Dear brothers & sisters in Islaam Assalaam Alaikum, I love the way these girls are being brought up and nourished with Islamic values and norms. It is a very good example to other girls to observe Islamic teachings in terms of dress code and modesty. I very much appreciate the efforts of their parents and their teachers who helped them keep up their stand on Islamic teachings. May Allah (swt) guide other girls and women who are not following the Islamic dress Aameen.
Ghazi -----Original Message----- From: islamcity@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of "Fatima S" Sent: Wednesday, February 22, 2006 12:46 PM To: islamcity@yahoogroups.com Subject: [IslamCity] Re: Girls basketball team won't play in front of men Salaam aleykum Isnt there the possiblity that they dont want to playw ith men around and not their dads? Nt very nice thing to say. Other schools could refuse to play with the girls, but the girls have their right to refuse to play with men around. This isnt extreme at all. They are observing their religious obligations. --- In islamcity@yahoogroups.com, MIKEGHOUSE wrote: > > > _http://www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/news/nation/13912180.htm?tem plate=co > ntentModules/printstory.jsp_ > (http://www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/news/nation/13912180.htm?tem plate=contentModules/printstory.jsp) > You can always play in the gym or the backyard... but when you want to play > a competitive game, don't go to this extreme that no man should be around. > What is the point in making this a news item? Where is this going to lead? > One of the girl says this "We're not allowed to be seen by guys without > (Islamic dress). We've all learned to accept that." . Sounds like their fathers > are not allowing...and they have learned to accept it. > > > Girls basketball team won't play in front of men > > BY DEBORAH HORAN > Chicago Tribune > CHICAGO - Duaa Hamoud holds a basketball to her hip. She is standing in a > long blue gown in a gym at Bridgeview's Universal School. Her head is covered > in a white scarf pulled tightly around her neck. Not a wisp of hair is > showing. > Around her, other high school girls dressed in similar flowing robes shoot a > few casual baskets while they wait for practice to begin. There are no men > in the gym - no male coaches, no boys from school, no dads or brothers in the > bleachers. > So when the coach arrives and the real training starts, they can peel off > their Islamic dress, exposing their sweat pants and short-sleeved T-shirts > underneath. > "We'd run if we noticed a man peeking in the window," Hamoud, 16, explains. > "We're not allowed to be seen by guys without (Islamic dress). We've all > learned to accept that." > But the girls can't accept that they have only been allowed to compete > against girls basketball teams from other Muslims schools. There are only four in > the Chicago area, they complain, and their competition isn't exactly tough. > Since last year they've been beseeching Coach Farida Abusafa, a 26- year-old > English teacher who also coaches sports, to ask public schools and non-Muslim > private schools if their girls teams would be willing to compete against > girls from the Universal School. > The problem is that the schools would have to agree to bar men and boys > above the age of puberty from watching the games. > "It's not like it's a sin to play a public school," Abusafa said. "The > problem is the males coming to the game." > The dilemma underscores the balancing act many Muslims perform as they > toggle between American and Middle Eastern culture. Many of the these young girls > straddle the divide with ease, yapping on their cell phones at the mall one > minute, observing the school's strict gender segregation the next. But the > girls are also mindful of the challenges they face. > "It's something you have to decide you want to do," said Shaylin Najeeullah, > 16, a member of the varsity basketball team. "You can stay true to what you > believe in or you can conform to everybody else and get lost." > The Universal School's principal, Farhat Siddiqi, said there was no reason > the girls wouldn't be allowed to play teams from public schools or other > private schools as long as the prohibition barring men was strictly observed. But > she worried that parents from other schools might object, she said. > "I don't want to have to impose our religious requirements on anyone else," > Siddiqi said. > The Universal School, a co-ed private school located next to the Mosque > Foundation near 93rd Street and Harlem Avenue, is already a member of the > Illinois High School Association. So nothing would prevent the girls from playing > other public or private schools, said Beth Sauser, assistant executive director > of the association responsible for girls basketball. > "They would have to contact whatever schools they want to play and work it > out through the athletic directors," Sauser said. > Rich Piatchek, athletic director at Andrew High School in Tinley Park, Ill., > said he wouldn't outright rule against a chance for his girls teams to play > against Universal, but acknowledged that setting up games that excluded men > might prove difficult. > "That could be an issue," Piatchek said. "I can't imagine that the parents > aren't going to want to come and watch their children play. Most schools would > probably have the same problem." > Christine Bochnak, the varsity girls basketball coach at Sandburg High > School in Orland Park, Ill., said complying with the ban on males could be a > little tricky - her assistant coach, for instance, is a man - but she thought > the girls from both schools could benefit from the experience. > "The diversity would be good," Bochnak said. "I think it's always good when > there's exposure