Play On! Focused Pakistani Women's Cricket Team Disregards Threats.

BY: SHIREEN AHMED

The world is waiting for the top cricket athletes to compete in the ICC Women’s World Cup to be held in India. Eight of the best teams in the world are vying for the top spot. 

Due to recent threats from the angry, extremist right-wing, nationalist Shiv Sena party against the tournament and specifically the Pakistani squad, the athletes have been housed in Barabati Stadium in Cuttack.

“The Pakistani players would have faced trouble while travelling from Bhubaneswar to Cuttack for the matches. So we have arranged for their accommodation on the Barabati Stadium premises,” said Odisha Cricket Association Secretary Asirbad Behera.

The tournament was to be held in Mumbai but after a careful assessment the ICC decided to change the venue for the qualifying matches.

The finals will still be held in Mumbai.

Although I applaud the International Council for trying to put the safety of players first, securing the facilities and letting the aggressors know that this will not be tolerated is crucial.

Sport will tolerate terrorism nor will it tolerate threats.

It must persevere.

These women do not have a political agenda. They are playing for sports and for pride. 

They have trained and worked hard. They have earned it.

And they deserve the chance to play in peace. 

Despite these events, the Pakistan Women’s team has maintained that their priority is securing a place in the finals. 

They will not be deterred by the potential of violence. 

These women are stronger than that.

And there are many out there, including dedicated fans in India, who are supporting them and are very excited for this tournament. Politics has no place on the cricket pitch and this does not reflect well on India as a very gracious host nation.

Sana Mir, a formidable player and Team Pakistan’s skipper recently commented: ”We are not here to be in a five-star arrangement. We are here to play and we are quite comfortable.” 

Her dedication and professionalism proceeds her. 

“We are here to play cricket, we feel Barabati Stadium like any ground in Pakistan”

Picture: Pakistani Women's Cricket Team

To be a female athlete and be concerned about safety can be limiting and intimidating. 

These players will do their utmost to ensure a victory and make their country proud despite the lack of support from a minority voice.

I, for one, am already blown by the generosity and professionalism of a team that clarifies that they are there to win. Nothing else.

Pakistan Team manager, Ayesha Ashar: “The arrangements are more like we get in Pakistan. We are happy with the facilities provided to us by the organisers”.

That, my friends, commands respect. 

Picture: Sana Mir

Arab Women Springing.... into Football Stadiums for Gulf Cup of Nations

BY: SHIREEN AHMED

Bahrain recently hosted the 21st Gulf Cup of Nations. A grand tournament involving eight teams from the Middle East.
The Emirati victors beat the talented Iraqi squad for a 2-1 win. They emerged glorious and jubilant. A nation of fans cheering wildly and supporting them.

Among those fans were, for the first time, women.


The semi-final match between the UAE team and Bahrain’s home team was one of the first
international matches to host women in a Gulf state.

For reasons cited as safety concerns, male chaperones required as well as years of tradition and inaccessibility, women have not gone to cheer football teams.

But times are changing and no more than in these conservative, Muslim countries.
Women and girls are openly displaying their interest in and allegiance to their national teams.

In the final match between Iraq and UAE, 50 places were arranged on six different flights for women and their chaperones. This initiative was taken on by Nasreen Ali Darwish of the UAE Cycling Federation. She contacted the Emirati Football Association and reserved the places.
There was no hesitation on the part of the Football organization and the supporters flew to Bahrain with their fellow fans.

That women can share in the excitement, moment and joy of an important regional football tournament is unprecedented.

Currently, in the Middle East many stadiums are still considered to be a man’s domain.
In Iran, it is illegal, not just culturally and socially unacceptable, for women to attend football matches or even televised events in public.
This issue isn’t only about cultural inequality or traditional gender roles, it is about national pride: “Sport makes everyone connect as it is a mutual language for everyone," says Dr. Ahmad Alomosh, a Sociologist at University of Sharjah "A victory for a national team is bound to enhance national identity and unite people”.
Dr.Almosh also contends that publicly cheering sports teams represents a “natural progression of Emirati women’s role in society”.
In addition to the legions of female supporters in the Middle East, the are numerous critics of these supporters.
Twitter was ablaze with debate and discussion regarding the “bold” move of many women to travel outside of their country to support a team.

One twitter user stated: “It is sad to see the UAEFA encourages women to unveil and discard their decency under the flag of supportiveness”.


It should be noted that a lot of the women were dressed in long-sleeved t-shirts or long robes with some choosing to wear a headscarf (hijab). It is not required by law in Bahrain.

User @bomoath75 insisted that women at a match would “lose the spirit of modesty and chastity”.
As a footballer, a spirited fan and a woman,  I totally am unclear how chastity can be compromised by waving a flag in the stands.

