helping customers at grocery stores, to supplement the household income, all while studying in school. By their teens, they're usually married off -- considered an essential achievement because then they will have someone to take care of them -- to men who are sometimes much older, in unions arranged by their parents.
Razia Shabnam knows the score. A decade or so ago, the 31-year-old Khidderpore native quietly swapped her salwar kameez for a pair of boxing shorts and gloves. Neighbors were afraid that their daughters would follow suit. "When I used to go to the club, people would come to me in the road and try to stop me from boxing," she says. They made snide comments to pressure her father to keep her away from the game of punches, blows and knockouts, deemed fit only for men. But her father ignored them and gave Ms. Shabnam his blessing. After a short two-year stint as an amateur national boxer from 1997 to 1999, she became India's first woman international boxing referee and judge.
"The problem is people think that it's an injurious game, especially for girls," says Ms. Shabnam. If they break their noses and mar their faces, "they can't get married." Ms. Shabnam, now married to a Muslim man who is supportive of her coaching career, is famous in the neighborhood as a boxing queen and has inspired many poor Muslim girls in the area who hope to get more control over their destinies and also gain respect from the community.
The head coach of the Khidderpore boxing club, Sheikh Mehrajuddin Ahmed, 42, the brother of Ms. Fatma's trainer, introduced the boxing program for women at Khidderpore in 1998. He has coached 36 girls in the past 11 years, and has seen them overcome stigma and break traditional stereotypes. In the past decade, nine girls from the Khidderpore club have gone on to compete in national championships, and one has competed at an international championship. They've brought home gold, silver and bronze medals.
"A lot of Muslim households object to girls leaving the house to practice. But if the girl succeeds in becoming a good boxer and gets a good job, then all these problems disappear" and the girls will be financially independent, says Coach Ahmed, who is also secretary of the Bengal Amateur Boxing Federation.
No one at his club has succeeded in such feats -- so far. Even Ms. Shabnam, the amateur national boxer who became an international referee, has yet to parlay her success into a coaching job that actually pays. To cover her day-to-day expenses, Ms. Shabnam teaches physical-fitness classes at home, which earns her about 4,000 rupees, or $80, a month, roughly the same as a domestic helper or a driver makes in Kolkata.
Then there's Mary Kom. When she was 18, Ms. Kom, who is Christian, started boxing at a local community center in her home state of Manipur in northeastern India. Two years later, in 2002, she won her first of four gold medals at the the International Boxing Association's World Women's Championships. These days, Ms. Kom, now 26, who is an inspector for the Manipur police but trains full-time for boxing tournaments, has set her sights on the Asian Indoor Games in Vietnam at the end of the year.
"It is very difficult (for women) to get a job" in boxing, says Ms. Kom, who is set to receive the highest honor for athletes in India, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award. "But if you win official tournaments -- Olympic tournaments, world championships, gold, silver or bronze -- (government agencies like the police or the railway) will approach you" for a job and to be on their sports teams.
At that level of competition, there's money, too. For Ms. Kom's last medal, in 2008, she received a cash award of about $20,500 from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. If a boxer wins a gold medal at the Olympics, the ministry gives him or her about $100,000. Medals won at the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, or World Cup Championships come with a cash prize from the ministry of between $6,200 and $20,500.
Girls like Simmi Parveen, 12, dream of being the next Mary Kom. "This is an addiction for me. I will achieve something," says Ms. Parveen, the youngest girl at the Khidderpore club. "When I'm somebody I wouldn't have to go and look for a partner. Suitors will come themselves to talk to my brother and father for my hand. That's why I want to stand on my own feet and do something."
Ms. Parveen is lucky. Her family is supportive of her boxing. Now that many of her older siblings have started to work, the family's quality of life has improved in recent years. Her eldest brother, Mohammad Qutubuddin Khan, 30, who takes care of the household, graduated from college. "I got a lot of inspiration from Aligarh Muslim University, where I found girls pursuing their education. So I feel that there should be no discrimination between my sisters and brother. They are all equal. Let them pursue their education and what they want to be," says Mr. Khan.
But not all the girls have a brother like Mr. Khan, who can afford to buy the basic supplies needed for practice: proper running shoes, workout clothes and protective mouthpieces.
At the Khidderpore School of Physical Culture, apart from the five-year-old outdoor boxing ring (completed after a one-time club member, Mohammed Ali Qamar, became the first Indian national to clinch a boxing gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in 2002), everything looks like it's falling apart. There isn't enough equipment to go around. The club has 12 boxing gloves for 150 boys and girls.
It costs about 40 U.S. cents for students under 17 and about 60 cents for those 18 and over to join the boxing club. Some students come without proper shoes, and after two hours of nonstop running, bag and pad punching, and sparring, they head home. Dinner is often a few pieces of baked bread and a bowl of dal, a lentil stew. If they're lucky, they get small chunks of meat or a glass of milk.
Boxing, in the end, offers no guarantee of riches. Ms. Shabnam has spent the past 12 years of her life boxing, coaching, refereeing or judging -- and yet, she says, "I'm sad that I did so many things but still I depend on my husband."
Still, the girls at the Khidderpore boxing club are hopeful it will improve their lot. In the ring, Ms. Fatma hunkers close to a young man about a head taller. He paces forward and throws a couple of punches toward her left cheek. She manages to swerve to the side, swinging her right arm to his face and left fist toward his chest. They dance on stage, throwing definitive swipes, each trying to outlast the other.
It's a game of agility, strength and stamina. Time will tell how long Ms. Fatma, and girls like her, will continue to fight on without more financial support from the local community.
"I've dreamt of competing at the national and international levels and even at the Olympics. But for this, one needs (equipment and better facilities), which I lack," says Ms. Fatma. "Sometimes I wonder whether or not my dreams will come true."
The sky is almost pitch black now -- it's nearing 7 p.m. -- and home beckons. But the girls at the Khidderpore school take no notice. They're busy bouncing, sliding on the illuminated pearly white ring outside the Khidderpore sports center. They listen attentively to their coach, Mr. Ahmed. He instructs them to circle him and to forcefully pound the punching pads attached to his palms.
Wham. Wham. Wham. One by one, they do so without hesitation.
—Poh Si Teng is a writer based in New Delhi.

