Low Hijaab Participation in Sports

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Researchers have been a little successful in compiling the statistics that show the physical activity participation by different ethnic groups. It is an interesting fact to pen down that according to the Active People Survey 2007, the percentage of Muslim women that do enough exercise each day to keep themselves fit is only 12.2%. This low percentage vividly indicates the attitudes and behaviors of the Muslim women towards participation in sports. A research conducted with the Muslim women, in sporting environment, demonstrates that the Muslim women were not ready to take part in different sporting events, neither at school nor at national level, mainly because of the fact that they considered the sporting apparel inappropriate with their traditional beliefs and culture and hence, they are not ready to forego their hijab for sports, hence, triggering low participation in sports.

It is an interesting fact to know that regardless of the misconceptions revolving around the religious beliefs of Muslim women, it is almost now an established fact that the low participation of hijab wearing Muslim women in sports is attributed to ethnic considerations rather than religious fundamentalism. In an attempt to prove this idea, a study was conducted that focused on the relationship of young Arabic Muslim women with sports. Almost 80% of the respondents were agreeing to the fact that hijab is having an impact on sports participation. The study highlighted the fact that the low participation is because of ethnic, dress code and family restrictions. Burqa, a more rigid form of hijab, is a hooded cloak that women use to cover their bodies from head to feet. This burqa creates problems for sporting women as it limits the movement, peripheral vision and the choice of physical activity. Similarly, talking about hijab, many of the Arabic origin respondents were of the view that how can they play with this wide and lengthy cloth covering their head and neck and without it, the action would not be considered ethical as the society as well as the family settings require them to wear hijab to show their feminism. Therefore, considering these issues, they remain far less motivated to participate in sports and try to find other activities of interest for themselves which may not be as fruitful as sports but are enough to engage them.

The afore said mentioned deliberations help in manifesting that the attitudes and moods of the hijab wearing women, are intrinsically deep rooted with the ways these activities are delivered. Being the residents of the modern world, perspectives are changing across the globe. The recent Olympic Event 2012, witnessed this angle when the two athletes from Saudi Arabia were allowed to take part in the contest while wearing hijabs, although the decision was accompanied by a much debated controversy. Therefore, these motivated steps can be encouraged in their true sense if the service providers, understanding the need of the hour, establish flexible sporting environment, thus, instrumenting the participation of women, hence forth promoting gender equality.