The most popular Muslim athlete in the news today is Sania Mirza. However, her popularity does not stem from her rise in the world tennis ranking, rather the attire she wears as a Muslim. A recent article in the Toronto Star talks about this issue. I had a previous post about Sania Mirza, so I do not want to repeat myself again. However, I did want to bring-up the following amusing quote from this article:
"It's not about showing skin. That has nothing to do with it," Fatah said. "The same people who were appalled at a woman leading prayers are the same people who are upset at a young woman playing tennis.These types of quotes get published because they are provocative. I think most people would agree the opinion expressed above does not represent the majority of Muslims.
"It's contempt and fear of women in a leadership position," he said. "Sania Mirza is the ultimate nightmare for the fundamentalist Muslim because she represents the
empowerment of women and is a success story."
It is surprising that she has been getting so much attention for playing tennis in a cricket-crazy country (India). I have never been a cricket fan, I just know enough about the game so that I can converse with my fellow Indian software developers. However, this article sparked my interest in that it talks about an upcoming cricket game being played in Pakistan that hopes to lift the spirits of the earthquake victims. I found the following quote to be amusing:
One of the world's top cricket players who also has been referred to by Musharraf as a "weapon of mass destruction'' for his ability to bowl at speeds exceeding 100 miles an hour [Shoaib Akhtar]I can just picture Pervez Musharraf sitting with his army buddies when they came up with this nickname:
Pervez Musharraf: Shoaib Akhtar bowling is "weapon of mass destruction" (with accent ofcourse)
Army buddies: va vay va, Mr. Bush would love that nickname.
7 comments:
The Fatah comment is absurd. I have to admit, there's no need to make a huge issue about Ms. Mirza's tennis outfit (notice how these days its an outfit rather than a uniform?), as she herself admitted its not appropriate for a Muslim woman, but at the same time the fatwa is also a big waste of time. I think I can take the liberty and say that the vast majority of Muslims in India have a good sense of what is appropriate to wear.
But enough about that, back to Fatah. I love how he brings women's empowerment issues into this. I don't think anyone really cares that Mirza is a muslim woman tennis star or indeed the 'Ulema see her as a threat by being an independent woman. Fatah used this opportunity to shamelessly further his own cause of transforming Islam into something based on ones whims and desires. I would love to see Mirza be truly original and somehow find a way to dress appropriately while kicking butt on the tennis tour. Seeing how furious Tarek Fatah would be at that move would be priceless. But maybe that's just too much self-righteous wishful thinking.
Ozair, don't give up on your dreams. Not all sports require one to have an above average height in order to excel. You could be a wrestler, soccer player, weight lifter, equestrian....
--B
Forget computers, quit your job, hit up the gym and pursue your dream!!! My brother shall be the the bestest muslim basketball player! As for first muslim hockey player... I think you should learn to ice skate first. Why am I typing out a comment when you are two metres away from me... I do not know.
I personally don't know what to think of Ms. Mirza. I like the fact that a Muslim woman (and she's Hyderabadi, too) is performing so well in an international sport like tennis. I also think the "fatwas" against her are stupid and will lead nowhere. Despite that, I think there is some truth to the claim that she may corrupt young Indian and Muslim girls.
I for one see a degree of arrogance and cockiness in her. First, she is reported to have sported t-shirts that say "Well-Behaved Women Rarely Make History" and "You Can Either Agree With Me Or Be Wrong". This is clearly an attack on those who have opposed her tennis outfit. Secondly, she admits that her outfit is not appropriate for a Muslim woman, yet calls herself a devout Muslim. It's like she knows what the right thing to do is, but is unwilling to do it. And for what? For personal gain? That right there is the epitome of arrogance.
I also think she's realized this somewhat. Before, she was always willing to criticize her opponents, making the same claims that (our not-so-friendly neighbourhood non-Muslim Muslim) Tarek Fatah makes about how the Ulema are afraid of women's empowerment. However, now she has backed off a little. At the US Open, when asked about the hubbub surrounding her (the outfit, fatwas, etc.) she said she didn't want to talk about it and only wanted to focus on tennis.
Despite her drastic rise in the standings from 364th to 34th, I doubt she will get much farther. She'll be forgotten in a year or so, have to give up tennis, and return to the small village of Malakpet (or wherever she's from) near Hyderabad. She'll be married off to some 35 year-old Hydro guy, and will work as a nokar (servant) in some rich Hydro people's house. That's how I see it unfolding :)
"I always dreamed of becoming the first Canadian Muslim athlete to play in a professional sports league such as the NHL or NBA, but that did not work out due partly to my lack of skill and the fact that I was not getting any taller."
Me too but thats not happening. Thats why i go to ICCO to play hockey with other brown people. Hey i might not be the best there but it still gives me that athletic feel. Oh yeah im the only Sheikh holding down the fort at ICCO.
E iiiiiiii!!!!
I think I'm the only one who hasn't given his opinion on this issue. I actually think it's a stretch (no pun intended!) to call it an issue to begin with.
Do I consider the way Sania Mirza dresses on the court contrary to Islam's prescriptions? Yes. But so is the way so many other Muslim women (and men), including public figures, dress. We don't talk about them, and nor should we. As a side note, I noticed that it is usually religious figures from Pakistan (and this time India) who come out with virulent criticism of this sort. Scholars from the Arab world are rarely seen to do this (except when it comes to Israel and the United States).
I consider the condemnation of Mirza by Indian Muslim figures misplaced. Their job (and any Muslim's task for that matter) is to educate those under their charge and to engender Islamic values generally if and as they are able to. This is not accomplished by condemning other people; in fact, if Islamic values are prevalent, people can for themselves judge what is right and wrong without the need to drag other people's names into the mud.
I don't want to sound rude, but if every Muslim minds their own business more, we would all be the better off for it.
We are all in agreement that this tennis outfit issue has been blown out of proportion. I think she made a mistake when she talked about religion with the media, since her comments are now on the record.
The fatwa thing is making things even more complicated, as she now requires additional security wherever she travels.
I think we forget that she is only 18 years-old, and having to deal with the fame and fortune would be difficult for anyone at this age. The fact that she is a female Muslim athlete will only lead to more unwanted attention. Maybe there will be a Muslim figure skater that will take the attention off her ;-)
All this tennis talk makes to believe that I was following the impossible dream of playing in the NBA or NHL. I could not even lead an MSA ball hockey or basketball team to glory. I should have been playing tennis all these years. If someone from Hyderabad, India can play in tennis, I think it gives us all hope ;-).
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