‘We Hate Muslim Women’ Vibe: French Football’s Hijab Ban Is Brutally Affecting Muslim Women
New Age Islam News Bureau
05 May 2022
• Turkey’s First Woman Sniper Urges Personal
Disarmament
• Muslim World League Ramps Up Women’s Empowerment
Efforts
• Investigation Opens In France Into Police Beating Of
Women In Headscarves
• Egyptian Woman Raises $1m For Charity By Selling
Vodafone Top-Up Card
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/hate-muslim-hijab-ban-french-football/d/126938
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‘We Hate Muslim Women’ Vibe: French Football’s Hijab
Ban Is Brutally Affecting Muslim Women
Teens training on a public
football pitch just outside Paris. Photograph: Giulia Frigieri/The Guardian
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Júlia Belas Trindade
4 May 2022
The women’s game is built on a foundation of work,
sweat and tears all over the world to get us to where we are now –
record-breaking audiences, professionalism and steady growth in interest.
However, there are still an enormous amount of obstacles to overcome and one of
them is the ban on Muslim women wearing the hijab in connection with football
in France. This is not just about France, though, it affects how the world
views female Muslim players – professional and amateurs.
“I gave up playing football when I was 20 because I
started to wear hijab,” says Shireen Ahmed, a Canadian sports journalist and
activist. “Living without football was not going to be possible for me but it’s
really hard to find a re-entry point back when you feel that way.”
For her, more than hindering the chances of Muslim
girls becoming footballers, the decision excludes them from being part of
growing the game at every level. “It’s not just playing,” she says of the
situation in France. “They cannot coach, they cannot officiate. They are
literally excluded from the entire space. It’s brutal. There’s a clear ‘we hate
Muslim women’ vibe.”
This week, Muslim people celebrated Eid al-Fitr all
over the world, a festival that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. But
in France, as Lyon are getting ready for their 10th Women’s Champions League
final, the French Football Federation still excludes women from the game
because of the ban on “ostentatious” religious symbols (which includes the
Jewish kippah). “It is part of a system of white supremacy, xenophobia,
Islamophobia and anti-Muslim sentiment,” Ahmed says. “To ban Muslim women in
headscarves from sport is extremely problematic.”
Les Hijabeuses is a French collective fighting against
the FFF ban to promote a more inclusive society in France. There has been
recent success in the senate and parliament in overturning a recent bill that
included an amendment looking to apply it to all sports in France. Now the next
step is to get the FFF to change its ruling.
Marion Ogier, a lawyer working with Les Hijabeuses,
says: “The French parliament decided against prohibiting the wearing of
religious symbols during sports competitions but the decision did not lead to
the FFF to review its rules. The Council of State [the highest court in France
for administrative matters] is currently examining an appeal against the
federation.” Ogier points out that the government is not responsible for the
current ban – the FFF is. Les Hijabeuses expect a decision on the matter by the
end of the year.
Ogier feels that the FFF “subjects participants in
football competitions to a principle of neutrality” and it does seem to show
that the people making the decisions are not familiar with the needs, choices
and desires of those they want to “save”.
The matter goes beyond the right to play football and
whether to wear a hijab or not. It also goes beyond the Muslim communities in
France. Ahmed says: “Siloing Muslim women is a problem. We have the same
struggle. They are my sisters, whether they wear a bikini, a burkini or a
burka. I will advocate for their inclusion in football. Women should have a
place and they should have the option and the right to participate.”
A ban for the hijab means that there is no sense of
true belonging for Muslim women. “Football is truly a world language and it’s a
vehicle for inclusion for so many people,” Ahmed says. “So why on earth would
we exclude certain people?” She says that a diverse set-up when decisions are
made is key to moving forward. “Muslim women are not all monolithic, we’re not
all the same. I think the most important thing is to actually include Muslim
women in the discussion.”
Talking points
Road Down Under: We’re getting closer and closer to
knowing the 32 teams that will fight for the World Cup in Australia and New
Zealand next year. Four teams from the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in
Morocco, taking place in July, will secure their tickets and now we know the
groups. Morocco, the hosts, are joined by Burkina Faso, Senegal and Uganda in
group A; Cameroon, Zambia, Tunisia and Togo are in group B; and the 11-time
champions Nigeria join South Africa, Burundi and Botswana in group C.
Fans for the women’s game: The Football Supporters’
Association has launched its Women’s Game Strategy to give fans a say on the
development of the women’s game. Its mission is to develop women’s football
while ensuring that supporters participate in decision-making processes and
push for positive change. The document – which you can read here – details
strategies to improve supporter engagement within four pillars: diversity,
sustainability, education and development.
