Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir Basketball Player Refused To Take Off Her Hijab, Opening New Doors For Athletes Of Other Faiths
New
Age Islam News Bureau
23 November 2020
• Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir Basketball Player Refused To Take Off Her Hijab, Opening New Doors For Athletes Of Other Faiths
•
Ertugrul’s Blue-Eyed Warrior Woman, Aykiz
•
Kamala Harris Pays Tribute To Black Women In 1st Speech As VP-Elect
•
Digital Economy By Women
Compiled By New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/bilqis-abdul-qaadir-basketball-player/d/123410
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Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir Basketball Player Refused To Take Off Her Hijab, Opening New Doors For Athletes Of Other Faiths
By
Alaa Elassar
November
7, 2020
Bilqis
Abdul-Qaadir.
-----
Bilqis
Abdul-Qaadir dreamed of playing professional basketball ever since she was a
child shooting hoops in Massachusetts.
She
came to life on the court, bringing with her fiery passion and an undefeatable
spirit that made her a worthy opponent.
She
practiced hard, studied the game and won title after title for the New
Leadership Charter School in Springfield. To this day, Abdul-Qaadir, 29, holds
the high school career scoring record in the state among both boys and girls,
according to the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association.
At
the University of Memphis and later Indiana State University, she also became
the first woman to wear a hijab while playing NCAA Division I basketball.
But
just as Abdul-Qaadir's professional career was about to take off, her dream was
cut short by a rule that forced her to choose between the game and her
religious choice to wear the Islamic headscarf.
"For
the first time in my life, I was really tested," Abdul-Qaadir told CNN.
"I couldn't play professionally, so I had to make a decision. I considered
taking the hijab off to play. It was a dream since I was a kid, and it was my
faith keeping me from reaching my dream. I was so torn."
Refusing
to choose, Abdul-Qaadir challenged the rule prohibiting headgear larger than
five inches -- a decision that would end her dream but make the game more
accessible to players of different faiths.
Wearing
a hijab on the basketball court had never been a problem for Abdul-Qaadir. It
wasn't until her senior year at Indiana State in 2013, when she was preparing
to play professionally in Europe, that it became an issue.
Her
agent informed her that the International Basketball Federation, or FIBA,
stipulated that no player could wear a head covering -- including the hijab --
during games.
"They
told me the league wanted to keep the game of basketball religiously
neutral," Abdul-Qaadir said. "When we asked them why athletes who
have religious tattoos, like crosses or biblical scriptures, were allowed to
play, they then turned it into how hijab weren't allowed because it was a
safety hazard."
Not
satisfied with FIBA's answers, Abdul-Qaadir petitioned the federation for a
rule change. In 2014, FIBA began a lengthy review of its policy. And
Abdul-Qaadir continued to practice as she advocated for change within the federation.
"There
were moments where I was like 'forget this, why am I doing this? FIBA isn't
budging, why am I still pushing forward?' It was getting difficult,"
Abdul-Qaadir said.
Finally,
in October 2017, FIBA approved a new rule that allows players to wear ratified
headgear that minimizes the risk of injury and is the same color as a team's
uniform.
In
a statement on its website, FIBA said: "The new rule comes as a result of
the fact that traditional dress codes in some countries -- which called for the
head and/or entire body being covered -- were incompatible with FIBA's previous
headgear rule."
"There
is zero conflict between my faith and my ability to play basketball,"
Darsh Preet Singh, the first turbaned Sikh basketball player in the NCAA, said
in 2017 while praising the rule change. "I am thrilled about FIBA's
decision, which will allow athletes across the world to pursue their dreams
without compromising their faith."
For
Abdul-Qaadir, the victory was bitter sweet. While she helped change the rule, working
alongside other athletes to raise awareness, most teams now considered her too
old to play professionally.
She
was distraught but found solace in her accomplishment. She also found hope in
what it meant for the next generation of Muslim basketball players.
In
2014, while advocating for the rule change, Abdul-Qaadir launched "Muslim
Girls Hoop Too," an initiative aimed at instilling "confidence,
self-worth, strength, and most importantly, a sense of faith" through
basketball.
"After
I chose not to play, my ultimate goal was teaching as many young Muslim girls
basketball as possible so that they could see that sports could lead them to
not only a career, but through life with strength and self confidence,"
said Abdul-Qaadir, who had earned a master's degree in coaching from the
University of Memphis.
"I
also just love seeing the smile and glow on a young girl's face when she makes
her first shot and looks back at me and says, 'man, did I just do that?' I live
for that moment," she said.
Maryam
Al-Sabawi, a player who's been training with Abdul-Qaadir for two years at the
London Islamic School in Ontario, Canada, said all the girls in her program
look up to their coach and athletic director.
"Ever
since I met her I was starstruck. She inspired us to be change makers. Every
single time I hear her story it inspires me," Al-Sabawi, 14, told CNN.
