Thread by @_shireenahmed_, #WorldHijabDayMy thoughts:Let me start this by saying I have been wearing a [...]

#WorldHijabDay

My thoughts:

Let me start this by saying I have been wearing a headscarf since I was 20 years old. That's more than two decades.
I am the "first" woman who wears hijab to be on national television as a sports regular commentator.

I have dedicated my research and work to Muslim women in sports, as well as racism and misogyny in sports. Where there is white supremacy, misogyny, gendered Islamophobia and hijabophobia are closeby.

I have a VERY profound understanding of exclusion of women in hijab (and Sikh men in turbans and Jewish men in kippa) in sports. I was literally the first sports journo to push to be published on this (FIFA ban, FIBA ban, AIBA ban etc). I even posted on my blog just to amplify.

So I appreciate focus and push for anti-hijabophobia in sports. I understand the pressing need for the conversation because it STILL affects woman footballers in France as the wretched FFF bans coaches, players and officials from wearing a scarf. Yes, working on that, too.

Just coming back to reiterate what trash the FFF is. I can't even with them.

I do not participate in things like "Wear Hijab in Solidarity". I find it reductive and performative. And it actually excludes racialized Muslim women who also suffer from gendered-Islamophobia.
http://www.muslimahmediawatch.org/2013/02/05/world-hijab-day-everyones-favourite-dress-up-day/

Here is the thing. Sports Media has a fascination with the 'veiled athlete' because her body juxtaposes the stereotypes. I'm not here for the non-Muslim gaze.

I struggle with the fact that on these panels there is one or maybe two Black Muslim sisters. WHAT THE WHAT?
Anti-Blackness, anti-Indigeneity and homophobia are real in Muslim communities. Transphobia as well. There is an absolute silencing of these sisters.

YOU CAN NOT HAVE A LEGITIMATE PANEL ON GENDERED ISLAMOPHOBIA AND NOT DISCUSS ALL THE STRUGGLES EXPERIENCED BY THOSE WHO IDENTIFY AS MUSLIM WOMEN.

What I am saying (and shouting) can be fairly unpopular. I am not interested in hyping up Nike - they are not a non-profit agency for Muslim women esp if they use labour of other Muslim women in the Global South.

I will amplify sisters that are doing the work. But my analysis is a little deeper. And Nike is a corporation with a subpar track record across the board. http://www.muslimahmediawatch.org/2017/03/07/what-will-they-say-about-me-nike-middle-easts-new-ad/

Don't get me wrong, I am grateful to see Muslim women out there. And they deserve amplification. But I am not interested in presenting sports companies as a saviour of Muslim women. Hard pass on that ish.

There are so many layers for discussion on #WorldHijabDay and it is complicated. I will always advocate for women to have a choice to wear what they want - on the court, the pitch, at the track. in the ring and in the pool. I will support choice to wear burkini, bikini or burqa.

Forcing women out of clothing is as violent as forcing them into it. Choice is absolutely necessary. #WorldHijabDay

My relationship with my hijab a mix of spiritual practice and religious observance and yes, resistance.
IT IS DEEPLY PERSONAL.

Messy buns ftw.

I don't speak for other women, I speak for me. Muslim women are not a monolith. Our stories have intertwining themes and experiences, sure. But we are all so different.
The work and the campaigns and the research must reflect this.

Muslimahs choose hijab, de-jab and then re-jab. It certainly fluctuates. And there are those women who do NOT have choice. Who are forced to cover. Who represent their communities in sport with a hijab because they don't have a choice. What then?

Hijab can be a turban, a wraparound scarf, a loose dupatta, a toque, a baseball cap, a niqab or libasa-e-sharia. Policing women's covering is something that infuriates me.

Notice how I haven't talked about men's opinion at all? YES, THAT WAS ON PURPOSE. I don't care to hear about what Muslim ANY men think about women's covering or clothing.

So happy #WorldHijabDay. Or not.

I am here for the women doing the hard work. I continue my own toil.

And please read Dr. Lila Abu-Lughod's "Do Muslim Women Need Saving?" https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674725164#:~:text=Do%20Muslim%20Women%20Need%20Saving%3F%20is%20an%20indictment%20of%20a,contingencies%20with%20which%20they%20live.

Do Muslim Women Need Saving? — Lila Abu-Lughod | Harvard University Press

Do Muslim Women Need Saving? is an indictment of a mindset that has justified all manner of foreign interference, including military invasion, in the name of rescuing women from Islam. It offers a...

https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674725164#:~:text=Do%20Muslim%20Women%20Need%20Saving%3F%20is%20an%20indictment%20of%20a,contingencies%20with%20which%20they%20live

Wanna help?
Support sports agencies like @MuslimGirl_Hoop @hijabiballers @alliancecitoyen (Les Hijabeuses) @MuslimWinSport and others.

Support independent Muslim women journalists and athletes. No, I don't care if they wear hijab or not. Just support them.

Support independent, paid, subscription SPORTS media.
@Fadumo_oo
@ReemAbulleil
@BurnItDownPod
@HabeebaHusain
@Safs_OnTheGo
@lipa_nessa
@rania_elhilali

Add more.

*SPORTS MEDIA ONLY, PLEASE*

Don't add your friend who writes about STEM. Respect but I'm a sports journalist.

LANGUAGE IS IMPORTANT:

Also, please follow acadmics who work on Muslim women in sport @sertacsehlikogl
@haifatlilisport
@bcuzofhersports
Asma Khalil
Dr. Nida Ahmad

Their work keeps me alive, fired up and inspired MashaAllah.

There are many amazing people doing work on this- too many to mention. And I am trying to amplify Muslim women's voices in the academy. So.

*waits for email telling me I can be 'free' in Canada.*

Yes, that shit happens on the regular.

"You don't have to wear that, dear..."

Me:

OMG. I almost forgot one of my faves:
@BlackBeltPhD

Please follow them. And we have a very awesome interview coming up soon on @BurnItDownPod.

I couldn't help but spoil. Too bad.

Muslim women often become athlete-activists and that is essential to the discussion in sports. Hijab is often the link.

FYI modest sportswear is not a new thing. Nike definitely didn't start it. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2017/mar/08/nike-performance-hijab-female-muslim-athletes

Nike's Pro Hijab: a great leap into modest sportswear, but they're not the first

Nike’s move to highlight the intensity and passion of veiled Muslim athletes speaks volumes in an age of renewed xenophobia, but it’s hardly groundbreaking

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2017/mar/08/nike-performance-hijab-female-muslim-athletes

In summary:

1) amplify Muslim sports writers & athletes.
2) there are many layers to struggles of Muslim women: anti-Blackness & homophobia.
3) Must understand geo-political context.
4) Muslim women are not all the same.
5) Men make exclusionary policies in sport re: hijab.

If your understanding of hijab isn't intersectional, I'm not interested.

I'm going to have chai now. Here is my website: http://www.shireenahmed.com

Shireen Ahmed

Out beyond ideas of Sports and Politics, there is a field. I'll meet you there.

http://www.shireenahmed.com

You can follow @_shireenahmed_.

Tip: mention @twtextapp on a Twitter thread with the keyword “unroll” to get a link to it.

Latest Threads Unrolled: