Oppression or freedom?
In March 2017, NIKE launched a pro sports hijab. A few weeks later the sports wear giants received backlash from the general public considering the current religious climate existing in the western world.
Sarah Attar, an Olympic runner from Saudi Arabia competed in the Rio Olympic games in Brazil wearing a hijab, as well as Amna Al Haddad an Olympic weight lifter hailing from the United Arab Emirates.
A Hijab, for those who may not know, is a head wrap for women in the Muslim community as an artifact of their cultural beliefs. The arguments which arose from this controversial matter was the presence of other religions in the sports world who do not express their religious beliefs, so why should these women be exempted?
Furthermore, why should they be supported by the sports wear giants? NIKE. In response to that, NIKE stated that its mission statement is “To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world”. It further goes on to say “if you have a body, you are an athlete”.
Another argument, which arose, was that the Pro Hijab normalizes oppression of women in the Muslim community, forcing them to wear the headscarf.
Women in the Muslim community are encouraged to protect their heads from the general public with the exception of their spouses. Many people criticized the idea while others also applauded the sports wear giants for their innovation and diversity, which is a big deal in today’s world.
Amna Al Haddad also responded by saying, “she supports the Muslim women with or without a hijab and how they dress is their choice.”
She goes on to say, “it will surely encourage a new generation of athletes to pursue sports professionally.”
The Pro Hijab is an excellent idea, it gives women in the Muslim community who wear it a freedom to be comfortable in the sports world and for those who do not, well, they do not have to. Social diversity is a current growing trend. Normalizing the sports headscarf will enable the birth and growth of diverse trends resulting in a multi diverse global environment Jeffery Yirenkyi,
UPEI student