The Fashion Project

Usually I don't get involved with "issues" but I thought this article was pertinent, since during HFW many of us sported new Capsters hijabs that were specifically designed for sports, and were thinking (at least, I was) that this style would allow us to participate in sports in a new way. Please read the article below, article and photo credit to Yahoo News:


The Iranian women's soccer team was in tears after being forced to forfeit a 2012 London Olympics qualifying match this past weekend because it showed up to play in hajibs. FIFA banned the Islamic head scarf in 2007, saying that it could cause choking injuries -- the same reason it gave for recently banning snoods (neck warmers). FIFA also has strict rules against any religious statements in team uniforms.

Since Iran refused to comply with these rules and didn't use the specially designed caps that its 2010 Youth Olympics team wore, Friday's match was abandoned by officials and a 3-0 win was awarded to Jordan as a result. The Football Federation of Iran said it will complain to FIFA about the ruling, but FIFA says assurances were made beforehand so that this situation would've been avoided. From the AP:

"Despite initial assurances that the Iranian delegation understood this, the players came out wearing the hijab, and the head and neck totally covered, which was an infringement of the laws of the game," FIFA said in a statement. [...]

Jordan team officials also objected to the hijab rule before the game, but prepared to play by declining to select women who objected on religious grounds.

"The Iranian team and three Jordanian players were also banned from playing because they wore the traditional head cover," Rana Husseini, head of Jordan's women's football committee, told The Associated Press.

"The problem is that the head cover assigned and approved by FIFA for women players to wear does not suit them as it reveals part of the neck and this is not allowed and it is not acceptable," she said.

Iran also forfeited a second group match against Vietnam on Sunday, seriously damaging its chances of advancing to the London Olympics. It seems unlikely that its federation's complaints will help its case, though, since these rules are not new and compromises have been made in the past. It's just a shame these women were put in the middle of this debate between Iran's federation and FIFA and set up for disappointment.

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There are a few things I want to say about this situation. Firstly, I understand that FIFA explained the rules of dress and made compromises in the past to allow players to wear caps that covered the hair but not the neck. The player's uniforms are crew neck, so that means the only part of the body exposed by the uniform would be a small strip of neck, which FIFA claims is necessary to prevent choking injuries.

Since I've never played team sports, I really don't know how likely it is that a person would get a choking injury from wearing a high-necked shirt (such as the snood they mention in the article) or a hijab. I have to assume that an international organization such as FIFA would have good, solid reasons for making a decision like that, and are not part of some conspiracy to make women reveal their necks. I know through some research into sports companies such as Capsters and Friniggi, that the issue of choking hazards and neck injuries is not new. Capsters offers a velcro hijab that is easily removed without moving the head, for just such a case. However, would that be enough to satisfy FIFA and other team sports organizations?

The second thing I want to say is that while it is commendable that these women are willing to take brutal disappointment in order to uphold their religious beliefs, I have to wonder something. Is it such a haram thing to make a small compromise like this? Does showing a small patch of neck in order to achieve something dynamic like placing in the Olympics really mean putting your soul on the line for heaven? Perhaps some people will think I'm not being fair, and not like what I'm saying. I understand that for some people, compromise is not an option. But I have to say something else too. Has anyone even looked at the uniforms for other women's teams? Has it occurred to anyone that no one in FIFA is making a big deal about covering the arms, legs, shoulders, and hair of the female players?

The issue here is the covering of the neck, not the head. Obviously if FIFA is willing to allow the female players to cover absolutely everything else, the issue has nothing to do with being covered. It is a safety issue, and a rule of the game. Perhaps this is unfair, but it is a well-known rule. By putting themselves out on the field wearing what was deemed an "inappropriate" uniform, the Iranian team has placed themselves right in the forefront of a nasty religious battle, and whether this was intentional or not, I believe it was a self-righteous and unnecessary action that will have consequences, the least of which will be to further alienate female Muslim sports players in serious competition.

I'm not saying that I don't approve of women wearing complete hijab and playing sports. If I believed that FIFA was banning hijab, as some have claimed, then I would be up in arms about it. But if you read what the news is actually saying, you will see that hijab is not the issue. It is illegal for any player to cover their neck completely, not only female players, and not only female Muslim players. It isn't a prejudice that everyone should get worked up about. What we should be asking ourselves is, do we take our beliefs and practices too far sometimes? Are we aware of what the rules of Islam are actually telling us, and when we look into our hearts, do we see what is happening here as a betrayal of religious practices, or as an unfortunate disagreement over the health and welfare of the players?