Female athletes from 43 nations have taken over Tehran's top three hotels for the week-long Fourth Women's Islamic Games. These 1,300 women know how to play - for victory and for fun.
They know how to dress sharply - the Opening Ceremony could easily have been confused for an international fashion show. And they certainly know how to celebrate diversity and get to know their rivals as friends and as human beings.
"Afghanistan and America, best friends!" says Rubina Muqademar as she hugs Sarah Kureshi, American runner. A twinkle in the Afghan runner's eyes gives away her recognition of her statement's irony. Muqademar is the first Afghan woman to participate in the Olympics.
Athletically the strongest teams are from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan and Syria - other players express a little extra anxiety when competing with them. None of the teams, however, are lacking in spirit and energy. Most rivalry is left in the playing fields. In the hotel lobbies and restaurants, language barriers evaporate and the athletes learn from and are inspired by each other.
The British futsal, five-a-side football, team comes not only to compete but also for the opportunity to represent their country - where they often feel marginalised.
Texan-born Kureshi too hopes that her participation in the Games reaffirms the American public's interest in learning about different people and cultures, includes Iran's.
Government relations, however, could still use that wing. Seven self-financed American athletes were denied visas despite Islamic Federation of Women's Sports, IFWS, founder president, Faezeh Hashemi's personal calls to the Iranian embassy. The athletes were invited by the IFWS to introduce 'Ultimate Frisbee' to the Iranian culture - a sport chosen for its low maintenance, easy rules and obvious physical and emotional benefits of sports.
It is perhaps for the positive repercussions of sport that she too has experienced, Senegalese runner, Mame Fatou Faye, plans to become a sports instructor. Olympian and multiple medal winner, Faye is not alone in her desire to share the joy that her passion for sport has brought her.
Some of the national Syrian basketball players themselves coach girls and select the best to join their team. Syria and Malaysia use summer camps to recruit athletic talent.
Most women from the Omani handball team also plan to use their 4-year physical education Bachelors to eventually become instructors for Omani girls. Each summer the Omani government awards 30 female and 30 male students a two-week study-travel trip to Canada for excelling in both sports and academics.
Until recently before professional sports developed in this regional, the coaches of Muslim women athletes were often their mothers. Even today, Iranian swimmer, Shokoofeh Sadeghipand's mother, a horse rider, coaches her. Sadeghipand, 16, won third place in freestyle competition and her extended family came with chocolates to celebrate with her. Her family is also supportive of her desire to pursue extensive studies in Chemistry.
Iran and the Woman Behind Some of its Reform "Faezah Hashemi has brought change, she has helped get freedom for women and girls in Iran," says Vajiheh Zadeh, a petrochemical engineering student at a local university who is also serving as the translator for the American delegation to The Games. Just these Games are evidence of the change her realistic approach has resulted in, Zadeh adds.
When told of the icon that she is for Iranian women, she disagrees.
"No," she says emphatically. "I don't think this is true - because if it were, they would have voted for me again," she adds with humour. Daughter of leftist politician Rafsanjani, Hashemi left politics in 2000 when her term as Member of Parliament completed.
Hashemi has dedicated her life to human rights. She founded and just got re-elected as president of the IFWS at the Tenth Congress Meeting. She also ran a Persian newspaper, Zan, woman in Persian, for 10 months - when it was shut down by Iranian judiciary. She also founded an NGO for human rights. The NGO develops educational courses and materials to bridge knowledge gaps, particularly among women. Her NGO also works to develop a healthy mainstream by comparing Islam with UN charters for women's rights. An earlier conference concluded that Islamic law, or its source, the Quran, is fully compatible with global women's rights.
"Most of the issues we have with equality, they are not issues with Islam but with interpretations of Islam," says Hashemi. To address this, Hashemi takes small and steady steps to reform Iran.
At every four-year event, for example, Hashemi introduces a newer - relatively more risqué form of celebration at the Opening Ceremony. This year it was dancing choreographed and synchronised to perfection - but with men and women sharing the stage. The dance included different forms from opera-style ballet to downright discos.
At the 1996 Muslim Women's Games, it was cycling. Then, women in Iran were not allowed to cycle in public. Now, although the streets of Tehran do not boast cyclists in general, the law permits women to cycle wherever they wish.
Sports: a Fundamental Human Right Dr Beny Choo, VP, Malaysian National Olympic Committee highlighted from Olympic Charter, Article Four that the fundamental principle of Olympism is the pursuit of sport as a human right.
"This event really is the Iranian women's only opportunity to compete at the international level," says Sarah Hillyeri, Global Sports Partners, USA, reaffirming Zadeh's respect for the caliber of this event. "The world comes to them".
Since the Islamic dress code is not observed in other countries that can host such large-scale international competitions, Iranian women do not participate in international championships except archery, shooting or golf, where they would be able to dress Islamicly.
André Gorgemans, Swiss-based Secretary General of the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry firmly believes that most athletic women's dress code requirements constitute discrimination against Muslim athletes. For almost a decade he has been working to develop Islam-friendly athletic dress codes and uniforms for women.
Speedo, the swimwear manufacturer, for example, worked closely with Dutch Muslim women and Imams a few years ago to develop Capsters, a range of head-accessories. Although they can also protect against wind or cold, Gorgemans said, the idea was to give Muslim women in the Netherlands an alternative for the traditional hijab (head covering) during gym-class.
THE MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR FUNDS:
The Iranian government has provided USD 1.4million in direct cash to the Federation: 1.3trillion Iranian Toman.
The total expense for the 4th Women's Islamic Games is USD 2.8million Hashemi calculates. The remaining 50 percent was donated by commercial sponsors, both in kind and cash.
Farideh Hadavi, Secretary General, IFWS says that the future funding will also not pose any problems because there is immense support from within Iran - all but one corporate sponsor, Samsung, were Iranian. Also this year FIFA gifted a variety of athletic gear and equipment to recognise the development the Games are bringing for futsal, five-a-side football.
The Iranian government is extremely supportive, financially and logistically. Prior to being elected as president Ahmedinajed himself organised the Muslim Women's Capital Games in Tehran in January of this year, as mayor of Tehran.
"About the future though, I cannot say - after yesterday evening, we will have to wait and see," Hashemi says mischievously referring to the dances that were treading the fine line between her interpretation of religious acceptability and cultural impropriety.
Comments
Comments are closed.