Saudi woman allowed to compete in hijab

**Holly3278** · #1 Jul 30, '12, 10:14 pm

Quote:

LONDON (Reuters) - A female Saudi fighter will take part in the Olympic judo competition after being allowed to wear an Islamic headscarf, or hijab, of a specific design, officials said on Monday.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/saudi-woman...2258--spt.html

I'll be honest, I don't see anything wrong with this. I feel that to force them to not wear their hijabs would be a violation of their religious freedom. I would feel similarly if Catholics were required to wear some sort of clothing, jewelry, or whatever and the Olympics people tried to prevent a Catholic from wearing that. I mean lets say a habited nun chose to participate in the Olympics but she refused to wear regular clothing and she wanted to wear her habit during the competition. I would be against the Olympics people preventing her from wearing her habit. Now, granted, I don't think any nuns are going to be participating in the Olympics any time soon and if they did, I think they would probably wear ordinary athletic clothing but I just provided that as an example even though it was a poor one.

Semper Zelare · #2 Jul 31, '12, 12:44 am

I don't know, I don't see how any religion other than Islam has an issue like this. Do Orthodox Jewish men wear their skullcaps while competing? (I'm sure there's been an Orthodox Jew in the Olympics at some point- hasn't there?)

Anyways, if they want to wear the nijab (or w/e) then I think go for it, it's only going to hurt their chances of winning. I can't imagine playing soccer for 90 minutes while wearing a black hood.

The laws in Europe which forbid the burqa do not apply to any nuns by the way. Europe deemed any clothing which covered your face was a security thread- and nuns never have their faces covered. [Not that any athletes have a burqa anyways]

didymus · #3 Jul 31, '12, 12:50 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Holly3278

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/saudi-woman...2258--spt.html

I'll be honest, I don't see anything wrong with this. I feel that to force them to not wear their hijabs would be a violation of their religious freedom. I would feel similarly if Catholics were required to wear some sort of clothing, jewelry, or whatever and the Olympics people tried to prevent a Catholic from wearing that. I mean lets say a habited nun chose to participate in the Olympics but she refused to wear regular clothing and she wanted to wear her habit during the competition. I would be against the Olympics people preventing her from wearing her habit. Now, granted, I don't think any nuns are going to be participating in the Olympics any time soon and if they did, I think they would probably wear ordinary athletic clothing but I just provided that as an example even though it was a poor one.

Is it just the hijab she wants to wear in addition to regular judo gear? Or hijab plus full-length garment (don't know the term) she's pictured in?
If the first, fine. If not, no. She should wear the same gear as other competitors -- pretty modest in the case of judo.

DeniseNY · #4 Jul 31, '12, 2:27 am

Unless it somehow impacts the competition or poses a safety issue, I don't see a problem with it.

**JharekCarnelian** · #5 Jul 31, '12, 4:44 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Semper Zelare

I don't know, I don't see how any religion other than Islam has an issue like this. Do Orthodox Jewish men wear their skullcaps while competing? (I'm sure there's been an Orthodox Jew in the Olympics at some point- hasn't there?)

Anyways, if they want to wear the nijab (or w/e) then I think go for it, it's only going to hurt their chances of winning. I can't imagine playing soccer for 90 minutes while wearing a black hood.

The laws in Europe which forbid the burqa do not apply to any nuns by the way. Europe deemed any clothing which covered your face was a security thread- and nuns never have their faces covered. [Not that any athletes have a burqa anyways]

Some countries in Europe forbid the wearing of burqas, some do not. Europe is not a homogenous group and different nations have different rules regarding this issue. You can walk around London for example and see plenty of women with their faces covered and the same is true in Ireland where I come from if you go to some places. The motives for putting the ban in place and the reasoning behind it where it exists differ from nation to nation. There is a tendency to use Europe in an odd manner at CAF which forgets that Europe encompasses a large number of nations with different legal systems and outlooks on numerous matters.

scipio337 · #6 Jul 31, '12, 5:36 am

I don't have a problem with this, at all, but I was more surprised to find out that some Muslim majority countries ban women from competing in the Olympics, althogether (the Sauds only have 2 women there).

**JharekCarnelian** · #7 Jul 31, '12, 5:43 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by scipio337

I don't have a problem with this, at all, but I was more surprised to find out that some Muslim majority countries ban women from competing in the Olympics, althogether (the Sauds only have 2 women there).

Some of these countries feel women competing in certain sports is immodest and not in keeping with Islam. Iran used to send women to compete in shooting events only as those didn't contradict religious rules regarding modesty.

