Letter published from one of our HAC members
Elka Ruth Enola, Oakville
the Toronto Star
Mar 06, 2007 04:30 AM
Hijab ban in soccer is upheld
March 4.I am a feminist and strongly support Muslim girls and women playing soccer, so I followed closely the current situation in which a young female soccer player was ejected from playing in a game because she wore a hijab. The rules of FIFA, soccer’s international governing body, seem to say playing soccer with a cloth tied around one’s head and neck is not very safe. That sounds rather sensible to me.
If one chooses to adhere to a belief system that requires females to wear such a cloth, it would seem to me that it would be up to the religion to excuse females from wearing that attire when playing soccer. Religions are known to excuse people from certain requirements, such as fasting in order to take medication.
As Muslim females integrate into the greater society, Islam should make changes that will facilitate their involvement.
Elka Ruth Enola, Oakville
