Turkish clothing manufacturer Hasema likewise produces modest yet fashionable swimwear for women, men, and girls.
Posted on 04/30/2006 12:55:25 PM PDT by DogByte6RER
Muslim Athletic Wear Covers Skin Without Cramping Style
Jennifer Cutraro
for National Geographic News
April 27, 2006
The design of most modern sportswear puts many Muslim women athletes in a curious bind: adhere to their faith and have their motions hampered or compromise their beliefs in the name of athletic performance?
The Koran requires women to cover everything except their faces, hands, and feet, says Tayyibah Taylor, editor-in-chief of Azizah Magazine, a publication geared toward Muslim-American women.
"The idea is that your modesty in dress and behavior is a passport to public space," Taylor said. "It makes the statement that a Muslim woman's body is not a part of the public conversation."
Recently Muslim women living in a Somali refugee camp in Kenya (see map) were given unique new volleyball uniforms.
Designed through a partnership between Nike and the United Nations, the uniforms permit the women athletes to dig, spike, and set while covering their bodies and heads in a way that remains true to their faith.
But don't look for such specialized gear at your local mall or sporting-goods store just yet.
Nike spokesperson Alan Marks says the Beaverton, Oregon, company currently has no plans to commercialize the product. And most other major sportswear manufacturers have no lines specifically targeting Muslim women.
Today a scattering of small companies is the only commercial source of sportswear for the modest-minded.
- MODEST YET FASHIONABLE
Finding appropriate exercise wear is something that Muslim women have struggled with for years, says Laila Al-Marayati, spokesperson for the Los Angeles, California-based Muslim Women's League.
She says some women and girls choose to work out in long-sleeved shirts and sweatpants, but that is only a partial solution.
"Muslim women sometimes will prefer to go to all-female gyms or work out at home, so they can exercise comfortably and not be overwhelmed with heat exhaustion," Al-Marayati said.
An additional challenge is the need to keep the head covered with a hijab, a head scarf girls begin to wear in early adolescence.
"As an active Muslim girl, I found it difficult to participate in most sports, because of all the excess clothes we were wearing. And the veil—very unpractical when playing sports," Aheda Zanetti wrote in an email to National Geographic News.
Zanetti is the owner of Ahiida, an Australian company that designs women's sportswear.
"All of that excess fabric had to go, and that's when I introduced the Hijood—a hijab shaped like a hood," Zanetti wrote.
The Hijood is a close-fitting head covering made of a lightweight fabric.
A Danish company called Capsters produces a similar product. Designer Cindy van den Bremen says her goal was to develop a sportier hijab for girls to wear in school gym classes.
Zanetti also developed a line of swimwear for Muslim women, which incorporates a long-sleeved top, close-fitting hood, and long pants, all made of a stretchy, lightweight fabric.
Turkish clothing manufacturer Hasema likewise produces modest yet fashionable swimwear for women, men, and girls.
That's welcome news to girls like Zarina Jalal, a high school student who lives just outside of Albany, New York.
"If there was a way that I could do swimming without baring myself as much as I'm required to, then I'd definitely take up swimming more often," she said.
Jalal gave up soccer in middle school because of the requirement to wear shorts as part of the team uniform. She says clothing requirements can be a barrier for Muslim girls who want to play sports.
"The stereotypical clothing when you're doing anything athletic competitively is a very big turnoff for Muslim girls, in my opinion," she said.
- TO MARKET?
Taylor, of Azizah Magazine, sees great market potential for sportswear more appropriate for Muslim women.
"In another 15 years there's going to be a sizeable Muslim consumer market and lots of demand," she said. "I think we're where the Hispanic market was 20 years ago, and today the Hispanic market is a big consumer market."
Arun Jain, a marketing professor at the University of Buffalo in New York State, agrees.
He says, given the growth potential of the Muslim community in the United States, major sportswear manufacturers could be missing out on an opportunity to break into an emerging market.