"You rarely see people who look like you, who wears hijab and are in such
a position of power and success, and she was robbed of her right to play."
Before
she met Abdul-Qaadir, Al-Sabawi wanted to wear the hijab but was afraid doing
so would mean sacrificing the sport. Now a freshman at Oakridge Secondary
School in Ontario, she has made the decision to wear the headscarf and says she
is "no longer afraid of what that means."
"From
Bilqis, I learned that I'm enough, that I don't need external validation. If we
don't fit into the rules, we don't give up. We change the rules," Maryam
said.
"There's
Batouly Camara playing now overseas in the country I wanted to play in, Spain,
and she's wearing hijab playing under FIBA leagues. I'm halal jealous, in a
way," she joked. "But I love the fact that door has been opened. I'm
proud to say that if it wasn't for me sacrificing my career and staying strong,
she maybe wouldn't have that opportunity to play."
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/11/07/us/bilqis-abdul-qaadir-basketball-hijab-trnd/index.html?utm
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Ertugrul’s
Blue-Eyed Warrior Woman, Aykiz
Maliha
Rehman
08
Nov 2020
Aykiz
stood up for what was right, fought bravely and endured abuse
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There
wasn’t a single dry eye when Aykiz Hatun breathed her last. Ertugrul fans loved
the warrior Kayi tribeswoman with the steely blue eyes, married to one of their
favourite heroes, Turgut Alp. All through the top-rated first season of
Dirilis: Ertugrul, Aykiz stood up for what was right, fought bravely and
endured abuse. In the beginning of the second season, she died a befittingly
heroic — but excruciating — death, burnt by the Mongols. It was one of the
saddest scenes from the show.
Dirilis:
Ertugrul went on for four more seasons with other characters playing pivotal
roles, but Aykiz remained memorable. Hande Subasi, the Turkish actress who
played Aykiz, enjoyed the acclaim back when the show aired in her country and
now, some years later, with Dirilis: Ertugrul becoming a major hit in Pakistan,
she has recently acquired an all new, colossal fan-base.
Talking
exclusively to Icon, she says, “Thanks to my Pakistani fans, after several
years I have remembered once again how much I loved working on the show, and
playing Aykiz. It was through Instagram that I realised that I now have so many
fans in Pakistan. I feel honoured.”
More
than five years since Aykiz’s curtain call, Hande’s career has moved on from
the never-ending grasslands inhabited by the Kayi tribe. She is now starring in
a musical play, Sevmekten Oldu Desinler, which translates into ‘They Died
Because of Love’, and chalks the story of a poor woman who pursues her dream to
become a singer.
There
is a lot more to Hande Subasi than the fiery tribeswoman, in traditional
headgear, fighting the Mongols in Drilis: Ertugrul. At the end of the day, she
says she’s still Hande, not Aykiz Hatun
“It’s
the sort of role that I always wanted to enact,” shares Hande, who acts as well
as sings in the play. She has also just worked on a music single which will be
releasing soon. It’s all a far cry from Aykiz — but while die-hard Ertugrul
fans may find this difficult to fathom, there is a lot more to Hande Subasi
than the fiery tribeswoman, in traditional headgear, fighting the Mongols. She
won the Miss Turkey pageant back in 2005 and, ever since then, started building
her acting career. “I feel very lucky that my dreams have come true.”
Right
now, though, in Pakistan, Hande embodies Aykiz and my interview with her starts
off by spiraling back in time to her days on the massive Ertugrul set. “Turkey
and the Ottoman empire have a rich history with heroes whose stories are worth
telling,” she observes. “People are curious to know more about these heroes and
Dirilis: Ertugrul tells the story of the events that laid the groundwork of the
Ottoman Empire’s foundation. This is one of the main reasons why the series
became so popular. And while I hadn’t expected the show to gain international
recognition, it didn’t surprise me when it did. Especially in the case of
Pakistan, we may have different cultures but we are connected through the same
religion. I can understand that, just like the Turkish audience, Pakistani
viewers must also have been able to empathise with the characters.”
Aykiz’s
death was heartbreaking for Ertugrul’s many fans. Was saying goodbye to the
character also sad for Hande? “Of course. I was upset to say goodbye to Aykiz.
I loved her just like everyone else. I think people enjoyed watching her
relationship with her father, and especially her love for Turgut. It made it
even sadder to say goodbye to her,” she reminisces. “Even personally, what I
loved most about Aykiz was her love for Turgut, and how she was willing to do
anything she could to protect it. She was brave, determined and spoke the
truth. I think that I am similar to her in these ways.”
How
did she prepare for her role as the fierce warrior woman? “The role definitely
required some preparation as Aykiz was very skilled. I took horseback riding,
archery and swordfighting lessons. I personally enjoy active sports, so I
enjoyed learning these new skills. Even my favourite scenes from the show are
the ones that include action, fighting and horseback riding.”