Interestingly, women are also of this opinion. Twitter user @jumaira_ wrote that this idea was "foreign and alien to what we are used to and will distort the image of our country".

For some the option for women to stay and home and watch the matches is a valid one.
That these female supporters -gasp!- travel outside of the country to a neighouring one is unfathomable. Women engaging in loud cheering, whistling and clapping may be horrifying and what ultra-conservative folks think is the degradation of women’s expected responsible behaviour.


Or it could just be that there is a rise in interest in football among women where there may not have been previously. That girls are not just watching their brothers play but are healthy, active and confidently engaging in sport. That is is the most watched sport in the world and that stadiums are creating family spaces, clean washrooms and controlling amount of hooliganism that occurs is good for all involved.

A safe space for football is a critical one.

Almost one quarter of football matches in some parts of Europe are women. They have the resources and interest to participate in Fantasy Leagues, they attend matches and purchase kits and invest in heavily in team spirit.

Most are cognizant of that privilege - although it ought to be a right. The right to safety, hope and participation. It is widely known that women in some parts of the Middle East can not drive or travel without a male relative. But that they may not be welcome in stadiums to simply watch a game is unfathomable.



Most recently there had been a picture of a Muslim female fan in Bradford, England that went viral. This picture was important for many reasons. Firstly, it debunked the myth that women in hijab may not care for football. Second, it showed that there is a place for inclusion and ardent team loyalty from women regardless of race, religion.

This is an important parallel to the current issue in the Middle East. Women are making choices. They are working, earning, raising football lovers - both girls and boys- and to partake in football can only strengthen community bonds.

Not to mention that creating lines of sports apparel and merchandise catering to female fans in the Gulf states could be a very, very lucrative initiative. Would be very enticing for clubs to venture into this specialized area.

Women are ferocious and vocal supporters of football clubs. They have been for a long time in various ways. Some pray, some scream, some cheer and all are intense.



One of the most conservative Muslim countries, Saudi Arabia has begun construction of a new soccer arena in Jeddah that will be able to accommodate families, and female journalists and fans. Previously women were not permitted to attend due to a law barring men and women from mingling in public.

Football is the game of the world. It is not a novel idea that women of all ages and backgrounds would be interested in it. Even those from the Middle East.



Overall, the tone is of triumph, happiness. And women should partake in this joy.

There is a lot of work to be done to solidify systematic equality, safety and opportunity for girls and women in education, workplace and in community.

A football stadium is positive place to keep the momentum going. The road to empowerment of women is a long one; it even runs along the pitch.

I will for one be watching, and cheering and supporting the right to participate of these intrepid women just as I cheer at matches.

MWIS Writer Shireen Ahmed Selected for The Best of Football Writing in 2012

Shireen Ahmed's article "Off-Record but on-Field: Veil, Burka, Babushka or Bedsheet?" is selected as one of the Most Compelling writings on football. Congrats Shireen!

Who is Shireen Ahmed: Shireen Ahmed is a frontline worker in Social Services, writer and footballer living in Toronto. Her passions include advocacy, her amazing family, following Football Club Barcelona , coffee and her two cats. She writes about her experiences in football and sport in her blog “Tales of a Hijabi Footballer” at www.footybedsheets.tumblr.com. You can follow her at @_shireenahmed_

Her Article: Off-record but on-field: Veil, Burka, Babushka or Bedsheet?

I am far beyond the usual barrage of questions regarding my hijab.

I live in Toronto. Hijab is hardly a foreign concept. Many women from varied ethnic communities choose to cover. Some fully. Some partially. Some in amazingly-coloured,  culturally-inspired fabrics. Some in pristine designer brands. On the subway. On the street. At concerts. At a Masjid. At schools. At the flea market. Wherever.

Questions come flying at me on the football pitch. Where women my age (30+) are NOT routinely seen on a team or part of a recognized & affiliated club.

My generation of empowered Pakistani-Canadian Muslim women with opportunity, seldom engaged in contact sports. Heavily in Academics, also Art and Music. Definitely not in football / soccer. If they did, they stopped by 12 or 13 years of age.(... Continues)

Continue: http://footybedsheets.tumblr.com/post/27395541349/off-record-but-on-field-veil-burka-babushka-or

Other Nominated Writings: http://afootballreport.com/post/39295318242/the-best-of-football-writing-in-2012

Salma Hosseini- TaeKwonDo Instructor...in Kabul

BY: SHIREEN AHMED

I came across a wonderful site that presents a "portrait of a city through its working people". Completely normal yet amazing citizens living in Kabul, Afghanistan. Among some of the people chronicled is Salma Hosseini, a TaeKwonDo Instructor. As Salma teaches, she empowers and inspires young girls and boys.  Salma speaks of how she was aggressively approached by a man on the street who tried to slap her. She defended herself and kicked him. She's a TaeKwonDo champion and simultaneously defended herself and defended her right to practice martial arts. Such an incredible athlete. She's dedicated and is committed to her sport. Despite the negative comments and obstacles of living in a country riddled with cultural and political challenges, she fights on. And she commands respect.  