"I believe it's a strategic blunder on their part," Jain said. "My feeling is that they don't think there's that much buying power, but I am certain that they're mistaken.
"If customers are given what they are looking for, they will be willing to pay, even at a higher price," he said.
That "strategic blunder" might pay off for the specialty shops that cater specifically to the needs of Muslim women in sports, he says.
Yuka Nakamura, a doctoral candidate in physical education and health at the University of Toronto in Canada, has studied Muslim women's participation in sports.
She says there's definitely a need for modest sportswear, even beyond Muslim communities.
She cites a program at a pool in Calgary, Canada, that tried to encourage more Muslim women to take up swimming by allowing them to wear T-shirts in the pool.
"It wasn't just Muslim women who wanted this," she said. "An increasing number of women felt more comfortable being covered up and even larger men who felt uncomfortable in a bathing suit and preferred to be in a T-shirt."
Azizah's Taylor agrees. "It's not only Muslim women who are making attempts to be modest when they go out," she said.
"There's also a contingency of Christian women and Jewish women and others who just don't feel that they need to show their bodies. Other women are striving to be modest as well."
>>>>>"if they like being treated like a dog so be it. I'll fight when they try to wrap or my daughter in one, not until"<<<<
So when they issue prayer rugs at the Government School you'd still be sitting on the fence?
TT
LOL!! Is that a tele-tubbie?
The Koranus requires a lot of Shiite!
Like murdering anyone that doesn't believe exactly what you believe!
Beating your 4 wives!
Even how and why to dunk houseflys in your coffee!
Yeah their "religion" is better than every one else's, because they say so!
Did you bother to read my damn post. I said I'll fight when they try to force their stupid religous edits on me or mine. I'm not going to get into an uproar over muslim women who like dressing as they are told. They can all be beaten with sticks for all I care, they raise up these pig men and join and celebrate when they kill our people or the Jews. Let them live with the fruits of their wombs.
The weeds of jihad bear bitter fruit..
>>>>"Did you bother to read my damn post"<<<<
Read it and quoted it!
(Don't get mad at me, YOU posted it)
TT
And clearly it was lost on you.
In no way shape or form am I on any fence. I'm pretty clear in that I don't like anything islamic and that includes their stupid women. I won't fight for them, obviously you take that to mean I'm sitting on some fence.
No, the ones posted above.
But that one is funny, too.
"Are there any more modest places to buy bathing suits?"
I got a fabulous suit at Macy's. Very expensive, like $90.00, but part of the money goes to breast cancer research (I can't explain this, but that's what the tag said.) I bought if for vacation and didn't use it, hubby said I could bring it back,but I said, it's the most comfortable bathing suit I ever put on, I'm keeping it.
Macy's always ruled for suits, and I see Gottex an Israeli maker is still making them. I had an excellent suit they made years ago. As I said I really am a prude, so all these suits are very modest. The new one is not Gottex, but I'd always recommend them, the last one I had I got years of use out of, and I did alot more "bathing" in those days.
As for little girls, I don't know. My daughter's aunt always used to get her a superclearance suit for her January birthday, and they were always fine.
You might do OK at old Navy, although I wasn't thrilled with their selection recently. I did veto many suits for my girl during those 'tween years. Clothes shopping was always brutal during that time. We often nearly came to blows in the dressing room!
Also you might try a Models or some other sports place. When my daughter was (very briefly) on a swim team I had to buy her a couple of pretty pricey suits. But they were cool looking and one piece.
>>>>"And clearly it was lost on you"<<<
Probably, but your following does clear it up for me.
>>>>"I won't fight for them"<<<<
It's the "for them" part that clears it up.
(I'm not real big on just getting along)
TT ;^)
What is that woman doing swimming? She should be home. She does not belong out of the house. Where is her male escort?She must be stoned.
;-)
The drag on all that material should slow her considerably
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