Muslim Teen Pulled From Basketball Game Is No Victim
We're supposed to feel bad for the Muslim teen girl who got yanked out of a high school basketball game because the ref thought her headscarf put her in danger. How dare he trample on her freedom of religion? How dare he expect all kids follow the rules?
We are supposed to see racism here. I see a hiccup in the cultural melting pot that is America. We all enjoy our rights to practice our own beliefs, but we must do so with respect for others. And in the case of seventh-grader Maheen Haq, that means a respect for the rules of Mid-Maryland Girls Basketball.
The referee said a hijab wrapped 'round Haq's head and neck could put her in danger. I've watched basketball and played organized sports. He's absolutely right. Youth sports are dangerous and unpredictable. Based on estimates from the National Center for Sports Safety, more than 3.5 million children ages 14 and under receive medical treatment for sports injuries each year.
Citing a danger and looking out for a child isn't, as Haq's father claimed, discrimination. It's common sense, something more parents need as we encourage them to hold true to the cultural ideals of our own separate backgrounds while simultaneously embracing an American lifestyle. To take it out of Muslim context, it would be as nonsensical for a born again Christian wearing long skirts to take up archery with flaming arrows.
Part of the beauty of being an American is the power of choice. We can choose to embrace our own personal beliefs, and with that comes the choice to opt out of situations where it's impossible to find a balance.
Yes, I'm a liberal who believes in being as inclusionary as possible. But I'm also a realist who can acknowledge that freedom does not mean the ability to trample over others beliefs. When lesbian parents complain that their kid gets kicked out of a Catholic school, I don't rally against the school because the lesbian parents knew going in that they were entering a den of homophobia. They made their bed, now they need to lie in it.
Similarly, in youth sports, the basic rules aren't there to be discriminatory. They're there to keep kids from being strangled to death when someone accidentally gets their hand wrapped up in the other's headscarf. Haq's family need only go out and buy her a sport version of the hijab, which is made to tear away rather than strangle a girl in case of contact on the court (or field -- they're used in soccer too).
That's it. The league said they can let her play, provided her parents take responsibility for any injury should she have one. That's not discrimination. That's a hiccup that proves freedom isn't always "free." It comes with a need to bend too.
Do you think the ref was right?
Image via emrank/Flickr
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mustbeGRACE
I'm positive you know what you can do with YOUR homophobia?
Your positing that people, embracing their millenia old religious convictions, edicts given to us by our God, held by billions on this planet, is homophobia is despicable.
You really quite suck.
zanzeebeel
Oh wow, must be grace, , I never thought i'd be able to agree with you on anything !!! LOL
What a strange day !!! LOL lolololol.
MIA0223
No, I do not think the ref was right. How is a headscarf posing a threat to safety? I was not there, but I can tell you hijabs can be very fitting, was it a sports hijab or the typical scarf wrapped? I am sure this girl had enough common sense and the coach also to wear a more streamlined hijab.
I do think it's wrong, a scarf poses no threat to safety in basketball. The only thing I can think is someone pulling it, but in girls basket ball, many have long hair that can also be pulled!
sahmalama
I don't think it's homophobia when the Church says that certain behaviors are against the rules, but that as Catholics, we should love them as people anyways. The Church does not go out and actively seek out homosexuals to ridicule. They only lay down rules, based on teachings that are found in Christianity, Islam, and Judeism. So while you may not agree with the Church, calling homophobia is unwarrented, and indeed, shows a lack of respect that I'm sure you would show any other religion.
josiesmommy00
I agree with Grace, we Christians are not homophobic, we just don't agree with "being gay." Anyway to answer your question, yes, the ref was right. As an ex-basketball player I know that it can sometimes be a contact sport. Girls fight for the ball, and sometimes get a little rough with blocking. Now with the hair thing Mia said, you have to wear your hair up and away from your face, it is a RULE. If an American girl got kicked out of the game for not following rules, you wouldn't see her or her parents crying "that's not fair!". Either follow the rules or go away.
MIA0223
Josiesmommy, this girl is American.... Muslim American. a hijab does that, keeps the hair up and away from the face! The coach had no problem with it, she was obviously in uniform, the ref was wrong.
mandee1503
Btw not all Christians or Catholics for that matter are homophobic. I'm not.
PonyChaser
If a Christian girl showed up on the court wearing a Crucifix around her neck, she would likely be disqualified because wearing any kind of jewelry in school athletics is prohibited - because of the injuries that can occur. It would not be "religious discrimination", it would be a matter of safety.
The article that this post refers to states that the young lady in question was wearing a "brown headscarf... that wraps around the neck", and goes on to point out that there are athletic headscarves available. That tells me that she was wearing a traditional scarf, which would, indeed, cause her injury if it had become tangled with another player.
It is not religious discrimination to request that she remove it or ride the bench. It is for her own safety.
Further, the headscarf is worn for modesty, is it not? What else was she wearing? The article doesn't say that she was wearing any other Muslim garb other than the headscarf. Does that mean that she was out there in the traditional basketball uniform - shorts and a tank top? That seems a little off, to me.
PonyChaser
Also, nice potshot that you managed to weave in there at Catholics. Catholics are not "homophobic". Homophobia suggests hatred or fear of gay people. Catholics, as a group, are neither of those. Their religion tells them to love all people, and pray for them if they are sinning. Homosexuality is seen as a sin.
catteagrammy
The ref was right. When my daughter played basketball they could get very rough. They were not allowed to wear any jewelry, necklaces, earrings, bracelets or rings. Any of these could be caught and pulled by other players. It was about safety. I think the ref took a big step in making his decision. I respect the Muslim's way to dress as they see fit but when it comes to sports, safety first.