Posted on 04/16/2007 6:08:41 PM PDT by Cornpone
Montreal: First soccer, then Tae Kwon Do. A team of mainly Muslim girls had to pull out of a Tae Kwon Do tournament on Sunday because members refused to remove their hijabs.
Tournament organisers told team officials the girls could not compete because the head scarves posed a safety risk.
It is the second ban of hijabs in Quebec sports in recent months, part of a larger debate in the province about accommodations for cultural and religious minorities.
International referee Stephane Menard said the decision was made at a referees' meeting earlier in the day.
"The equipment that is allowed under the world Tae Kwon Do federation rules doesn't include the hijab," Menard said on Sunday. "We applied the rules to the letter."
In February, an 11-year-old Muslim girl from Ontario participating in a soccer tournament in Quebec was pulled from the field after she refused the referee's request to remove her head scarf. The move was supported by soccer associations, citing security concerns.
The Tae Kwon Do team, made up of girls between eight and 12 years old, is affiliated with a Muslim community centre in Montreal. Five of the team's six players wear a hijab but have been allowed to participate in similar tournaments around Quebec.
The Muslim centre's boys club pulled out of the tournament in an act of solidarity.
"I'm very upset," said Bissan Mansour, one of the players. "We made so many efforts and practiced harder than usual to be here."
Sounds okay to me.
Abide by the rules of the sanctioning body, or find something else to do.
Problem solved.
As a Blue belt in Tae Kwon Do, this is crazy, but then again, this is in Canada, not the US.
“But they’re allowed to wear helmets during TKD tournaments, right? I actually agree with the Muslims on this one.”
Wow, I didn’t know that the hijab was good for protecting your skull. </sarcasm>
Give it a rest. There’s a list of approved equipment that they are allowed to wear. They make the Catholics take off their crucifixes for the same reason as this.
If they want to be part of the TKD association they can abide by the rules or start their own tournament organization.
Those helmets cover a lot. Why wouldn’t they do in the place of a hijab. Too much neck showing?
Mrs VS
That's part of what hijab is for. It's supposed to cover all the hair and the neck.
My point, as someone who actually practices TKD is that their argument that the hijab is a safety issue doesn’t hold water.
Similar?
Once again I find my respect for Quebec growing stronger. This is what, the third thing they’ve stuck to their guns on? soccer, prison guard, now TKD. This in addition to the Herouxville code and nearly electing the ADQ. Bien fait, Quebec.
I did TKD too, brown belt before I had to quit, and I don’t see the safety issue myself, but someone said you could get grabbed by the hijab and have your neck injured. Well, there’s a lot of ways you could get hurt and grabbing wasn’t allowed in our sparring.
I still think a high necked t-shirt and a helmet would do a thorough job of coverage.
Mrs VS
“My point, as someone who actually practices TKD is that their argument that the hijab is a safety issue doesn’t hold water.”
My point, as someone who holds a Red belt in TKD and is currenty studying Tang Soo Do, is that they can’t spar in with something like that on their heads because it is not tied down. They might could do the forms with it on but not the sparring.
Besides, there is a specific uniform in TKD (depending on the association they are in) and if they want to be part of the organization they have to wear the uniform just like everyone else.
Chukha hamnida! (Congratulations...have to translate for others who might not know much Korean)
Neck injured by someone yanking on the hijab?! That's highly unlikely. It would slip off first. They aren't stapled onto the head (althougth I'm sure there are some Muslim men who would do so.)
Well, there’s a lot of ways you could get hurt and grabbing wasn’t allowed in our sparring.
You're right. Yanking on people's hair, etc. isn't allowed regardless of the temptation.
Have you ever seen the hijabs for athletics?! They basically go over the head like a t-shirt. They are snug as a bug in a rug and unless someone did an illegal grab or something they wouldn't come off, especially if they had a regulation helmet (for sparring) over it.
The bottom part of the hijab would easily tuck into a typical, regulation TWD uniform.
I am a nudist. I do not wish to wear any uniform, but I want to participate.
I don’t foresee any problem with that....do you?
Does this mean I can’t play soccer nekkid?
Good. They can go play with themselves.
Why don’t they really, REALLY protest, and just pull out of Quebec, and go home 2 the Turd World....?
If you look as good as this guy, I wouldn't mind at all! LOL!
But unfortunately, you're argument is a red herring because in most jurisdictions, public nudity is illegal.
They don’t want to fit in to society. They want to move here, seize our territory by occupying it, and offer nothing in return.
And if they get hit in the mouth and get a bloody lip, how are you going to know?
The other opponent will be disqualified, while the hijab wearer will still go on fighting.
That little slit to look through would be like a loose mask, I say the tournement was right, and the Muslims need to realize there are rules.
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