Source: http://online.wsj.com/

Swiss basketball body forbids Muslim headscarf

REITNAU, Switzerland (AP) -A Muslim woman has been told by the Swiss basketball association that she can't wear a headscarf when she plays in league games.
Sura Al-Shawk, a 19-year-old Swiss citizen of Iraqi origin, is making her debut in a regional women's league when the season starts next month. Her team, STV Luzern, sought permission for her to wear the scarf.
However, the Swiss association ProBasket said Thursday it follows the rules of the world governing body. FIBA says the sport has to be neutral, forbidding religious symbols and headcovers.
"If basketball is priority No. 1, international rules have to be respected,'' ProBasket said in a statement. "If religion is priority No. 1, then you cannot play basketball.''
It added that STV Luzern will lose its games by default if Al-Shawk plays with her headscarf. Al-Shawk says she was surprised by the decision but has not said what she will do.
"I really can't understand what is happening here,'' she said. "I would not have thought it possible that in a country like Switzerland a headscarf in sport would pose a problem.''

Source: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com

Ramadan and Sports: To fast or not to fast - that is the question

Soccer News
By Kristina Puck and Peter Auf der Heyde Sep 3, 2009

Hamburg
- When Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho, who has referred to himself as a Special One, substituted Ghanaian international Sulley Muntari after just 30 minutes of their game against Bari, he could never have imagined what storm the substitution would unleash.
However, it was probably no so much the substitution, but what Mourinho said afterwards, that set the wheels in motion.
The Portuguese coach reportedly said: 'Muntari had some problems related to Ramadan, perhaps with this heat it's not good for him to be doing this fasting.'
Understandably, his statement was not well received.
An Italian Muslim leader, Mohamed Nour Dachan said that Mourinho would do better if he spoke less.
'A practising (Muslim) player is not weakened because we know from the Institute of Sports Medicine that mental and psychological stability can give a sportsman an extra edge on the field.
'A player who is a believing Christian, Jew or Muslim is certainly calmer psychologically and that improves his performance,' the president of the Union of Islamic communities and organisations in Italy said.
The heated exchange between Mourinho and Dachan opened an ongoing debate, which becomes relevant once a year, when million of Muslims worldwide celebrate Ramadan.
Some, like German-based Demba Ba, have found a personal compromise that sees him eat and drink between sunrise and sunset only on match days.
The 24-year-old's coach, Ralf Rangnick accepts Ba's decision, but says he gets no special favours. 'He has been practising Ramadan for many years and is used to it.'
Like Ba, there are many players who find strength for their sporting prowess in religion.
But the 30-day-long fast during Ramadan (this year from August 21 to September 19) undoubtedly saps some of the players' energy and begs the question whether professional sport and Ramadan are compatible.
Only with some compromises, says Ba and many of his colleagues, amongst them French international Franck Ribery, who converted to Islam, agree.
'On free days I fast, but when I have to play I do not fast,' the Bayern midfielder, who prays before each game, said.
Stuttgart's German international Serdar Tasci sees it similar and discusses his fasting with his club doctor in advance. 'If I don't do that, it is simply too dangerous. I am as religious as others, but I also have my profession.'
Werder Bremen midfielder Mesut Oezil, who has Turkish roots, but plays for Germany, is one of the Muslim players who does not fast after having bad experiences as a youth player. 'I felt worn-out and had headaches.'
Fatmire Bajramaj, who comes from Kosova, but is playing for the German women's team currently doing duty at the European championships in Finland, is not fasting.
'If I fast, I could not manage training and matches. I previously tried to fast for four days, but then broke it off as I could simply not function,' she said.
The head of a sports - and movement medicine at Hamburg University, Klaus-Michael Braumann, said that drinking is particularly important as it could prove fatal if they do not take in enough liquids.
He believes the negative side-effects of fasting during Ramadan are at times over-emphasized. 'It depends on how strict players adhere to Ramadan.
'However, not drinking can have catastrophic consequences for players.'
Only a few players adhere fully to Ramadan by not taking any food or liquids during the day.
One of them is Abdelazziz Ahanfouf, who is without a club at the moment. 'The first few days are very difficult, at times it is a bit sore here or there.'
But the Moroccan player seems not to suffer any loss of form. Five years ago, he scored his only hat-trick during Ramadan.
Nuremberg's Tunisian international Jaouhari Mnari is another player who strictly sticks to Ramadan. This year, however, a cold forced him to break his fast.
Breast-feeding mothers, people who are sick, travellers and pregnant women are excluded from having to fast. 'But every day that I miss, I will add at the end,' Mnari promised.

