Aussie Muslim Women on Football Mission

Taking an unusual move to raise awareness about their faith, a group of young Muslim women in Australia has formed a football team to change perceptions about themselves and their religion.

“Sport can change everyone's lives and it has done that for so many of our girls,” Lael Kassem, captain of the Auburn Tigers team, told The Daily Telegraph.

Kassem and a group of Muslim women have formed a team to compete in Australia Football League (AFL).

The captain says that her teammates had never watched a game of football live or even seen stars of the game on TV.

Though they know very little about AFL rules, Muslim women have not feared going into the competition.

In its first game, the Muslim team suffered a 130-0 loss to Macquarie University.

Yet, captain Kassem opines that her team wants much more than to just put points on the scoreboard.

“When we started the team we didn't think about winning,” Kassem said.

“We just wanted to be the most respected team and the most culturally aware team.”

The AFL is the highest-level professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football.

According to market research, the AFL is the second-most-watched sporting event in Australia, behind cricket.

Last year, the league agreed to introduce multi-faith prayer rooms at playgrounds to respect Australia’s cultural diversity.

"The majority of the girls in our team wear the Islamic veil and they can wear tracksuits if that makes them more comfortable," Kassem said.

"We enforce that we are representing our religion so we go on to the field with the best manners and demonstrate Muslims are normal."

Islam sees hijab as an obligatory code of dress, not a religious symbol displaying one’s affiliations.

Muslims, who have been in Australia for more than 200 years, make up 1.7 percent of its 20-million population.

Islam is the country's second largest religion after Christianity.

http://www.onislam.net/english/news/asia-pacific/462242-aussie-muslim-women-on-football-mission.html

I don't know about this... I see much of the aura exposed.

erm, dem try but d tin get comma...

A Tracksuit for all players would have been better...

i guess it depends on the level of faith of individual players.

A good idea though.

Well,don't really support outdoor sports for females[males watch them too].As for wanting to be the most respected and cultural team ,the non muslims may even see the defeat of my sisters' team as a victory over islam[my opinion].

zeezzy: Well,don't really support outdoor sports for females[males watch them too].

Exactly

^^^
I think there is an hadith reporting the prophet(SAW) having a race with his wife(horse race i think), wouldn't that count as an outdoor sport?

I do agree with the fact that females(especially Muslims) should have limits to the kind of sport they do participate in.

tbaba1234: I don't know about this... I see much of the aura exposed.

Would like to know the opinions of the scholars that backed their position if any.

sino: ^^^
I think there is an hadith reporting the prophet(SAW) having a race with his wife(horse race i think), wouldn't that count as an outdoor sport?

I do agree with the fact that females(especially Muslims) should have limits to the kind of sport they do participate in.

Foot race with Aisha, Other people were asked to move along....

maclatunji:

Would like to know the opinions of the scholars that backed their position if any.

You can get a fatwa to support anything even things that are clearly wrong. Ever heard of fatwa shopping..lol.. welcome to the age of google. Look for the fatwa that supports what you are doing.

Certainly the aura is exposed, maybe track suits would have been better and longer shirts.

Plus playing in front of men??I don't know o!!

^I am still interested in the judgement. Anyways, let us take the positives- these ladies are happy to identify as Muslims and seek to present their religion in a society that is not very Muslim.

^My sentiment exactly...

I think the major issue is playing in front of men...

Lol @ shopping for fatwa...Na wa o, make i go google small.

sino: ^My sentiment exactly...

I think the major issue is playing in front of men...

Lol @ shopping for fatwa...Na wa o, make i go google small.

as far as they are properly dressed,there is nothing wrong at all with what they are doing.

Muslim women are not supposed to be locked up in a room to prevent men from seeing them.if not,then let men lock themselves up to avoid seeing women.these ladies are not playing with men but with other females.

a number of muslim countries,including the Islamic Republic of Iran, have female sport teams that cover properly and with hijab.not long ago there was an issue with FIFA over the Iranian female football team over the hijab.

"FIFA's Ban On Modesty"
https://www.nairaland.com/867144/fifas-ban-modesty



[img]http://previous.presstv.ir/photo/20120301/tebrahimpour20120301170850507.jpg[/img]

brothers,kindly answer this question sincerely.can you allow your wife[wives] to be part of your country's national team?

zeezzy: brothers,kindly answer this question sincerely.can you allow your wife[wives] to be part of your country's national team?

I guess it depends on the sport.

maclatunji:

I guess it depends on the sport.

football,basketball

zeezzy: football,basketball

I am inclined not to approve of football but basketball is a different ball game- pun intended.

Just an FYI, this is not the football Nigerians are used to. Looking at the balls they're holding this is American Football - similar to Rugby - not soccer.

I love soccer, so I would be more inclined to care about that.

LagosShia:

as far as they are properly dressed,there is nothing wrong at all with what they are doing.

Muslim women are not supposed to be locked up in a room to prevent men from seeing them.if not,then let men lock themselves up to avoid seeing women.these ladies are not playing with men but with other females.

a number of muslim countries,including the Islamic Republic of Iran, have female sport teams that cover properly and with hijab.not long ago there was an issue with FIFA over the Iranian female football team over the hijab.

"FIFA's Ban On Modesty"
https://www.nairaland.com/867144/fifas-ban-modesty

Fifa is a disgrace. It is a very politicised organisation.

^Of course, Australian Rules. #Clever