(AhlulBayt News Agency) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, on Monday, expressed concern over a report that a 16-year-old Muslim boxer from Minnesota was barred from a match in Florida because she wears a headscarf.
Amaiya Zafar, from Oakdale, Minnesota was reportedly barred at the last minute from a Sunday bout at the Sugar Bert Boxing National Championships in Kissimmee, Florida. Her mother reported to CAIR that her daughter was able to register and weigh in, and was putting on her gloves just before entering the ring when a tournament official allegedly told her she could not compete because of her hijab.
Her opponent, in the act of solidarity, shared the belt she received for the "win" due to Zafar being disqualified.
CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper said: “All athletes should be able to compete in their sport of choice without facing roadblocks based on outmoded and discriminatory policies.”
“We thank Ms. Zafar’s potential opponent for her principled act of solidarity,” Hooper added.
Hooper renewed CAIR's call for the Switzerland-based International Boxing Association (AIBA) and USA Boxing to grant a religious exemption to current uniform regulations so that Zafar may wear the hijab during competition.
Many international athletic organizations have already modified their rules and policies to account for the various religious needs of participants. For example, over the past few years, the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) and the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) have all lifted their respective bans on religious headgear, including hijabs.
Last year, CAIR welcomed a decision by USA Boxing to request a waiver to AIBA's policy preventing Muslim women and girls from taking part in competition while wearing hijab. To date, neither CAIR nor the teen's family has been informed of any action being taken on that request.
CAIR is awaiting a decision by the FIBA to lift its ban on religious headgear that bars Muslim, Sikh and Jewish athletes from competing on a professional level.
In the past, CAIR helped a Muslim wrestler at the University at Buffalo in New York obtain a waiver from the NCAA to wear a beard he believes is required by his faith.
In 2011, CAIR welcomed a decision by the IWF to modify its policy on competitor apparel to allow modest Islamic attire. The IWF policy change came the following intervention by CAIR in the case of a Muslim weightlifter in Georgia who wished to compete while covering her hair, arms, and legs.
/257
source : Cair
Tuesday
22 November 2016
1:27:13 PM
793519
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, on Monday, expressed concern over a report that a 16-year-old Muslim boxer from Minnesota was barred from a match in Florida because she wears a headscarf.