Islamic Women Athletes

A report and comment on religious trends and events being covered by the media.  This week’s item is from the Associated Press, October 2001, with a headline:  “Islamic Women Games Open in Iran,” dateline, Tehran.  The Third Muslim Women Games, which draws female athletes from twenty-seven countries opened Wednesday with a concert by a female singer.  It marked the first time a woman performed here to an audience that included men since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.  Thousands of spectators, mostly women, filled the TehranUniversity stadium for the ceremony, singing and waving flags as five young Iranian athletes dressed in white and pink robes and black Islamic head scarves took a lap around the grounds in horse drawn chariots.  One of the five signaled the start of the games when she lit the games flame with a torch.  Women in sports is a sensitive issue in Iran where conservative clerics oppose it, but moderates have succeeded in promoting women’s sports, gradually convincing some members of the conservative camp to soften their opposition.  Promotion of women’s sports has removed one of the important obstacles in the way of Muslim women, especially young women.  Still, we have some way to go, Former President Hashemi Rafsanjani told the opening ceremony.  Wednesday’s live concert at the ceremonies by singer, Pari Zanganeh was a milestone.  Previously, women singers were permitted to perform only for “women only” audiences.  Organizers said the games, like the first two editions, were aimed at promoting the role of women while preserving their Islamic identity.  Since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, women have been required to wrap up in baggy smocks and head scarves in public in line with strict Islamic teachings.  More traditional women cover themselves with Chadors—or loose, unsewn, black sheets to conform with Islamic dress.  Iran and several other Muslim nations refuse to send women to international sports events on the grounds that their women athletes would not discard their Islamic dress in order to compete.  While Wednesday’s inauguration ceremony was open to both men and women, only women can attend most of the week-long closed door competitions in which athletes can compete free of the Islamic dress code.  Male spectators can attend some events such as chess and shooting in which competitors keep their Islamic dress.  Part of the inaugural ceremony was devoted to the support of Afghan women who have been barred from many public activities under the ruling hard line Taliban regime.  As an expression of solidarity with women in Afghanistan, the stadium lights were switched off for several minutes as some athletes dressed in black lit candles.  “We are here to say Afghan women are alive and want an active social life.  We are here to denounce the uncivilized and anti-Islamic behavior of the Taliban against women in the name of Islam, said Nasrin Arbabzadeh, head of Afghan delegation.

Tom:

Dave, I think this is interesting.  Iran—I can think back, I was in Tehran a couple of years before the coup when the Shah was overthrown and I can remember when our Embassy was taken over, so Khomeini, we’ve talked about him a number of times, but things seem to be changing there.  Now these are not Arabs, these are Persians, this is a different people but they are Muslims, this is Islam and we are seeing some changes.

Dave:

They were taken over by Islam.  They weren’t Muslims to begin with; they were taken over by the sword, with a sword by Arabs invading what was Persia.

Tom:

Okay, but that was way back.

Dave:

Way back and forced them into this.  Well, that’s their ancestors, these people need to remember that,—that’s how it came down to them.

Tom:

I think this ought to be encouraging that some freedom is being allowed, certainly women—we don’t have women’s rights here, but we have at least an increase or a move in that direction.  Now Dave, I am looking at a verse from the Qur’an which tells me that I don’t know how far this is going to go but it seems we would have to have a change in a view of Islam by these people and certainly a view of the Qur’an.  This is from Surrah 4:34.  “Men are in charge of women because Allah has made the one of them to excel the other.”  In other words, men are superior to women according to the Qur’an, “and because they spend of their property for the support of women.  So good women are the obedient guardian secret that which Allah hath guarded and as for those from whom ye fear rebellion, admonish them and banish them to the beds apart and scourge them.  Then, if they obey you, seek not a way against them; lo Allah is ever high exalted great.”  Now, somebody says, I don’t buy that. For example, an Islamic or Muslim woman doesn’t agree with that or maybe some men do.  Aren’t they going against a sacred teaching?  Isn’t this to, supposedly, to Muhammad through the angel Gabriel from Allah?

Dave:

Tom, there are various shades of Islam; we’ve talked about this in the past.  The Bible doesn’t tell you what kind of clothes to wear; it does not order you to eat certain food.  Now, the Jews have certain rules, kosher rules, which were beneficial to their health and so forth, but the New Testament doesn’t do that.  If you are going to be a Christian you should follow what Jesus Christ teaches.  It does not include anything like this.  It talks about modesty and so forth, that’s up to the individual conscience.  I must confess there that there is an awful lot of immodesty in America.  I would agree with the Muslims in many respects when you see the scantily clad women and obviously some of the ads that are intended to excite the man and so forth.  I don’t believe that that is right.  The Bible doesn’t have rules about that.  Common sense—we talked about common sense already—would tell you that there are certain things that arouse lust and so forth and a woman should not dress that way.  A Christian woman ought to be modest.  But this is not fanaticism as far as Islam is concerned.  You have to dress like they did in the 7th century; you’ve got to go back to the 7th century.  And in Saudi Arabia today, for example, a woman cannot drive a car, cannot have a license to drive a car.  Now I see they are driving chariots here, horse drawn chariots.  Well, maybe that’s okay, you can get back to horse-drawn chariots I suppose, if you are only going around a track, but you can’t get out of the house on you own in Saudi Arabia and other Islamic countries because the woman is not to be allowed out there, she must be escorted by someone.  I think that’s going a bit too far.

Tom:

Dave, let me just get back on this women’s rights with regard to the Qur’an, with regard to the Hadith.  Now, this is after Muhammad’s death, his wife, Aisha—now we have talked about her on this program.

Dave:

Married her when she wasn’t even ten years old.

Tom:

Anyway Dave, she admonished those who had formulated most of the Hadith, by saying you have put us on the same level with a donkey and a dog.  Now the reason she said that was that in the Hadith it teaches that if a man is praying and a donkey, a dog, or a woman passes in front of him, he has to wash himself again and repeat his prayer.  My point here is that, not just with the Qur’an but the teachings, not just the culture, you know, there are going to differences in culture, but this is sacred teaching that subjects women to abuses, bondage, all the things that we have been talking about.

Dave:

Yes, so we have a woman in America on TV, the latest hair do and make-up and so forth, and the latest dress and she is saying she is a Muslim and she’s talking about women’s rights in Islam.  Forget it, it isn’t true!  Let her try to do that over in Saudi Arabia.

Tom:

According to their sacred teachings.

Dave:

Right.