Source: http://www.monstersandcritics.com/sport/soccer/article_1498938.php/To-fast-or-not-to-fast-that-is-the-question

National Women Football Championship today

LAHORE: Iranian Women footballers team will show their skills when fifth National Women Football Championship will be held from 29 July-11 August 2009. It will be fifth time in succession that Islamabad’s Jinnah Stadium, that hosted final of 1989 and 2004 SAF Games, has been preferred for the annual women event.
According to Robina Irfan, Chairperson of Pakistan Football Federation (PFF)’s Women Wing, the attraction of the event will be inclusion of Iranian team in same way as 2007 when Afghanistan returned home with silver medals. “Four top teams of second National women club football Championship – holders Young Rising Star Women Football Club (YRSWFC), Balochistan United, Karachi’s Diya Club, Lahore’s Sports Sciences Department of Punjab University – have already joined Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, NWFP, Northern Areas, FATA, Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Islamabad,Pakistan WAPDA, Pakistan Police. The 16-team frame will be completed when Manager’s Meeting will decide the 16th team.
“Countries like Pakistan are free to promote women’s soccer within the limits of their culture and religion. FIFA gave freedom to the individual countries to develop this sport among their womenfolk within the prescribed parameters of their culture and religion," said Irfan, adding that due to commitment, dedication of PFF President Faisal Saleh Hayat women soccer is finding respectable position in Pakistan’s sports. It is his Herculean efforts due to which AFC had promoted him to Chairmanship of AFC Disciplinary Committee.
Punjab won the inaugural event in 2005 under superb coaching of Gujranwala-born Abdul Hafeez Malik, followed by WAPDA’s triumph in 2006. Then came the turn of University and a club to snatch golds : Lahore’s Sports Sciences Department in 2007 and Young Rising Star WFC in 2008.
She called PFF President’s work on Women soccer a milestone. "PFF has made great strides in women’s football under PFF chief. His decision to hire a full-time administrator dedicated to the women’s game has helped to open up competition and education doors for female footballers and officials in the country," said Robina, who is also member of POA and Islamic Federation of Women Sport (IFWS)’s Medicine Committee.
Also Balochistan Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Robina added "FIFA is keen to develop women’s football in all countries but nations like Pakistan could retain their traditions like women-only spectators, players wearing full trousers instead of shorts, etc. In Iran, women play and enjoy football while wearing full Hijab,"
"PFF will conduct fifth national women championship, with organizers hoping the event will inspire up-and-coming female footballers in the Muslim country. With the unprecedented patronage of the PFF, the senior footballers hope the event will create huge interest in the new generation. concluded Robina.

Source: http://www.onlinenews.com.pk/details.php?id=149219

Saudi prince: Girls' sports OK

RIYADH (Saudi Arabia) - APPEALING to a powerful Saudi prince, an 8-year-old girl asked why she was not allowed to play sports in school like boys. She got an unexpected response: The prince said he hoped government schools for girls would allow playing fields.
The stand taken by Prince Khaled al-Faisal, governor of the holy city of Mecca and one of the most senior second-generation members of the royal family, on the controversial issue is the strongest official endorsement so far of women's sports and a sign the government may be tilting toward opening up on that front.
Physical education classes are banned in state-run girls schools in conservative Saudi Arabia. Saudi female athletes are not allowed to participate in the Olympics.
Women's games and marathons have been cancelled when the powerful clergy get wind of them. And some clerics even argue that running and jumping can damage a woman's hymen and ruin her chances of getting married.
Like other restrictions on women in the kingdom, including the ban on driving and voting, the prohibitions on sports stem from the strict version of Islam the kingdom follows. Conservative clerics have strong influence on government and society, and they ban anything they believe might lead to women's emancipation or encourage women to abandon conservative Muslim values.
Despite the obstacles, there has been some progress in the past couple of years on this issue. Some Saudi women have quietly been forming soccer, basketball, volleyball and other teams throughout the kingdom.
Princess Adelah, King Abdullah's daughter, recently spoke publicly about the need to 'seriously and realistically look into the issue of introducing sports in girls' schools because of the rise in diseases linked to obesity and lack of movement', according to Al-Riyadh newspaper. About 52 per cent of Saudi men and 66 per cent of women are either obese or overweight, according to Saudi press reports.
Prince Khaled's remarks, which he made at the launch of a project Monday aimed at developing cultural and sporting activities in the western city of Jiddah, gives a boost to these individual efforts.
The prince is interested in sports and has served as head of the General Presidency for Youth Welfare, the federation that oversees it. -- AP
Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking+News/Sport/Story/STIStory_394763.html

visit of Iranian Women footballers to Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, Jul 8 (APP): Iranian Women football team will participate in the 5th National Women Football Championship of Pakistan being held here at Jinnah Stadium, Pakistan Sports Complex, from July 29-August 11.According to Robina Irfan, Chairperson of Pakistan Football Federation (PFF)’s Women Wing, the attraction of the event will be inclusion of Iranian team.
In 2007 edition of this championship, Afghanistan were the foreign team to compete, finishing runners-up.
Robina said four top teams of 2nd National women club football Championship - holders Young Rising Star Women Football Club (YRSWFC), Balochistan United, Karachi’s Diya Club, Lahore’s Sports Sciences Department of Punjab University- have been allowed to take part in the championship alongside teams from Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, NWFP, Northern Areas, FATA, Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Islamabad,Pakistan WAPDA and Police.
The Managers’ Meeing a day before the kick-off will select the 16th team to play in the event.
“Countries like Pakistan are free to promote women’s soccer within the limits of their culture and religion. FIFA gave freedom to the individual countries to develop this sport among their womenfolk within the prescribed parameters of their culture and religion,” said Robina.
She emphasised that due to commitment, dedication of PFF President Faisal Saleh Hayat women soccer is finding respectable position in Pakistan’s sports.
Punjab won the inaugural event in 2005 under superb coaching of Abdul Hafeez Malik, followed by WAPDA’s triumph in 2006.
Then came the turn of University and a club to snatch golds:
Lahore’s Sports Sciences Department in 2007 and Young Rising Star WFC in 2008.
She called PFF President’s work on Women soccer a milestone. “PFF has made great strides in women’s football under PFF chief. His decision to hire a full-time administrator dedicated to the women’s game has helped to open up competition and education doors for female footballers and officials in the country,” said Robina, who is also member of POA and Islamic Federation of Women Sport (IFWS)’s Medicine Committee.
Also Balochistan Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Robina added “FIFA is keen to develop women’s football in all countries but nations like Pakistan could retain their traditions like women-only spectators, players wearing full trousers instead of shorts, etc.
In Iran, women play and enjoy football while wearing full Hijab, she said.
PFF will conduct fifth national women championship, with organizers hoping the event will inspire up-and-coming female footballers in the Muslim country. With the unprecedented patronage of the PFF, the senior footballers hope the event will create huge interest in the new generation. concluded Robina.