Hande
muses, “However, if I had to pick out a specific scene as my favourite, I would
say that it was the one where Ertugrul forgave Turgut because it was very
significant for Aykiz and Turgut’s future together.”
We
move on to discussing her interactions with other members of the cast.
Evidently, Hande and the other four women playing pivotal roles in the series
all shared a trailer. “I was especially close to them. Esra Bilgic, Didem
Balcin, Hulya Darcan, Burcu Kiratli and I would share food and hang out
together in between scenes. Hulya Darcan, or Hayme Ana from Ertugrul, was like
a mother to us, just like in the show.
“The
set itself was extremely big. The team had created places and conditions dating
back to a different time period, as well as costumes and décor. It was all very
impressive.”
We
drift back to present day and a slightly more sensitive issue. Ertugrul’s cast
may have enjoyed their sudden extreme popularity in Pakistan but they have also
had to endure some good old-fashioned Pakistani social media trolling. Fans
have frequently gotten offended when their favourite characters have posted a
personal picture that they find too risqué, or completely in contrast to their
Ertugrul avatars. They have proceeded to make snide comments at worst (‘Are you
Muslim?’) or offer kindly advice, expressing their disappointment. Does Hande
feel offended by this?
“This
is actually a very sensitive issue and it could be discussed for hours,” she
says. “To sum it up, however, I know that, everywhere in the world, people tend
to associate the characters they love with the actors or actresses who play
that role. My job, though, was only to do my professional best, and to give
life to Aykiz. This does not make me Aykiz. I’m Hande. I really appreciate the
admiration of my fans but I’m not happy about being criticised and getting
negative comments about things that I do in my personal life.”
Notwithstanding
the trolling, would Hande like to visit Pakistan in the near future? “Of course
I would,” she says. “I have never been to Pakistan but I’m very curious about
your culture. I now feel even closer to your country because of all the
positive feedback that I have received. It’s made me very happy, that I’m known
in a country because of my work. It would be a pleasure to visit Pakistan!”
https://www.dawn.com/news/1589256/spotlight-ertugruls-blue-eyed-warrior-woman
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Kamala
Harris Pays Tribute To Black Women In 1st Speech As VP-Elect
AP
Nov
8, 2020
Vice
president-elect Kamala Harris on Saturday paid tribute to the women,
particularly Black women, whose shoulders she stands on as she shatters
barriers that have kept mostly white men entrenched at the highest levels of
American politics for more than two centuries.
"Tonight
I reflect on their struggle, their determination and the strength of their
vision to see what can be unburdened by what has been," Harris said,
wearing a white suit in tribute to women's suffrage. President-elect Joe Biden
had the character and audacity "to break one of the most substantial
barriers that exists in our country, and select a woman and his vice
president," she added.
"While
I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last,'' Harris said
in her first post-election address to the nation.
The
56-year-old California senator, also the first person of South Asian descent
elected to the vice presidency, represents the multiculturalism that defines
America but is largely absent from Washington's power centers. Her Black
identity has allowed her to speak in personal terms in a year of reckoning over
police brutality and systemic racism. As the highest-ranking woman ever elected
in American government, her victory gives hope to women who were devastated by
Hillary Clinton's defeat four years ago.
Harris
told little children to "dream with ambition, lead with conviction, and
see yourselves in a way that others may not simply because they're never seen
it before." After Biden's speech, she was joined on stage by her family,
including her two grandnieces who wore white dresses.
A
rising star in Democratic politics for much of the last two decades, Harris
served as San Francisco's district attorney and California's attorney general
before becoming a US senator. After she ended her own 2020 Democratic
presidential campaign, Joe Biden tapped her as his running mate. They will be
sworn in as president and vice president on Jan. 20.
Biden's
running mate selection carried added significance because he will be the oldest
president ever inaugurated, at 78, and hasn't committed to seeking a second
term in 2024.
Harris
often framed her candidacy as part of the legacy of pioneering Black women who
came before her, including educator Mary McLeod Bethune, civil rights activist
Fannie Lou Hamer and Rep. Shirley Chisholm, the first Black candidate to seek a
major party's presidential nomination, in 1972.
Despite
the excitement surrounding Harris, she and Biden face steep challenges,
including a pandemic that has taken a disproportionate toll on people of color,
and a series of police killings of Black Americans that have deepened racial
tensions. Harris' past work as a prosecutor has prompted skepticism among
progressives and young voters who are looking to her to back sweeping
institutional change over incremental reforms in policing, drug policy and
more.
Jessica
Byrd, who leads the Movement for Black Lives' Electoral Justice Project and The
Frontline, a multiracial coalition effort to galvanize voters, said she plans
to engage in the rigorous organizing work needed to push Harris and Biden
toward more progressive policies.