My name is Salma Hosseini 

I was a member of the National Youth Team in Kabul, and I’m a volunteer at the Haidari Club and also the coach for the National Women’s Team in Kabul. My name was recorded as the first female trainer and medallist in Afghanistan. It gives me great pride.Normally when you face your opponent you feel aggressive, but you can let off steam with each hit. But an aggressive face intimidates your opponent, so this is my professional policy. But really I’m kind at heart.The Haidari Club is the only gym in Afghanistan where boys and girls train together. The uneducated and uncivilized people don’t approve of us. They say, ‘women shouldn’t be doing this, women should get married and have babies’.

I get sad, because the girls like it. They have the talent and they are brave enough to do it. They could have a future in it. But it’s their family, the father, the elder brother, or sometimes the elder sister, who makes the decision for them.But my father and brothers support me so it’s OK for me. They are very good to me. I learnt Taekwondo in Iran from an Iranian trainer. I was a student there for 10 years. I’ve been told that when I was five years old, because my father was a political activist, and we were being followed, my father and family were forced to flee to Iran. We lived there for 20 years.When I first put my foot back on Afghan soil, I felt so happy, I knelt down and kissed the ground. But when I saw the people and the ruins of war, it made me sad.After 20 years when we heard that the Taliban regime had collapsed, my father’s friends asked him to come back.My goal is to serve my people. I’ve been insulted but I haven’t been threatened yet. When I go outside I try to be modest, I just focus on what I am doing.

Once, after a training session when I was still wearing my tracksuit, I passed a guy who touched my shoulder inappropriately, and insulted me. I turned around and asked “Are you talking to me?”He said “Yes, I’m talking to you. You’re a woman and you shouldn’t be like this,” and then tried to slap me, but I didn’t let him, because after all, I am used to defending myself in a sporting environment. I kicked him instead, not using all my force, but enough to stun him. He wanted to hit me back but I had my guard up, and while we were still arguing, the police came and took him away.When I am at home or when I go out socially, I try to be like a woman. But when I am at work, I try to be like a man.In spite of all the problems along the way, I have been resilient. I can’t think of any other woman who could do what I’ve done, in a place like Afghanistan with such a backwards culture.

Full article and source: http://www.kabulatwork.tv/chapter/sport-and-recreation/taekwondo-teacher-pages/

Middle East soccer associations campaign for women’s right to play

By James M. Dorsey

Middle Eastern soccer associations have launched a campaign to put women’s soccer on par with men’s football in a region in which a woman’s right to play and pursue an athletic career remains controversial and at a time at which political Islam is on the rise.

The associations announced the campaign at the end of a two-day seminar in the Jordanian capital Amman organized by the West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) and the Asian Football Development Project (AFDP). Glaringly absent among the representatives of the 13 Middle Eastern WAFF members was Saudi Arabia where women’s soccer exists at best in a political and legal nether land as well as Yemen.

The campaign comes as women are demanding greater rights in a part of the world that has entered a period of dramatic political and social change. Popular revolts in the past two years have toppled the autocratic leaders of Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen, sparked a bloody civil war in Syria and prompted numerous other states to adopt policies designed to shield themselves against a wave of protest that is unlikely to leave any Middle Eastern nation untouched.

A statement at the end of the seminar chaired by FIFA Vice President and AFDP Chairman Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein defined “an athletic woman” as “an empowered woman who further empowers her community.” In a rebuttal of opposition to women’s soccer among some Islamists across the region and more conservative segments of Middle Eastern society the seminar stressed that women’s soccer did not demean cultural and traditional values.

Continue: http://mideastsoccer.blogspot.nl/2013/01/middle-east-soccer-associations.html 

Middle East Football Association Campaign for women's right to play

By James M. Dorsey

Middle Eastern soccer associations have launched a campaign to put women’s soccer on par with men’s football in a region in which a woman’s right to play and pursue an athletic career remains controversial and at a time at which political Islam is on the rise.

The associations announced the campaign at the end of a two-day seminar in the Jordanian capital Amman organized by the West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) and the Asian Football Development Project (AFDP). Glaringly absent among the representatives of the 13 Middle Eastern WAFF members was Saudi Arabia where women’s soccer exists at best in a political and legal nether land as well as Yemen.

The campaign comes as women are demanding greater rights in a part of the world that has entered a period of dramatic political and social change. Popular revolts in the past two years have toppled the autocratic leaders of Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen, sparked a bloody civil war in Syria and prompted numerous other states to adopt policies designed to shield themselves against a wave of protest that is unlikely to leave any Middle Eastern nation untouched.