Source: http://www.app.com.pk/en_/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=81004&Itemid=2

Bangladeshi Muslim girls have been inspired

FORMER international table tennis star Grant Solder has been crowned Britain's Best Local Business.
The hard-working 36-year-old businessman was thrilled to win the title in our brilliant Barclays-backed competition.
The Grant Solder Sports Agency provides coaches, mentors, course planning, structuring and management to schools, youth clubs, and local authorities.
Grant was one of nine regional finalists to be judged by a panel of experts led by Theo Paphitis, star of TV hit Dragons' Den and boss of the High Street stationery chain Ryman.
Grant was awarded a trophy and cheque for ?20,000 plus a mentoring session with Theo.
Afterwards he said: "I am absolutely delighted to have been recognised as running Britain's Best Local Business.
"It's a real honour. I have always been proud of the work and achievements of our agency and this is the icing on the cake for all the long hours and dedication that goes into our work."
Grant, who lives in Gidea Park, Essex with his partner Kelly and their nine-year-old son Bailey, launched the business ten years ago with the aim of supplying table tennis coaches to East London schools.
But now through his website grantsoldersportsagency.com they supply experts in activities ranging from football to cheer-leading, scuba diving and kickboxing across the capital.
The agency provides an income for 40 coaches it commissions on a project-by-project basis to work with up to 50 schools and organisations - and they are looking to recruit more.
Grant represented England at table tennis for nine years and was also a coach to the national junior team.
He loves to work at grass roots level, introducing sport with high coaching standards into challenging areas in London, where he delivers tangible results.
His staff have been told that as a result of their coaching, schools start to see improved behaviour, concentration and attendance.
The business is not all about profit for Grant. Agency coaches will often work at cost price or go to work in the community or on charity days for free.
And now, after speaking with Theo, he is looking to expand and roll out the agency nationwide.
Rashid Benallal, who nominated Grant's agency in the competition, said: "Their work breeds success, confidence, communication, organisation, discipline and many more skills which are transferable in future jobs.
"One of the main focuses and incredible accomplishments has been through table tennis.
"This scheme was set up at Morpeth Secondary School seven years ago and encouraged children from all backgrounds and religions.
"Bangladeshi Muslim girls have been inspired, which is a huge achievement because they rarely participate in sport due to cultural differences. The scheme has created many success stories, for example getting kids off the street to achieve success in sport and winning titles.
"In light of these successes, the table tennis team has had opportunities to present to the Prime Minister for the Olympic Games bid and even for the Queen.
"Many jobs have been created for previous players at the school, which has a significant impact in helping the younger squad to develop.
"This has led the scheme to expand to primary schools and allow more coaching from ex-pupils."
Theo said: "This business was selected for its hard work and determination to make a difference in East London.
"We were particularly impressed that the business is providing an outlet for underprivileged youngsters to access sport.
"It was felt that this business was helping develop our next generation of communities with the aim of improving the community spirit in tougher locations."
Deanna Oppenheimer, Chief Executive, Barclays UK Retail Banking, said: "This campaign with The Sun has shown how passionate many people are for their local business.
"More than 4,000 people nominated businesses that, time and again, have gone the extra mile and beyond.
"We have heard amazing stories, from the chemist who personally delivered medicines in the snow, to the hairdresser who puts on fashion shows for charity.
"It's an honour to help tell these stories. More and more, I realise this competition hasn't been just about great businesses, but great people."
Steve Cooper, Managing Director of Local Business at Barclays, said: "I was blown away by the regional and national winners.
"These businesses have a huge impact on their local communities, both in providing jobs and in bringing people together."
"These local business owners make it clear that, though the economic environment is tough, our entrepreneurs have the passion and commitment to come through with flying colours.
"Congratulations from Barclays to the winners, and all who took part or were nominated in the campaign."
Source: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/money/backingbritbiz/2526831/Ping-gong-for-coaching-guru.html

Sania Mirza's Indian controversies should heed Dipika Pallikal's rise

When weightlifter Karnam Malleshwari claimed bronze at the 2000 Olympics, she became India's first female medal winner since the modern Olympics started in 1896.

It is unfortunate that society and attitudes towards Indian sportswomen have been at fault for this lack of success when you consider the huge exposure given to the likes of Indian cricketers. For India's women it is a barrier that is unlikely to be broken in the near future.
Take the career of Indian tennis pin-up Sania Mirza as an example, without doubt the nation's biggest female sports star (in terms of looks not success at present). The world No 98, who despatched Anne Keothavong this week in Nottingham, has courted controversy ever since she entered the spotlight after being beaten in the fourth round by Maria Sharapova at the US Open in 2005.
A fatwa was issued against the 22-year-old by a Muslim organisation later that year, describing her short skirts and sleeveless shirts as "un-Islamic". She then had to strenuously deny pre-marital sex remarks attributed to her in the Indian press. (Mirza's effigy was burned amid protests in her home state of Andhra Pradesh).
Last year she defended herself against charges of disrespecting her country's flag over a photograph taken in Perth in which she appeared to rest her feet near the Indian flag. There was talk she could be jailed for up to three years. There was the uproar over an advertising shoot in front of a mosque, too.
Such is India's press that Mirza rarely plays back in her homeland now. Controversy would rein. The fact that she doesn't has left the media to speculate that she was not offered the amount demanded by her as 'appearance fees'.
So it is lucky then that Dipika Pallikal, India's next big hope from the world of squash, is enjoying life in Yorkshire and about to study at Leeds University. At the tender age of 17, Pallikal has racked up an impressive array of titles on the European junior circuit.
She is currently ranked world No 49 and plays club squash at the famed Pontefract Squash Club, under the watchful eye - and no doubt prying eyes in the galleries - of coach Malcolm Willstrop. The club is owned by the amiable Mick Todd, manager of Wilstrop's son James, who has been quick to see the talent offered by Pallikal.
Trips have been made to a London agency about her marketing and sponsorship potential and there is no doubt that as she progresses, interest will swell. Squash is popular in India and the sport is crying out for a eye-catching star [world No 1 Nicol David is a superstar back in Malaysia] to bring the sport much-craved global appeal.
But the fact of the matter is that Pallikal's current environs should play a big part in how she develops. Perhaps then she will be admired in the Indian media for her qualities and not for any controversies that may arise from the hype.