A more inclusive football: Brockwell United, a
grassroots South London side also known as the Swans, continue their efforts to
make football more inclusive towards women and non-binary players. This week
they released their new kits designed by the illustrator Donatella Esposito
(she/her), with a style that reminds us of 1990s classic kits. BUFC’s chair,
Ellie Levitt (she/her), says: “As we see interest in women’s football at the national
and local level continue to grow, we hope moments like the Women’s Euros
tournament will inspire the next generation of women and non-binary people to
see this as a sport for them – we will be waiting with open arms.” Take a look
at the kits on the Instagram page.
Source: The Guardian
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Turkey’s
First Woman Sniper, Sergeant Didem Balıkcı, Urges Personal Disarmament
Sergeant Didem Balıkcı, the first and only woman
sniper of the Turkish Armed Forces,
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Fevzi
Kızılkoyun
May
04 2022
Sergeant
Didem Balıkcı, the first and only woman sniper of the Turkish Armed Forces, has
urged citizens not to carry guns, stressing that it is only their job to keep
arms to protect civilians.
“As
part of our profession, we live with arms. We have to use them when it is our
duty to do so. Civilians do not need to take up arms, I’m against individual
armament,” she said.
“We
are here. The Armed Forces and law-enforcement officers can protect lives and
the properties of everyone,” she said.
Balıkcı
is currently a team commander at the Gendarmerie General Command. She was
inspired by movies such as “The Sniper” and “Enemy at the Gates” before winning
the entrance exam for the non-commissioned officer program of the gendarmerie
in 2018.
“Upon
successfully completing the six-month commando training program, I told my
commanders that I wanted to be a sniper. They were surprised at first as there
had not been a woman sniper [in Turkey]. I attended the sharpshooter course and
got my badge after a hard training process. I was proud to break new ground as
a woman and to become the first and only woman sniper in the Armed Forces. I
consider it a success for Turkish women. I’ve blazed a trail for all the
newcomers, I’ve become a role model,” Balıkcı said.
The
profession requires a high level of physical condition, discipline and
continuous self-improvement skills, as well as coolness under stress and fast
reflexes, she added. “This profession doesn’t allow for any error of margin.”
“My
family provided huge support when I chose to be a military servicewoman. They
always stood by me and motivated me,” she said.
“My
friends, particularly women, are surprised when they acknowledge that I’m a
sniper. They ask questions like ‘Are you serious?’ A salvo of questions follows
the initial shock. They ask about the weapons that we use, the camouflage
paints, the shooting skills and other stuff they see in sniper movie scenes.”
Although
she faced some prejudice in the past because of her gender, she is now comfortable
while training with her male colleagues as their team commander. “I show what’s
right and wrong to do. We work in pairs, a shooter and a spotter. We hold
training sessions regularly to be ready when we’re needed in defending the
country or in critical operations.”
Source:
Hurriyet Daily News
https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkeys-first-woman-sniper-urges-personal-disarmament-173501
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Muslim
World League Ramps Up Women’s Empowerment Efforts
AFSHAN
AZIZ
May
05, 2022
JEDDAH:
The Muslim World League has ramped up its women’s empowerment efforts, with
several key leadership and management positions now filled by women.
Saudi
Arabia’s Vision 2030 has always focused on the full participation of Saudi
women at all levels in the labor market, contributing to the achievement of the
Kingdom’s strategic goals.
Hutoon
Mahmoud Sidiq, director of human resources at MWL, said: “MWL Secretary-General
Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa has played an important role in stressing
the importance and status of women in the Kingdom, and provided constant
support for them to assume prestigious leadership positions, making women an
effective partner in achieving successes at various levels both locally and
globally.”
Hiring
women into leadership positions in its headquarters and offices around the
world has allowed the MWL to boost communication with women from different
societies and promote religious moderation.
Women
officials in the MWL are advancing the league’s mission to promote a tolerant
and more peaceful world.
Sumaiah
Redwan, general manager of partnerships and corporate relations at MWL, said:
“The MWL has supported women’s participation in all fields inside and outside
Saudi Arabia, and through its initiatives and conferences, it has been
highlighting the key role women play in building bridges between nations and
peoples.”
The
MWL has enabled women’s innovation and creativity at work, giving them decision-making
control, says Shaima Alluqmani, manager of planning, research and studies for
the league’s undersecretariat for executive affairs.
“My
vision is to contribute to achieving the MWL’s goals through efficient
strategic planning, and contribute to developing an innovation-based future
vision for humanitarian work worldwide,” she added.
By
focusing on women’s voices, encouraging education for girls and supporting
women’s empowerment, including equal wages and career opportunities, the MWL is
in a process of creating a new generation of female leaders.
