Posted on 09/11/2004 9:53:34 AM PDT by yonif
University of South Florida will ask the NCAA to grant an exemption to its uniform policy by allowing a Muslim player to wear Islamic clothing on the basketball court.
Andrea Armstrong, a 22-year-old Muslim convert, left the team and lost her athletic scholarship last week after allegedly being told by her head coach that she could not wear religiously mandated clothing during practices or games. She wanted to wear long pants, a top with long sleeves and a head scarf.
In a meeting Friday between Armstrong, university officials and a representative of Council on American-Islamic Relations, officials agreed that the team would accommodate her Islamic attire and reinstate her scholarship. The university also agreed to work with the National Collegiate Athletic Association on the scarf issue.
"An athlete should not be asked to choose between engaging in healthy sporting activities and her deeply held religious beliefs," said Ahmed Bedier, who took part in the meeting as Florida spokesman for CAIR.
USF officials said Armstrong voluntarily left the team and was under no pressure to do so.
"She is a valuable member of the team," said university spokeswoman Michelle Carlyon.
Other team members said they has no problems with Armstrong's conversion.
"We're not going to judge her by that," said sophomore Rachel Sheats.
Armstrong said she did not think her clothing would distract other players or hamper her abilities on the court.
Religion and sports intersected elsewhere without clashing. At Towson University in Maryland, star player Tamir Goodman, an Orthodox Jew, wore a yarmulke on the court and did not play on the Jewish Sabbath. At the Olympics in Greece, several female athletes wore head scarves.
I guess I can now fight to wear my cross necklace during sporting events.
Do they make a Sports Burka?
She will be allowed to wear only one suicide belt under her robes.
Why have uniforms? Let the players wear what they want.
I would guess that Burqa-Ball is the next new sporting activity on the agenda. They need to raise taxes to fund it.
"She will be allowed to wear only one suicide belt under her robes."
Yes, and she can only detonate it in the last two minutes of the half, and only if her team is behind by more than 10 points and they have a foul to give. NCAA needs to update its rules to accomodate The New Breed.
How about SHE adjust to OUR society? If she doesn't like it, she can go back home.
Let her play for an islamic womens bball team........
If only one person wants to wear a clown suit, then everybody must be forced to wear the same thing to be fair and allow diversity.
Certainly nobody wants to offend the "woman" wearing long pants, a top with long sleeves and a head scarf.
She looks just like the girl next door. See the two photos at: http://www.sptimes.com/2004/09/11/Hillsborough/Islamic_USF_player__D.shtml
What about the girls basketball team from the University of Nudists?
What do you do about that team............
and where do I buy tickets?
Pretty disingenuous statement considering her epiphany, in my opinion.
This is a hugh mistake. A student is in school to learn. Her parcipitation in athletics or other events outside of straight classes is entirely her decision. All the teams wear a UNIFORM for a reason. They are a TEAM. Next thing, doo-rags, bling-bling and Lord knows what else will become a "religious" belief and become that player's "uniform". This is crap. If she wants to play, she can play dressed as the rest of the team. The uniform isn't a surprise at this stage of team sports in the USA.
Let her go be on the ARCHERY team.
Hey, it's Joseph Cardinal Montana at the controls!!
I hear their team has great ball-handling skills.
What I'd like to know is what is going on in these universities that is getting to these students so that they convert to this sham religion? Something tells me leftist professors, Muslim extremists, and the inappropriately named "women's movement" on campus has much to do with it. I say if her conversion is so heartfelt, then she would shun this sport and its uniform. Not only would she consider the uniform inappropriate, but so to the image of a Muslim woman as aggresive. I don't buy it. I smell leftist ACLU diversity/devisive politics at play. Something tells me once this young lady gets her way, all of a sudden her conversion will be over.
The camel's nose is under the tent. Next,.....
This girl has a self-indulgent, narcissistic martyr complex. She needs to feel special. Self-indulgent whining and self-pity.
Bitch slap her. Throw her off the team.
I happen to agree with you. But I'm sure you know we will begin to see more and more of this as time goes by. This is only the beginning. The Muslim religion is very centered on what it wants to accomplish in the United States, and they're on their way. (And yes, I have known some nice Muslim people, but that doesn't change it one whit.)
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