Source: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/rod_gilmour/blog/2009/06/11/sania_mirzas_indian_controversies_should_heed_dipika_pallikals_rise

Debate in Saudi Arabia over Women's Sports

Recently, the Saudi public, government, and religious discourse has been engaged in a debate over women's sports, particularly women's gyms, physical education instruction in girls' schools, and competitive sports clubs for women.
The issue of women's sports clubs has reemerged on the public agenda following the International Olympic Committee's threat to suspend membership of any country that has not established sports frameworks for women by 2010. [1] Nevertheless, when discussion of this issue took place, in the lead-up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, [2] some senior Saudi officials, including the deputy head of the Saudi Shura Council, opposed the idea, while others supported and even promoted the idea of women's sports. A well-known Saudi businessman, Prince Walid ibn Talal, even organized a reception honoring the country's first women's soccer team, Ittihad Al-Muluk. [3]
Another issue making headlines recently was the closure of women's gyms in several cities, on order of the Saudi Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs - on the grounds that the centers were operating without proper medical supervision. [4] The Saudi English-language daily Arab News commented that the General Presidency for Youth Welfare and Sports (GPYWS), the only institution authorized to license gyms, had been granting licenses only to men's gyms while ignoring women's. [5] The Saudi daily Al-Madina reported that Saudi women had launched an Internet campaign protesting the closures, under the slogan "Let her be fat!" Members of the Parliamentary Social, Family, and Youth Affairs Committee demanded that the GPYWS implement the existing Shura Council order and open gyms for women. [6]
As to physical education in girls' schools, this has been a topic of public debate for a number of years now. GPYWS deputy head Nawaf bin Fahed announced at a Shura Council session that in the near future the GPYWS would allow this in girls' schools. [7]
An Al-Riyadh article, titled "Women's sports: The Minority of Opponents Has Prevailed over the Majority of Supporters," presented data from a public survey on women's sports, which was conducted by the SaudiCenter for Statistical Research. According to the survey, 89% of the population think that sports are important for women; 10% think that they are important to some degree; and only 1% hold that sports are not important for women at all. Furthermore, 48% supported gyms for women; 44% supported them provided that they were designed in accordance with the unique nature of Saudi society; and only 4% were categorically opposed to gyms for women. [8]
Clerics' opinions on this issue were diverse; some categorically opposed all sports activities for women, while others sanctioned them under certain conditions.
Following are excerpts from relevant articles in the Saudi press:
Saudi Mufti: Women's Sports Are Against the Will of Allah
Saudi Mufti Sheikh Abd Al-'Aziz bin Abdallah Aal Al-Sheikh refused to sanction women's sports, stating that "[such] demand is tantamount to a call for wantonness, for transgressing [the rules of] modesty, and for disobeying [feminine] nature, which Allah instilled in the woman upon creation." He further stated: "A woman is expected to be a homemaker and a caregiver for her children; it is she who builds the family and shares [responsibility] for its management. If she leaves [her home] for the sake of such things [i.e. sports], she will forget herself… she will neglect her husband and children, and waste her time on games and amusement, unaware of what is happening to her and to her children. [And] what will become of [her] home?" [9]
The religious establishment's negative attitude to women's sports was manifested in a fatwa issued by senior Saudi cleric Sheikh 'Abd Al-Rahman Al-Barak, who maintained that women's sports clubs should be banned. Thus, when asked for a ruling on this issue, he stated: "The foundations of shari'a and its emphasis on upholding the woman's honor and the purity of society prescribe that these clubs be banned. It is clear to anyone who understands the place of sports in the Muslim world as well as shari'a ordinances and laws that these clubs are one of the main factors in the Westernization of the Muslim woman and the corruption of Muslim society. Hence, the opening of such clubs would be improper; [it is] forbidden because they breed vice. A woman must always - even today - fulfill Allah's commandment [to women] - as Allah commanded the Prophet's wives: 'And stay in your houses' [Koran 33:33].
"As for the arguments offered by several [advocates] of such clubs - that some women go out on the rooftops to exercise [such that gyms would be a lesser evil], the answer is that a sin committed by a minority of women should not be redressed by a greater sin, which [in this case] would be tantamount to opening the door for women throughout Saudi Arabia to leave [their homes].
"It is well known that these clubs do not cause all women to engage in sports, but only a small part who [actually] take part in competitions, while the rest watch and cheer… It is also known that these clubs are appropriate only for those women whose sense of shame is either lacking or absent altogether.
"These clubs are nothing but playgrounds and amusement venues, and [the cause of] moral corruption… [for they], along with men's sports clubs, contribute to the degradation of the [Muslim] nation by wasting private and public funds on useless things…
"It is both inconceivable and incompatible with Islam that our nation, which is threatened by enemies, should promote amusement and play - [indeed,] this would gratify the enemies of the Muslims… Those who call to establish such clubs, and who like them, collude in [sowing] corruption, which these clubs have promoted in the past and will promote in the future…" [10]
Columnist for Islamic websites Sheikh Ibrahim Al-Azraq supported Al-Barak's fatwa and argued that it did not ban all women's sports activities, but only prohibited the establishment of competitive sports clubs for women. He said that Sheikh Al-Barak was not banning women from running a race against her husband, or from working out on a treadmill in her home. [11]
Saudi Cleric: Only Virgins Are Forbidden to Participate In Sports