to other cultures and ideas. It's a life lesson and that's > what we're supposed to be teaching when we're coaching basketball - teaching > about life." > Conceivably, the Muslim girls could play in headscarves, sweat pants and > long sleeves. But the bulky attire might make playing difficult, they said. > "It would probably be hot," said Shetha Hamoud, 12, Duaa's sister, a lanky, > doe-eyed girl who plays on the junior varsity team. Playing in the long gown, > called a jilbab, would be worse, Duaa Hamoud said. > "It would be like trying to play in a dress," she said. > Not all the girls' parents require them to wear Islamic dress when they > aren't in school. But Universal requires girls to wear the jilbab on school > grounds when they start the sixth grade. Girls and boys learn in separate > classrooms and eat lunch during different periods. > Girls don't sit in the bleachers to watch boys' games unless they have a > brother playing, and then school authorities encourage a parent to be present. > It's understood that dads and brothers won't watch their daughters and sisters > play. > "You just describe it when you get home and hope that's sufficient to tell > him what happened during the game," Najeeullah said. > The girls say they don't mind the dress code. > "It was made obligatory by God ... to guard our chastity and our modesty," > Hamoud said. They automatically pull on scarves and sweatpants or pop the > jilbab over their gym clothes whenever they leave the court for water or bathroom > breaks. > Abusafa said she has been considering approaching public schools and other > private schools for some time, but so far she has hesitated. She believes the > contests would help improve the girls' games, but she's worried that too much > competition might shatter their confidence. While girls at public schools > typically practice six times a week, the girls at Universal hit the court only > twice every seven days because they share gym time with the boys. > Scheduling presents another problem. The boys' games start first, throwing > off the season for the girls' teams. They start their games several weeks > later than the non-Muslim girls teams, Abusafa said. She has considered asking > the other schools to play exhibition games, but IHSA rules stipulate that those > games would count toward the season total, so most schools would likely turn > her down. > Abusafa has also contemplated the possibility of inviting the schools to > play at Universal - even footing the transportation and referee costs - to avoid > forcing those schools to comply with segregation rules. Bochnak, for one, > said she would consider that possibility. > "I wouldn't have a problem with it," she said. > The girls at Universal say they won't be upset if the other schools turn > them down. > "If other schools have a problem with this, it's okay," Duaa Hamoud said. > But they look forward to the possibility. > "We just get sick of playing the same schools," said Rana Othman, 14, a > ninth-grader in braces who plays on the junior varsity team. "It would be more > challenging to play the public schools." > ************************************************************************ *** {Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.} (Holy Quran-16:125) {And who is better in speech than he who [says: "My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness)," and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: "I am one of the Muslims."} (Holy Quran-41:33) The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels." [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim] The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, "Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all." [Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- All views expressed herein belong to the individuals concerned and do not in any way reflect the official views of IslamCity unless sanctioned or approved otherwise. If your mailbox clogged with mails from IslamCity, you may wish to get a daily digest of emails by logging-on to http://www.yahoogroups.com to change your mail delivery settings or email the moderators at [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the title "change to daily digest". Yahoo! Groups Links ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Join modern day disciples reach the disfigured and poor with hope and healing http://us.click.yahoo.com/lMct6A/Vp3LAA/i1hLAA/TXWolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> *************************************************************************** {Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.} (Holy Quran-16:125) {And who is better in speech than he who [says: "My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness)," and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: "I am one of the Muslims."} (Holy Quran-41:33) The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels." [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim] The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, "Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all." [Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah] -------------------------------------------------------------------------- All views expressed herein belong to the individuals concerned and do not in any way reflect the official views of IslamCity unless sanctioned or approved otherwise. If your mailbox clogged with mails from IslamCity, you may wish to get a daily digest of emails by logging-on to http://www.yahoogroups.com to change your mail delivery settings or email the moderators at [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the title "change to daily digest". Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/islamcity/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
