Baranyai: Respect women Olympians’ faith choices

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In Rio, Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad made history as the first woman to compete for the U.S. wearing a hijab. At an international competition in Seoul, Iranian climber Elnaz Rekabi made history for competing without it, amid protests sweeping the Islamic republic over the mandatory headscarf.

The tragedy of France is its failure to understand both of these acts were a victory.

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As the Paris Games draw the world to the city of light, France’s own athletes are forbidden from competing in hijab. The not-so-enlightened decision rightly has been criticized from all corners, including the United Nations.

The Olympics are meant to be apolitical and colour-blind. For a few short weeks, we set aside the things that divide us, and celebrate pure athletic excellence. Race, religion and ethnicity take a backseat to national pride. Except, it seems, in the host country, where controlling what Muslim women wear is something of a national sport.

It’s been two decades since France enacted a strict ban on “conspicuous” religious symbols in state schools and government buildings. In theory, the law supports French secularism. In practice, however, it excludes some members of religious minorities from full participation in civic life. Muslim women who cover their hair are particularly affected.

Several sports bodies have followed the government’s example, banning religious clothing in competition, even at amateur levels. This month, Amnesty International issued a 30-page report cataloguing how French bans on hijab in sports violate the human rights of girls and women.

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Competing in a hijab hasn’t always been easy. To fit the covering under her fencing helmet, Muhammad used to tie her scarf behind her head, pin it under her chin, and tuck the extra fabric under her sports bra. As Nike tells it, the fabric would become heavy and stiff with sweat, sometimes obstructed her hearing to the point she’d be penalized for missing calls.

Nike is a major brand sponsor for the Summer Olympics. In addition to outfitting Team Canada for competition in Paris, Nike has designed the kits for athletes from several countries, including the French basketball team.

In 2017, Nike developed a sports hijab for Muslim athletes: a single-layer pull-on made of breathable mesh. The game-changing design was rolled out in dozens of countries, and incorporated in Toronto Raptors team merch. In France, however, retailer Decathlon pulled the product after just one day. Public opposition was fierce. Burkini hysteria had gripped the nation; several local governments recently had tested the boundaries of municipal overreach by legislating how much women could cover up at the beach.

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The International Olympic Committee has made its commitment to full gender parity a centrepiece of the Paris Games. There are equal quotas for male and female athletes; more than half of all medal events are open to women; and eligible competitors with sex differences won’t face discrimination.

True gender equality, however, would reflect the spirit of the Olympic Charter: “Every individual must have access to the practice of sport, without discrimination of any kind.”

Cultural and religious attire are welcome in the athletes’ village, the IOC says, but it keeps clear of nations’ decisions about competition, whether it’s Iran insisting female competitors wear hijab, or France insisting they don’t.

Forcing women to wear religious coverings is oppressive. Forcing women to abandon their chosen religious coverings is equally oppressive. The problem is not the covering, it’s the control.

Equality for women means respecting their choices in how they observe and express their faith. Athletes should not have to compromise their identity to play sports at the highest level.

write.robin@baranyai.ca

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