In opposition to Sheikh Aal Al-Sheikh, member of the Council for Muslim Clerics Dr. 'Ali 'Abbas Al-Hakami sanctioned women's sports, saying it was a religious precept. He stated: "Women are undoubtedly permitted to participate in sports if the purpose is to keep healthy and enhance physical activity; more than that, this is a religious obligation. Sports is a means of keeping one's body healthy, which is a religious obligation. Our body is entrusted to us, and we must look after it and protect it from sickness, including obesity, diabetes and so on, which cannot be done in any other way except by watching our diet and doing sports."
Al-Hakami further stated, "There is nothing [in religious law] that precludes the opening of women's gyms, provided that they do not cause transgression, for example, by the mixing of men and women, the exposure of intimate body parts, or the violation of any other religious prohibition." [12]
Other clerics permitted women to engage in sports under certain conditions. Thus, member of the Saudi Council of Muslim Clerics Sheikh Dr. 'Abdallah bin Suleiman Al-Mani'i stated: "Religious law does not prohibit [all] women from engaging in sports, but only virgins… Some 'ulama and religious authorities hold that a girl who is still a virgin must not be allowed to participate in sports, lest her hymen be damaged." Al-Mani'i refrained from commenting specifically on the issue of separate sports clubs for women, stating that this must be ruled on by the Council of Muslim Clerics, the country's highest religious legislative authority. He added that women's participation in sports was a central element in the plan to corrupt the feminine virtue, and one of the central items on the agenda of those who promote Westernization and who seek to undermine the rule of Islam in Saudi Arabia. [13]
Dr. Muhammad bin Musa Al-Sharif, a researcher at the Islamic studies department of King 'Abd Al-'Aziz University in Jeddah, stated that religious law permitted women to engage in sports, albeit under the following five conditions: "That the type of sport [she chooses] is not one of those that doctors do not recommend [for women]; that it does not endanger women's health; that it won't cause a woman to expose her intimate body parts or won't cause her embarrassment by exposing these parts [accidentally]; that it is not competitive - [because] this might lead to enmity, foul language, and invective; that a woman be warned against modern sports clubs where women gather together and where their intimate body parts are exposed; and that a woman be warned against leaving her home alone under the pretext of going to a training session or jogging."
Al-Sharif went on to state: "If she wants to do these things, she must go with a male relative or with a group of women… It would be wrong to categorically prohibit women from engaging in sports, and it would be equally wrong to permit this unconditionally… The middle-of-the-road [approach] is a hallmark of Islam and the course taken by the believers." [14]
Saudi Columnist: Participating in Sports Will Help a Woman Find a Husband
Many Saudi columnists opposed the fatwas prohibiting women's sports, and argued that religious discussions of this issue were unnecessary. Columnist for the Saudi daily 'Okaz Muhammad bin 'Ali Al-Harafi maintained that Islam encouraged women to engage in sports, and that there was no need to wait for a fatwa in order to introduce physical education in schools: "A religious principle stipulates that a thing is permitted unless there is an explicit prohibition against it. Is it stated [anywhere] that girls are forbidden to [engage in] sports of any kind? I am not aware of such a text; conversely, I know a text that states the opposite. Our Prophet encouraged everyone - men and women alike - to engage in sports, and he [even] enumerated [the kinds of activities] popular during his time. Indeed, 'Omar bin Al-Khattab said: 'Teach your children archery, swimming, and horseback riding.' Everyone knows that the word 'children' means girls and boys.
"Isn't it obvious that young men are reluctant to marry fat girls? Only Mauritanian men still keep the old Arab tradition whereby a girl's status increases with her weight. Do [opponents of women's sports] want to send our girls to [Mauritania to find husbands]? Isn't it better to offer them [another] solution - sports?" [15]
Columnist for the Saudi daily Al-Watan Rakan Habib wrote: "When 'ulama meet these clubs with fatwas, it is as though we were saying to the future generations: 'We have failed in [rational] dialogue; we have failed in tolerance; and [we have failed] in honoring and accepting the other.' This will increase confusion in [our] society." [16]
Saudi Intellectual: Sports Clubs Prevent Disease
Saudi intellectual Halima Al-Muzafar also responded to Sheikh Al-Barak's claim that women's sports clubs and gyms would undermine tradition. She stated: "How will we shut the door on the [daily manifestations of] corruption stemming from the fact that young women have too much free time on their hands, suffer from unemployment, are not given jobs at universities, and remain single because of the trafficking in dowries and [for the sake of] preserving the purity of the tribe?"
In response to Sheikh Al-Barak's argument that sports clubs for women would be a waste of public funds, she wrote: "How much does it cost the state to treat women for serious illnesses associated with obesity?… Two-thirds of [Saudi women] suffer from obesity or osteoporosis… [Medical] treatment for two-thirds of Saudi Arabia's female population costs the country much more than opening women's sports clubs would." [17]

[1] www.islamonline.net, March 15, 2009.
[2] 'Okaz (Saudi Arabia), March 27, 2007.
[3] Al-Quds Al-'Arabi (London), April 1, 2009.
[4] Al-Madina (Saudi Arabia), March 23, 2009.
[5] Arab News (Saudi Arabia), April 26, 2009.
[6] Al-Watan (Saudi Arabia), September 5, 2009.
[7] Al-Watan (Saudi Arabia), April 20, 2009.
[8] Al-Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), May 19, 2009.
[9] Al-Sabaq (Saudi Arabia), April 24, 2009.
[10] www.islamlight.net, April 16, 2009.
[11] http://almoslim.net, April 25, 2009.
[12] 'Okaz (Saudi Arabia), May 21, 2009.
[13] Al-Sabaq (Saudi Arabia), March 31, 2009.
[14] www.islamonline.ne t, March 15, 2009.
[15] 'Okaz (Saudi Arabia), May 5, 2009.
[16] Al-Watan (Saudi Arabia), May 10, 2009.
[17] Al-Watan (Saudi Arabia), May 15, 2009.
Source: http://www.memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=SD237709

Montreal Muslim Olympics

I would like to publish the announcement of MMO directly from their own web-site. So far, I did not receive any news in mass media. -Sertaç S. K.

