Scottish women’s team shut down by Hijab ban

Scotland is not a nation known for its diversity, but there are actually a number of pretty sizable Asian communities, several of them Muslim, and several of these communities, not surprisingly, are active in grassroots local football. Scotland’s first female Muslim football team, however, may have to shut down before it even really begins, because of FIFA rules prohibiting headwear.

Members of Ansar Women’s FC wear the traditional Muslim headscarf called the hijab. They have been playing in the end end of Glasgow and were hoping to begin league games this season, but FIFA Rule 4, which outlines the clothing a player can wear on a football pitch, is being increasingly applied to headwear, and the team has been told that they will not be allowed to wear the hijab, effectively forcing a choice between the players’ religious beliefs and their love of the game.

It is unfortunate that this is being made into a Muslim-specific issue, since the rule itself has nothing particularly to do with the hijab, but the Ansar women have a point. The Muslim community in Scotland, as in so many other countries, has struggled to find a place in an overwhelmingly Christian country. One of football’s great strengths is its ability to bring communities like these together, giving us all a common ground to start from. I hope that either some exemption can be made for reasonable religious headdress, or some other compromise can be found so this bridge between cultures is not burned down over a pretty insignificant rule.

Read the full story in Scotland on Sunday.

In other Scotland news today:
Bordeaux want Rangers to double bid for Faubert
Caley looks to Austria for new talent
Celtic Cup gets McLeish’s approval

Category: Scottish Premier League

Tags: Celtic Cup, Fifa, Inverness Caley Thistle, Rangers, Regulations, Religion and football, Scottish Premier League

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