Last week the topic of religious head-wear raised its ugly and, in this case, covered head at the Asian Games in South Korea. When the Qatari women’s basketball team took to the court to play Mongolia, their heads were covered with hijabs. They were asked to remove them.
Rule 4.4.2 of the FIBA rule book states that “players shall not wear equipment (objects) that may cause injury to other players.” It goes on to list specific items such as handguards, wristguards and jewellery. It even states that “fingernails must be closely cut”. Headgear and hair accessories are not allowed, although curiously the rules do permit the wearing of “headbands, maximum five cm in width, made of non-abrasive, unicolour cloth, pliable plastic or rubber.”
The Qataris refused to play without the headscarves and thus forfeited the match. In a statement, FIBA said: “the uniform regulations are of a purely sporting nature” and applied “on a global scale without any religious connotation”.
In response to the incident the Qatari team withdrew from the games.
Qatari player Ahlam Salem-Al-Mana told Al Jazeera that the team felt they had to take a stand.
“We knew about the hijab ban but we have to be here,” she said. “We have to show everyone that we are ready to play, but the International Association is not ready.”
This is not the first time FIBA has found itself in hot water over religious headwear. In July two Sikh players, were stopped from lining out for India just minutes before an Asia Cup match in Wuhan, China. Officials asked the pair to remove their turbans. They did so and the game proceeded. The incident caused anger in parts of India with some groups calling on Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, to intervene.
Since that controversy, FIBA has decided that players will be allowed to wear religious head coverings, such as hijabs or turbans, on a trial basis in some competitions. The rule change will be tested for two years but according to the Huffington Post “a national federation must petition FIBA to allow players to wear the head coverings” and the rule change will not apply to all competitions during the trial.
Evidently, this change came too late for the Qatari team.
It's worth noting that FIFA, the ruling football federation, changed its policy on headwear in 2012.
FIFA and FIBA’s apparent willingness to adapt their rules are evidence of our increasing fear of offending religion. Instead of the religious world adapting to the secular, the secular is bowing to the religious. The idea that rules are the same for everyone is being eroded to cater to those who choose to be offended by having to adapt in order to be part of something. Let's remember that nobody forced these men and women to play basketball and we must be sure that they are more than welcome to do so. But why must an international, non-religious organisation that promotes a game bend its rules in order to placate people who are only willing to take part on their terms.
Some media reporting the incident in South Korea last week, alluded in a scoffing manner to the motto of the games. “Diversity Shines Here”, it proclaims. Diversity still shines at the games and it’s wonderful that it does. But promoting diversity should not supersede rules and fairness in sport. The rules must be the same for everyone or it simply doesn't work. That's why we have the term a level playing pitch. If you change the rule for one group you have to change them for everyone and who knows where that could lead.
Members of the so-called church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, known as pastafarians, 'traditionally' wear a colander or pasta strainer on their heads. It is of course ridiculous and to sane people, including the members of the church themselves by the way, the joke is obvious. But in 2011, an Austrian member of the 'church' applied to have his driver’s license updated. He read that headgear was permitted in the license photo if it were worn for religious reasons. He argued that as a pastafarian he was entitled to be snapped with the colander on his head. He won his argument.
In August 2013 Eddie Castillo, a student in California, was given permission to do the same and now carries a license with a picture that shows him wearing a pasta strainer on his head.
Were the problem posed, wouldn't FIBA have to allow members of The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster to wear colanders on their head?
That would be quite a game.
Around the World with Jonathan deBurca Butler every Monday from 3pm on Moncrieff. You can follow Jonathan on twitter @deburcabutler.