Life is a collection of doors and roads that we alone can choose to open or explore. For those compelled to explore the boundaries of their imagination and abilities, the Montreal Muslim Olympics offers an amazing opportunity to answer the question “How good do I want to be?”
Come and challenge yourself against some of the top Muslim athletes around the city, or just come by and enjoy a weekend of fun and games with your brothers and sisters. Either way there will be 500 athletes ready to compete in an all out sports battle to determine who will be the next MMO champions!Everyone is welcome! You don’t have to hoop-it-up like Kareem Abdul Jabbar or be the next Zinedine Zidane to show up and have a good time. And if athletics are not your Strong points, you can always drop by to help out or support your fellow Muslims!
If you’re ready to take part in the best Muslim sports event this summer just click the link and register at http://www.muslimolympics.ca/
The 3rd annual Muslim Olympics (formerly known as Inter-MSA Olympics), will be held May 30th and 31st , 2009 in the McGill Sports complex.
Inshallah we will see each and every one of you there!
Source: http://www.muslimolympics.ca/mmo2009/

Can sport help Bosnia forget the past?

By Daria Sito-Sucic
BANJA LUKA, Bosnia (Reuters Life!) - The biggest sporting event Bosnia has organized since the end of its devastating war 14 years ago has excited thousands of spectators -- but left others lamenting how the old nationalist passions remain.
Bosnia's second-largest city Banja Luka is hosting the world rafting championships this week.
Teams have come from 35 countries and five continents to race on the wild waters of the river Vrbas in northwestern Bosnia and the river Tara in the east.
Following the 1992-95 war between Bosnian Serbs, Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croats, the country has been divided into two rival ethnically based regions, the Muslim-Croat federation and the Serb Republic, joined under a weak central government.
Organizers of the rafting, and many citizens, hope that holding big sports events can help ease ethnic animosities and bring people from the two regions together.
"This is one of the most positive things that has happened in the past 10 years," said Ana Lukic, whose whole family came to cheer the teams' parade in the center of Banja Luka.
"Everyone came for sports only and not for some national reasons," she added.
Certainly the competitors have been impressed.

I did not know about Bosnia as a rafting destination," admitted Australian Mick Weijsentfeld, carrying a boat to the river with his team mates.
"It's absolutely beautiful, the right scenery, and I think this is going to be a good competition," he added.
Australia was among the favorites to host this year's championship but Bosnia won despite a much lower budget due to the enthusiasm of the organizers and good preparations, said Aleksandar Pastir, the championship's director.
But booing of the U.S. and Turkish teams and huge ovations for the teams of Russia and Serbia highlighted again the dominance of politics in the Balkan country.
The Bosnian Serbs have been close economic and political allies of Serbia and Russia since the war.
Some war veterans' organizations have also said they will hold protest meetings during the visit to Sarajevo on Tuesday of U.S. Vice-President Joseph Biden, showing their disagreement with a policy they say favors Bosnian Muslims.
"This is a metaphor of our life here," said Banja Luka university professor Miodrag Zivanovic.
"Even this sports event was politicized, which shows that Bosnia will not be ready to organize in a dignified manner any sports or cultural event as long as it functions on ethnic patterns."
(Editing by Steve Addison)

Source: http://in.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idINTRE54I1F120090519?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0

Women-only pool sessions back

By Robert Fedele

WOMEN-only swimming sessions will return to the Ascot Vale Leisure Centre after community support led to the YMCA-run centre successfully gaining an exemption from the Equal Opportunity Act.
The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal handed down its verdict on April 28.
The centre operated women-only sessions for several years but dropped them after its $13.8-million redevelopment was completed in September 2007.
The women-only swimming sessions will be staffed by women and run from 8-10pm on Sundays.
Handing down her decision, VCAT deputy president Cate McKenzie said the YMCA had received expressions of interest from more than 100 local women.
Letters of support were also received from the Centre for Multicultural Youth, the Ascot Vale Network (a group of service providers) and the Active Young African Program.
Ms McKenzie said a 2008 survey found service providers and Ascot Vale residents identified a need for women-only swimming sessions.
She said the decision aimed to correct a disadvantage faced by the large number of Muslim women living in Ascot Vale and neighbouring suburbs.
"It is clear from all the material before me that Muslim women are unable, because of their cultural and religious values and beliefs, to participate in swimming sessions in mixed male/female company.
"For them, it is not an option to attend the Ascot Vale Leisure Centre during its public opening hours when it is open to women and men alike.
"The only way to provide accessible opportunities to swim and learn to swim for these women is at times when the centre would be open to and staffed by women only."
YMCA spokeswoman Shona Eland said the swimming sessions would begin in July or August after $15,000 worth of blinds were in place to cover windows.
She said about 100 people were expected to attend weekly.
"We really want to make sure the programs we offer target the diverse community we have.
"'The community groups around Ascot Vale have been the ones working at [women-only sessions] and driving it to return."
The co-ordinator of the Jesuit Social Services African Program in Flemington, Cathy Guiness, said the service had helped introduce women-only sessions in Kensington in the past.
"We know how big the need is and how very successful swimming programs are," Ms Guiness said.
"It's important because there are really not a lot of physical activities available for Muslim women.
"They really appreciate the opportunity to learn to swim and to have social opportunities they can enjoy."
Nick Mac Hale of the Centre for Multicultural Youth's sports and recreation team said several municipalities had run successful women-only swimming sessions for years.
"Women from newly arrived backgrounds would have the lowest amount of participation in any sport in the last five years," he said.
"It just opens up the accessibility of a local leisure centre to the whole community. It's great that Ascot Vale has stood up and said, 'Yes, we need this'."

