WHAT IS HIJAB?
It is a veil or scarf that covers the head and neck. Many Muslim women and girls choose to wear it in public as a sign of modesty. It can be worn in many different styles, many different colours and can even be a fashion statement. But the material is not always same.
WHY IS A SPORTS HIJAB DIFFERENT?
The aim is to make exercise a more comfortable experience for women. At Maryam’s Essential we would be launching our lines of sports and we hope to bring it to the mass market. They are made from stretchy material and don’t require pins. A woman or girl would just pull it over her head and be ready to play sports, with strong moisture resistant.
It is also known that it isn't just the clothing that holds some Muslim women back, but also about educating people on the benefits and creating opportunities. Clothing for sport is an important part of improving the experience of Muslim women and girls.
There are a number of issues to address such as lack of knowledge and confidence in the sports industry. And of-course the importance of hijab wearing athletes as role models should inspire many Muslim women and girls! If you are sporty it’s good to see people you can related to, especially if sports has not been emphasised in a particular community.
CAN A MUSLIM WOMEN PLAY SPORTS?
There have been apparent occurrences that proved women had been physically active throughout the history of Islam, especially during the time of prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). There were many such instances for example where the prophet would have raced with his wife Aisha while they travelled. She won some of these races against her husband. Then there was the prophets aunts who actively participated with other soldier.
These women’s physical and mental agility, prowess and endurance demonstrated that they must have routinely exercised or trained. Their participation in physically demanding activities proved that Islam has never placed any restrictions against women from doing sports; on the contrary, it shows that Islam places strong emphasis towards the importance of healthy body and mind.
While there are no restrictions towards women’s participation in sports, there is a guideline that needs to be observed in order to create a balance between muslim women’s involvement in sports and the importance of keeping their modest.
To conclude, in an argument between hijab and non-hijab sporting hijabs, many people fail to see the big deal about it. However, sports hijabs means a lot because it improves the experience of the athletes which means when a choice of competitive sports wear has a direct impact on the athletes ability to compete, there is a chance many Muslim women often attempt to think; if they should give up their hijabs behind to pursue her career in sport or should they sacrifice her passion in pleasing ALLAH.
As a word of advice, if you see sports people who share your values it can be a positive message, because this is a multicultural area with many muslim women with sports aspirations, to have sportswomen the girls can relate to as a role models is extremely a positive approach.