Maheem Haq, a teenaged Muslim basketball player in Maryland was forced by a referee to sit the first half of a basketball game due to her refusal to remove her headscarf in accordance to her religious beliefs. She also wears long sweat pants during the games as many Muslim women practice modesty and do not believe too much of their skin should be revealed publicly.
Dressing modestly and wearing coverings is referred to in the Christian Bible as well but not many Christians observe this tradition today. Maheem, who is 12 yrs-old, has played with her headscarf for three years it was never an issue until the un-named referee decided that it represented a safety hazard and ordered the teen to remove it. Some are claiming that technically he was within his rights because the team did not submit a letter requesting a religious exemption.
Exactly what kind of hazard posed by a tightly wrapped head scarf is beyond reason considering some male and female players at all levels play with long hair that whips around as they move up and down the court, jump for rebounds and such. An argument could be made the ref was being religiously intolerant.
Because of this controversy, which upset the teen’s teammates and some of their parents, the league has instituted a new bylaw that allows any parent to write a letter and request an exemption of the little known rule. The coach of the team that Maheem Haq plays for used the situation as a life lesson in standing up for your beliefs and standing up for others.
This reminds me of a coach that didnt allow a team mate to play on his basket ball team because of his corn rolls. That was his rule that all players follow a dress code to play on his team.
ReplyDeleteThats jacked up Catherine, that is ethnic discrimination.
ReplyDelete