A statement at the end of the seminar chaired by FIFA Vice President and AFDP Chairman Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein defined “an athletic woman” as “an empowered woman who further empowers her community.” In a rebuttal of opposition to women’s soccer among some Islamists across the region and more conservative segments of Middle Eastern society the seminar stressed that women’s soccer did not demean cultural and traditional values.

In doing so, the associations backed by representatives of the United Nations, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the English Football Association, put themselves at the forefront of efforts to secure equality and women’s rights. The seminar’s statement emphasized the right of women to play soccer irrespective of culture, religion and race; a women’s right to opt for soccer as a career rather than only as a sport; and soccer’s ability to promote gender equality and level the playing field on and off the pitch.

The statement called further for the appointment of women to the boards of WAFF member associations, establishment of a WAFF women’s committee, creation of Under-16 and Under-19 women competitions in the Middle East (West Asia) as well as the compulsory rotation of hosting of subsidized WAFF women competitions.

With Saudi Arabia unlikely to comply with the initiative, It was not immediately clear whether member associations who refused to participate would be sanctioned, and if so, how. The statement, however, singled out Saudi Arabia by explicitly stating that the kingdom would be included in women’s tournaments. The statement said it would kick start its campaign with a WAFF Girls Football Festival on International Women’s Day on March 8.

In campaigning for women’s rights, WAFF has its work cut out for it not only with regard to Saudi Arabia but also in relation to many of its members who did sign on to the focus on women. “Female athletes in the Middle East face pressures that include family, religion, politics, and culture,” said a recent study entitled ‘Muslim Female Athletes and the Hijab’ by Geoff Harkness, a sociologist at Northwestern University’s campus in Qatar, and one of his basketball playing students, Samira Islam.

Resistance to women’s sports is moreover not restricted to Muslims in the Middle East and North Africa. Palestine’s women soccer team includes 14 Christians and only four Muslims but a majority of the team has similar tales to tell about the obstacles they needed to overcome and the initial resistance they met from their families.

Human Rights Watch last year accused Saudi Arabia of kowtowing to assertions by the country's powerful conservative Muslim clerics that female sports constitute "steps of the devil" that will encourage immorality and reduce women's chances of meeting the requirements for marriage. The group’s charges contained in a report entitled “’Steps of the Devil’ came on the heels of the kingdom backtracking on a plan to build its first stadium especially designed to allow women who are currently barred from attending soccer matches because of the kingdom’s strict public gender segregation to watch games. The planned stadium was supposed to open in 2014.

Saudi Arabia, which does not have physical education for girls in schools and has hired consultants to draft its first ever five-year national sports plan but for men only, bowed to pressure last year to field for the first time ever women athletes at an international tournament, the London Olympics. It did so by fielding two expatriate Saudi females.

Women nonetheless play an important role in sporadic anti-government protests in Saudi Arabia, a country where discontent is simmering at the surface. Authorities earlier this month arrested 18 women in Buraida, a bulwark of Wahhabism, Saudi Arabia’s puritan interpretation of Islam, who were protesting the long-term detention of relatives without charges on suspicion of terrorism.

Women in Iran have the right to play provided their uniforms are compliant with Islamic precepts but like in Saudi Arabia are also barred from attending matches in all-men stadiums as spectators. Two women highlighted the issue during a World Cup qualifier last year when they smuggled themselves into the stadium dressed as men only to reveal themselves publicly after the match.

For their part, Kuwaiti Islamists denounced the Gulf University for Science and Technology’s organization of a soccer tournament for Gulf women teams. “Women playing football is unacceptable and contrary to human nature and good customs. The government has to step in and drop the tournament,” Kuwait’s Al Wasat newspaper quoted member of parliament Waleed al-Tabtabai as saying at the time.

Mr. Tabtabai was one of a number of deputies who earlier criticized the government and sports executives for allowing the Kuwaiti women’s national soccer team to take part in the Third West Asian Women Soccer Tournament in Abu Dhabi. The members of parliament charged that the women’s participation had been illegal and a waste of money. “Football is not meant for women, anyway,” Mr. Tabtabai said.

Prince Ali has however put conservatives on the defensive with his successful campaign last year to get FIFA to agree to observant Muslim soccer players wearing a headdress that complies with Islamic precepts as well as the world soccer body’s safety and security standards. The move set the stage for the WAFF campaign by taking away one major obstacle to women’s sports having the same status of the athletic endeavors of men.

James M. Dorsey is a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, co-director of the University of Wuerzburg’s Institute for Fan Culture, and the author of The Turbulent World of Middle East Soccer blog

Source: http://mideastsoccer.blogspot.nl/2013/01/middle-east-soccer-associations.html

Fearless and Female: Cox's Bazaar Best Surfer

BY: SHIREEN AHMED

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Unfortunately, her surrounding community feels differently.  

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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