Eman
Hussain Filimban, general manager of relief, welfare and development, said:
“Women have been empowered to help contribute to the development of the MWL and
play a role in the MWL’s excellent and outstanding results across all areas.”
Filimban aims to place the MWL at the forefront of international organizations
by offering high-quality humanitarian services and professional development
projects that set an example in the humanitarian aid field.
Raising
Saudi Arabia’s competitiveness both regionally and internationally is also an
important target, she added.
The
women’s empowerment targets of the MWL have their origins in Islam, which
advocates a natural equality between the two genders.
Source:
Arab News
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2075816/saudi-arabia
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Investigation
opens in France into police beating of women in headscarves
May
04, 2022
France’s
General Inspectorate for the National Police in the public prosecutor’s office
in Nanterre on Wednesday opened an investigation into the beating of two women
wearing headscarves by three officers in the town of Asnieres on April 14,
according to French news outlet Le Figaro.
An
initial complaint was filed by the women’s lawyer Nabil Boudi on April 21, with
a first probe opened on April 28 for “violence by public authority.”
The
women, aged 23 and 24, claimed in their complaint that the officers slapped
them with no reason while they were crossing the Clichy Bridge in the town of
Asnieres, which lies in the Normandy region in northern France.
They
detailed that a patrol car had flashed its lights at them as they made their
way across a pedestrian crosswalk, and the car then stopped suddenly in the
middle of the lane in front of them.
The
women said the officers got out of their vehicle with two of them slapping one
of the women several times in the back and chest, and calling her “a dirty
whore.” That woman also lost consciousness from the brutality she suffered.
One
of the officers attempted to rip off the headscarf that one of the women was
wearing. Videos of the event have circulated on social media.
Boudi,
the women’s attorney, said in a tweet on Wednesday that he “welcomes the speed
with which the prosecution took up this complaint” but “regrets that the racist
and Islamophobic character was not retained.”
For
their part, the police officers involved filed their own complaint on April 16
claiming “rebellion in a meeting” and “violence against persons holding public
authority.”
A
tweet sent out from their headquarters further detailed that they had
“activated the sound and light warning devices to control an offending vehicle.
Despite the emergency, two women crossed the road, outraged the police and
evaded control in the middle of a crowd that intervened.”
Source:
Tribune Pakistan
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Egyptian
woman raises $1m for charity by selling Vodafone top-up card
May
04, 2022
LONDON:
A young Egyptian woman has sparked an online donation frenzy for a charity
dedicated to caring for premature babies by starting a bidding war for a
Vodafone Egypt top-up card.
Around
$1 million were raised for the charity after a donation craze sparked toward
the end of Ramadan on Sunday.
“I
want to donate to the premature babies you take care of, but I don’t have
money. I only have an unused top-up card and I want to donate it,” an anonymous
woman texted the Mersal Foundation, which has supported Egyptian families
unable to cover their medical bills.
The
woman said she would exchange the top-up card, which held 10 Egyptian pounds
($0.54) of credit, in return for payment to the charity.
Mersal
Foundation founder and CEO Heba Rashed pounced on the opportunity, announcing
an online auction for the card, asking Egyptians and corporations to bid for
it.
The
campaign quickly started trending on Twitter under the hashtag
“The_Most_Expensive_Top-up_Card_In_Egypt.”
Days
before the campaign kicked off, Rashed had posted online that she was
frustrated by how the foundation was struggling to attract donations.
It
does not pay for commercials, relying entirely on social media and word of
mouth to solicit support.
Vodafone
Egypt saw the campaign taking off online and promised to match the total
donations by the end of the day, which are estimated to have reached $1
million.
“I
was extremely happy to see the donations hit Mersal’s account. I wanted the
young woman to feel happy regardless of how much she donated,” Rashed told the
BBC. “I expected the auction to yield a few thousand pounds, but the result was
astonishing.”
Rashed
intends to use the cash to buy 17 more incubators for premature babies and open
new medical units across the country.
Egypt’s
infant mortality rate was 17 per 1,000 births in 2020, placing it 137th in the
world. Slovenia, at the top of the ranking, had just 1.7 deaths per 1,000 live
births.
In
2021, the Mersal Foundation covered the costs for 962 babies to be given 10,130
nights in incubators. Each night in an incubator costs the charity some $140.
The
foundation has four offices, employing 200 people. The BBC said the charity
played a “crucial role” during the coronavirus pandemic, when many families
with premature babies were struggling to find intensive care beds at government
hospitals due to the overload of COVID-19 patients.
The
foundation uses private hospitals to treat premature babies. Rashed’s Facebook
page is flooded with online appeals for donations from young families who
urgently need care.
Source:
Arab News
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2075546/offbeat
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/hate-muslim-hijab-ban-french-football/d/126938