"I
deeply believe in the power of Black women's leadership, even when all of our
politics don't align,'' Byrd said. "I want us to be committed to the idea
that representation is exciting and it's worthy of celebration and also that we
have millions of Black women who deserve a fair shot.''
Harris
is the second Black woman elected to the Senate. Her colleague, Sen. Cory
Booker, who is also Black, said her very presence makes the institution ``more
accessible to more people'' and suggested she would accomplish the same with
the vice presidency.
Harris
was born in 1964 to two parents active in the civil rights movement. Shyamala
Gopalan, from India, and Donald Harris, from Jamaica, met at the University of
California, Berkeley, then a hotbed of 1960s activism. They divorced when
Harris and her sister were girls, and Harris was raised by her late mother,
whom she considers the most important influence in her life.
"When
she came here from India at the age of 19, she maybe didn't quite imagine this
moment. But she believed so deeply in an America where a moment like this is
possible," Harris said Saturday night.
Kamala
is Sanskrit for "lotus flower," and Harris gave nods to her Indian
heritage throughout the campaign, including with a callout to her
"chitthis,'' a Tamil word for a maternal aunt, in her first speech as
Biden's running mate. When Georgia Sen. David Perdue mocked her name in an
October rally, the hashtag (hash) MyNameIs took off on Twitter, with South
Asians sharing the meanings behind their names.
The
mocking of her name by Republicans, including Trump, was just one of the attacks
Harris faced. Trump and his allies sought to brand her as radical and a
socialist despite her more centrist record, an effort aimed at making people
uncomfortable about the prospect of a Black woman in leadership. She was the
target of online disinformation laced with racism and sexism about her
qualifications to serve as president.
Congresswoman
Pramila Jayapal of Washington said Harris' power comes not just from her life
experience but also from the people she already represents. California is the
nation's most populous and one of its most diverse states; nearly 40% of people
are Latino and 15% are Asian. In Congress, Harris and Jayapal have teamed up on
bills to ensure legal representation for Muslims targeted by Trump's 2017
travel ban and to extend rights to domestic workers.
"That's
the kind of policy that also happens when you have voices like ours at the
table,'' said Jayapal, who in 2016 was the first South Asian woman elected to
the U.S. House.
Harris'
mother raised her daughters with the understanding the world would see them as
Black women, Harris has said, and that is how she describes herself today.
She
attended Howard University, one of the nation's historically Black colleges and
universities, and pledged Alpha Kappa Alpha, the nation's first sorority
created by and for Black women. She campaigned regularly at HBCUs and tried to
address the concerns of young Black men and women eager for strong efforts to
dismantle systemic racism.
San
Francisco Mayor London Breed, who considers Harris a mentor, views Harris'
success through the lens of her own identity as the granddaughter of a
sharecropper.
"African
Americans are not far removed from slavery and the horrors of racism in this
country, and we're still feeling the impacts of that with how we're treated and
what's happening around this racial uprising,'' she said. Harris' candidacy
``instills a lot of pride and a lot of hope and a lot of excitement in what is
possible.``
Harris
is married to a Jewish man, Doug Emhoff, whose children from a previous
marriage call her "Momala.'' The excitement about her candidacy extends to
women across races.
Friends
Sarah Lane and Kelli Hodge, each with three daughters, brought all six girls to
a Harris rally in Phoenix in the race's closing days. ``This car is full of
little girls who dream big. Go Kamala!'' read a sign taped on the car's trunk.
Lane,
a 41-year-old attorney who is of Hispanic and Asian heritage, volunteered for
Biden and Harris, her first time ever working for a political campaign. Asked
why she brought her daughters, ages 6, 9, and 11, to see Harris, she answered,
"I want my girls to see what women can do."
timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/us-presidential-elections/kamala-harris-pays-tribute-to-black-women-in-1st-speech-as-vp-elect/articleshowprint/79107834.cms
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Digital
economy by women
8
NOVEMBER 2020
Africa’s
digital transformation would be nothing without the tens of thousands of people
who have invested, and continue to invest finances, time and energy into
propelling it forward.
They
are the leading lights driving change in infrastructure, mobile connectivity,
online activism, e-commerce and financial services.
Some
are opening up digital cultural spaces or working to bring in investment for
tech start-ups. Women in particular are doing amazing things in tech right here
in Africa.
The
digital gap is being closed by women participation pioneering new way of doing
business in the digital space. Unleashing the potential of women in the modern
digital economy is key for the attainment of economic prosperity.
According
to the World Bank, a 10% increase in digital penetration could result in over
1% increase in GDP, while closing the gender digital divide could add up to 140
million USD per year to the mobile industry for the next 5 years.
https://northglennews.co.za/255567/digital-economy-pioneered-by-women/
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