Kouyate42 · #8 Jul 31, '12, 2:37 pm

I can't understand why this is even an issue. There have been in the past plenty of Muslim female competitors and I can't remember a single issue about hijab being raised. So why is it an issue now?

**Holly3278** · #9 Aug 1, '12, 1:42 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kouyate42

I can't understand why this is even an issue. There have been in the past plenty of Muslim female competitors and I can't remember a single issue about hijab being raised. So why is it an issue now?

I just wonder if it has anything to do with the French ban on certain types of Islamic headgear?

Bob Crowley · #10 Aug 1, '12, 2:06 am

It's not the role of the Olympic Committee to enforce social norms. Their role pertains to the Olympics and the sporting community - not cultural norms. So in this case I think they've made the right decision, even if I haven't got much time for burqas.

DeniseNY · #11 Aug 1, '12, 3:56 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kouyate42

I can't understand why this is even an issue. There have been in the past plenty of Muslim female competitors and I can't remember a single issue about hijab being raised. So why is it an issue now?

I think it might be because she's the first competitor in judo and the International Judo Federation initially had an issue with it. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

maryjk · #12 Aug 1, '12, 8:42 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Holly3278

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/saudi-woman...2258--spt.html

I'll be honest, I don't see anything wrong with this. I feel that to force them to not wear their hijabs would be a violation of their religious freedom. I would feel similarly if Catholics were required to wear some sort of clothing, jewelry, or whatever and the Olympics people tried to prevent a Catholic from wearing that. I mean lets say a habited nun chose to participate in the Olympics but she refused to wear regular clothing and she wanted to wear her habit during the competition. I would be against the Olympics people preventing her from wearing her habit. Now, granted, I don't think any nuns are going to be participating in the Olympics any time soon and if they did, I think they would probably wear ordinary athletic clothing but I just provided that as an example even though it was a poor one.

If you read the entire article, you will see what was wrong. The original request was to wear something that might be dangerous to the athlete. They didn't want what she was wearing to cause her to get hurt.

It looks like they came up with something else for the athlete to wear. Something not so dangerous.

Scott_Lafrance · #13 Aug 1, '12, 12:01 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Holly3278

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/saudi-woman...2258--spt.html

I'll be honest, I don't see anything wrong with this. I feel that to force them to not wear their hijabs would be a violation of their religious freedom. I would feel similarly if Catholics were required to wear some sort of clothing, jewelry, or whatever and the Olympics people tried to prevent a Catholic from wearing that. I mean lets say a habited nun chose to participate in the Olympics but she refused to wear regular clothing and she wanted to wear her habit during the competition. I would be against the Olympics people preventing her from wearing her habit. Now, granted, I don't think any nuns are going to be participating in the Olympics any time soon and if they did, I think they would probably wear ordinary athletic clothing but I just provided that as an example even though it was a poor one.

vs.

MacBP · #14 Aug 1, '12, 4:19 pm

I'm always surprised that CAFers have such a low opinion of the Hijab. The Hijab does not actually cover the face (that would be the Niqab), it is undeniably modest, and in many cases even fashionable. Morover it is a courageous move on the part of its wearer: how great is it that so many young women are in love with God and want to witness their faith.

If anything, Catholics should be very supportive of attempts by Muslim women to wear the Hijab or Niqab if they choose. I have aware of concerns involving women's rights and head covering. I'm sure they're well founded but in my experience most young women who wear the Hijab have done so out of their own conviction (and woe to the person who wants to 'liberate' them into something less... foreign). Allowing Muslims to express themselves is ultimately a move which ensures that Christians will be able to express ourselves. In a world that is increasingly intolerant towards religious expression and hostile to people of faith we're going to need every ally we can get.

maryjk · #15 Aug 1, '12, 4:30 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by MacBP

I'm always surprised that CAFers have such a low opinion of the Hijab. The Hijab does not actually cover the face (that would be the Niqab), it is undeniably modest, and in many cases even fashionable. Morover it is a courageous move on the part of its wearer: how great is it that so many young women are in love with God and want to witness their faith.

If anything, Catholics should be very supportive of attempts by Muslim women to wear the Hijab or Niqab if they choose. I have aware of concerns involving women's rights and head covering. I'm sure they're well founded but in my experience most young women who wear the Hijab have done so out of their own conviction (and woe to the person who wants to 'liberate' them into something less... foreign). Allowing Muslims to express themselves is ultimately a move which ensures that Christians will be able to express ourselves. In a world that is increasingly intolerant towards religious expression and hostile to people of faith we're going to need every ally we can get.

I don't have a problem with anyone wearing a Hijab.

UNLESS, they are participating in something where said Hijab could cause harm to other participates or to the wearer.