Source: http://www.mymooneevalley.com.au/news/local/news/general/womenonly-pool-sessions-back/1516212.aspx?storypage=0

Islamic Games in New Jersey, May 22nd

Over the past few years the Annual Islamic Games attracted much excitement and participation. Since the Islamic Games is developing at a rapid pace and will soon be launching its Regional Games, I thought it would be best to share a bit of history with the TSM readers.

The Islamic Games was initially a project of the Muslim Workers Activites (MWA), a very active organization made up of brothers and sisters primarily from Guyana, South America. Most of their members were youths and very involved in Islamic development, sports and athletics; as a result they started the Annual Islamic Games to bring Muslim athletes and their family together to compete in unity and brotherhood, and that was the beginning.

The original organizing committee included Merajudeen Khan, Salaudeen Nausrudeen, Fazal Rahaman, Abuzar Ahmed, Aftabuddin Nausrudeen, Shaikh Abdullah Adhami and a few others. The small but very focused group successfully organized the Games from 1987 to 1991. During those initial years, the games grew rapidly from just a few hundred athletes to more than 800 athletes annually. Events included basketball, soccer, volleyball, track & field, cycling, arm wrestling and other non-competitive events.

Some of the past participants of the Islamic Games included Imam Siraj Wahhaj, Imam Jamil Al-Amin, Omar Amanat and many others who are today very successful and productive American Muslims. Participants came from NY, NJ, CT, PA and other nearby states and represnting an array of Muslims organizations and ethnicities.

After 1991 the Islamic Games was put on hold, it did not returned to the scene for many years. With a re-energized team and a stronger vision, the Islamic Games made its modern debut on Memorial Weekend 2007 with some assistance from ICNA. The response to the Games was phenomenal, more than 600 athletes participated in 2007 and that number grew to more than 1700 in 2008. Spectators grew from 1500 in 2007 to 6000 in 2008.

The 2009 Games is expected to attract more than 2200 athletes in more than 250 events and projected spectators of more than 10,000.

Source: http://www.islamic-games.com/

In Turkey, Women Playing Soccer Vie for Acceptance

ISTANBUL — On a recent cold, gray Sunday, two Turkish premier league soccer teams enthusiastically ran onto the field of a small stadium on the outskirts of Istanbul.

Turks are soccer mad, with games regularly attended by tens of thousands of boisterous fans. But at this game, between host Kartalspor and Ankara’s Gazi Universitesispor, the 22 players on the field outnumbered the people shivering in the stands.
The weather was probably not to blame for the poor attendance; it was more likely because of who was playing. The two teams are part of Turkey’s new women’s soccer league, and although Turks may be soccer fanatics, there is a deep ambivalence in this socially conservative, predominantly Muslim society about women playing the game.
Halfway through its 18-game inaugural season, the league has met a combination of indifference, curiosity and occasional hostility.
“Football is seen as a man’s game in Turkey,” said Nurper Ozbar, 30, the coach of Marmara Universitesispor, the top team in the second division of the league, which also has two youth divisions.
“We’ve had men come to watch our practices and yell at our players: ‘What are you doing here? You should be at home, cooking!’ ” said Ozbar, one of the few women accredited as a soccer coach in Turkey, and the only one in Istanbul. “It’s going to take time to change this.”
Turkey has thriving professional women’s basketball and volleyball leagues. Soccer, for the most part, remains a men’s-only zone. In a country of 70 million, only 798 women and girls are registered as players with the Turkish Football Federation, soccer’s governing body. In comparison, about 230,000 male players are registered with the federation.
For the players in the women’s league, just finding their way to a team can be a monumental challenge. Deniz Bicer, a midfielder with Gazi Universitesispor, the only women’s team in the Turkish capital, Ankara, has to travel almost two hours each way to get to practice.
“In my neighborhood, because it was seen as a man’s game, there was pressure on me and my family that I not play football,” the 18-year-old Bicer said after Gazi’s 3-1 victory over Kartalspor.
“People kept telling me this is a man’s game, you should be interested in other sports, but football is a passion for me,” she said.
The new league is Turkey’s second attempt at establishing women’s soccer. An amateur league of about two dozen teams existed in Turkey for a decade until it was shut down in 2002 amid allegations of mismanagement and rumors of affairs between female players — particularly scandalous in this country.
This time around, the Turkish federation appears intent on promoting the idea of women’s and girls’ soccer to a skeptical nation.
“A lot of our work is public relations, to convince families that girls can play football,” said Erden Or, 33, the federation’s development officer for women’s soccer.
“Some believe that playing football can harm a girl’s build and make her manly,” Or said.
“They believe that it’s a man’s game, so we have to show them proof that they can play football without a problem,” added Or, whose wife chides him for kicking the ball around with their 3-year-old daughter.
Or has been crisscrossing Turkey, staging panel discussions in different cities with coaches and female players and answering questions from worried parents and resistant physical education teachers. When he finds out about a girl whose parents refuse to let her play soccer, Or said, he phones them to help ease their minds.
“If she wants to play, I will call them directly, like a father inquiring about a bride,” he said.
Selling women’s soccer also requires dolling it up. One of the new logos for the league features a slender woman’s hand with long, red-painted fingernails cupping a soccer ball. The background on Or’s computer screen is a photograph of a soccer cleat with a stiletto heel.

By: YIGAL SCHLEIFER

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/04/sports/soccer/04soccer.html