Faithful Muslim boxes out criticism of hijab, finds success with Green Valley basketball
Green Valley High School’s Aiyana Alchawa walks into the opposing team’s basketball gym and gets ready for the stares. The senior guard has come to expect it. Alchawa is Muslim and competes wearing a hijab, a head covering worn in public by some Muslim women. While it’s common for people in her religious community to wear the covering, the teenagers at some random Las Vegas-area school aren’t accustomed to seeing it — especially on the court.
Kids, she learned, can be cruel.
Some are discreet in looking at her. Others point in her direction and share a chuckle with whomever they are sitting. And, unfortunately, a few have had hurtful things to say, like asking if she’s going to bomb the school — a common insult.
“You never get used to it, but it’s not going to affect me,” she said.
Her faith teaches women to dress modestly, meaning Alchawa also wears a long sleeve shirt and leggings under her uniform so the only skin that’s visible is her hands and face. During the school day, when many of her classmates wear stylish jeans with holes in them, she’ll wear baggy jeans.
Green Valley coach Rey White has coached Alchawa since 2019 and can’t recall a time when she’s become distraught about something that’s been said about her wearing a hijab. Rather, she’s open to talking with others to explain her culture, knowing that a lack of knowledge about Muslims is the starting point to saying something inappropriate.
“She’s become really good at blowing things off,” White said.
Alchawa says she’s not blowing off the hurtful comments and storing them on the inside. She feels empowered wearing a hijab and is more than comfortable in her own skin.
“Kids are good at being bullies, but I know my worth and won’t let them prevent me from playing,” she said. “They aren’t going to get into my head. What they are saying isn’t new. I’ve heard it all.”
The hope is that once the game begins those people randomly staring at her are commenting for a different reason — her performance. She averages 12 points, seven rebounds and four steals per game, and is considered Green Valley’s top player.
She also is a standout for the Green Valley volleyball team and carries a 4.5 weighted grade-point average.
“She faces a lot of adversity but doesn’t let that (affect) the way she plays,” said Saedy Cozo, her basketball teammate. “She’s a great, great teammate and friend. She’s a great player.”
Alchawa was 7 years old in 2012 when her family moved from Syria to the Bay Area of California before eventually settling in Southern Nevada. A majority of Syrians are Muslim; by most estimates, there are about 10,000 Muslims in the Las Vegas area.
One morning her family said they
“She faces a lot of adversity but doesn’t let that (affect) the way she plays.”
— Saedy Cozo, teammates with Aiyana Alchawa on the Green Valley High School basketball team
were talking her to basketball practice. Participating in sports became one way to learn about her new surroundings.
Now, it’s become a way for Alchawa to help others learn about the Muslim way of life.
Part of the equipment
Alchawa is warming up ahead of a game when she is approached by a referee. You’ll have to remove the head scarf because the color scheme mirrors the opposing team’s uniform and that will create confusion, she’s told by the official.
After some brief explaining from coaches, Alchawa is cleared to play wearing her hijab. This scene has only happened twice, she said, but was quickly cleared up with no conflict.
“I tell them, ‘You don’t understand; she has to be covered,’” White said.
That’s because the National Federation of High Schools in 2021 determined that religious head coverings — unless deemed unsafe to the participant — were approved without prior approval from a state association. The state has a governing body aligned with the national federation.
The ruling comes on the heels of Najah Aqeel, a 14-year-old from Nashville, Tenn., who wasn’t allowed to compete in volleyball games because the school didn’t apply for the waiver with the state association. And in Ohio, a cross country runner was banned from a state association meet because her coach failed to apply for the waiver. The Ohio Legislature in 2022 doubled down on the national federation’s ruling and passed a law calling for athletes to be allowed to compete while wearing a hijab.
Other Muslim athletes aren’t as fortunate, such as in France where the French Senate on a 160-143 vote in 2022 approved a ban on the wearing of the hijab and other “ostensible religious symbols” in sports competitions.
Alchawa has many hijabs made by Nike, which in 2017 started selling the headgear with an interior strap to prevent it from slipping during competition. It’s also sweat-wicking mesh.
Wearing one during competition was hard to get used to, but has become as routine as lacing up her basketball shoes, she said.
Adherence to the fast
Alchawa is substituted out of the spring league contest and heads to the bench. A teammate hands her a water bottle, a common practice for a player exiting the game.
But Alchawa is disciplined and knows she can’t have a drink, even if she is weak from fasting during Ramadan, a holy month on the Muslim calendar that in 2022 was observed beginning April 2.
Muslims worldwide fast — no food, drink, medicine or even gum — from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan, which lasts 30 days, in a sacrifice to show empathy for those who are less fortunate.
In the heat of the moment of athletic competition, when grabbing a drink of water to refresh during a break is second nature, Alchawa finds strength in the self-discipline of the fast.
“It makes me grateful for what I have,” she said.
There have been times when White has noticed Alchawa appears to be drained, but the coach has never asked if she wanted out of the game. He’s been amazed at her mental strength and says he’s been inspired by her devotion — to faith and team.
After all, Alchawa is the Gators’ best player and counted on to do a little bit of everything. When she’s on the court, the game seems to be more calm and her teammates are more organized, White said. Green Valley has only won a handful of games this season.
“She is a top volleyball player and basketball player at the school,” White said, “but is also known for more than being a top athlete. She has everyone’s respect and admiration.”