Religion and sports have a long history that has lasted through millenniums. Sometimes the two old acquaintances have worked together, and sometimes they have been in conflict, but they have retained some form of connection. Wherever one of the two exists, there are at least small vestiges of the other. Even in the highest forms and levels of sports there lurks religion, just as the competition of sorts always appears even in the highest levels of the church. Given the long history that the two have shared, it is only natural to conclude that religion continues to shape the face of sports in some ways, especially on the aspect of participation. For instance, the involvement of Muslim women in sports remains interwoven with the constraints of their religion. Currently, the struggle of the Muslim women to be involved in sports seems to be the most conspicuous issue between religion and sports.
Influence
It is surprising to learn the extent of influence that religion has always had on sports given the preconceived ideas that people have had regarding the role of religion in society. In many modern civilizations, religion no longer takes a leading role in the everyday life of the people (Slusher, 1976). It is apparent that to a certain degree sports have always echoed many of the characteristics that people associate with religion (Obare, 2000). For instance, sports require skills and certain superior attributes, and so does the church. Accordingly, sports have always followed a moral code in the guise of rules and there is a longing for perfection that exists in both sports and religion (Obare, 2000). The aspects of perfection, skills, and superiority within sports depict a form of godliness, especially with regard to the fact that the need for perfection insinuates a form of struggle to be god-like.
Limited Participation
All women have frequently had their involvement in sports limited based strictly on the influence of religion. It is important to note that the earliest forms of sports were performed as a way to exalt the gods and women were deemed unworthy hence were not allowed to participate (Guttman, 1992). Even as late as the 20th century there was an unseemliness attached to the participation of women in sports, and this so-called unseemliness has the earmarks of the influence of religion and the views relating to the role of women in society. Nevertheless, women were able to become involved in sports gradually mainly by starting to participate in activities that were more of entertainment activities rather than sports (Bell, 2008). Consequently, women began gaining success in individual performance sports such as tennis, golf, track and field events, skiing, ice-skating, and other activities that do not involve playing as a team. Obviously, participation in individual sports is still an extension of the recreational activities that have evolved into sporting activities. Currently, women are able to participate in team sports, but limitations still exist due to lack of sufficient funding of women sports. However, in many areas of sports, women have been able to overcome the limitations imposed by religion and have been able to participate in many games. Accordingly, many religions have adopted new attitudes toward the participation of women in sports, thus reining back the stricter views regarding the activities that women are to participate in when it comes to sports.
A Clash of Culture, Religion, and Sports
Interestingly, the rise of women in sports has coincided with a decline in the participation of people in the church in the modern world. Accordingly, in cultures where religions still tend to dominate, there is still an existence of serious barriers to participation by women in both individual and team sporting activities. In particular, Muslim women face seemingly insurmountable challenges that make being involved in the field of sports virtually impossible.
It is noteworthy that religion is not the only barrier that women in the Muslim world face in their bid to participate in sports, but the other obstacles that the Muslim women face emerge from religious aspects. In other words, sometimes the challenges are as a result of the domino effect that the Muslim faith has, which leads to a chain reaction that prevents women from getting involved in the world of sports. However, participation in sports is not the only challenge that the Islam religion imposes on women, but they are also not able to exercise. Some of the problems are because there is widespread poverty in many parts of the Muslim world. Poverty by itself is a major hindrance in the women entry and participation in sports. In addition, Muslim women have to contend with the bans imposed on the hijabs. Nevertheless, the biggest obstacle is the same as that which has always prevented all women from participating in sports everywhere, the concept of seemliness. Seemliness continues to raise its ugly head in every society where religion still has a strong hold. Most importantly, the inability of the Muslim women to participate in sports reveals the aspect of religious intolerance that has been in existence towards women and their participation in various activities. Ultimately, this aspect of religious intolerance prevents Muslim women from participating in sports or even exercising. Sadly, this barrier emerges frequently right within the Muslim communities, a situation that leads to clear distinction between men and women participation in sports (Fakier, 2016). Under the guise of protecting the dignity and modesty of women, the Islamic religion has stamped out any participation in sports for females, while the same barrier does not apply to their male counterparts. Considering the ban on female participation in sports, it seems that running and jumping not only jeopardizes their dignity, but reveals way too much of their bodies (Fakier, 2016).
Notably, Muslim women have a broad range of viewpoints on the subject of their participation in sports. Some feel that exercise for the sake of sports is wrong while others see it as acceptable only behind closed doors. Other Muslim women take it further and think that participating in certain activities is acceptable as long as the participants meet certain dress codes. On the other hand, some Muslim women chafe under any restrictions, want to be fully involved, and do not want the dress codes that are inflicted by their religion to hinder their sporting potential.
Unfortunately, until there is less control by Islam on women regarding participation in physical activities, there is less likelihood that the barriers on women participation in sports will be eroded in the near future. For now, all one can hope for is that the world continues to encourage the Muslim leaders to ease their perceptions of women with the view of allowing Muslim women to participate in sports. Accordingly, women need to understand that they are invaluable to the advancement of the Muslim world not only as an athlete but also as role models to young Muslim girls. For those who do not belong to the Islamic faith, the best way to help Muslim women is to do everything possible to make the entry of Muslim women into any sport or even entry into any recreational activity as comfortable as possible, even if it means accepting Islamic dress code into sports. Some people find the hijab as offensive and a sign of the subjugation of women and they have a right to their viewpoint, but sports should disregard such sentiments in order to encourage Muslim women to participate more in sports. Sports participation does not mean that all participants have to hold the same values. There is need to understand that every person has different viewpoints based on the values of their religion and cultures but such views should not be a hindrance on anyone’s participation in sports. The most important thing is to open the world of sports to the deserving women regardless of their religious background.
References
Bell, R. C. (2008). A History of Women in Sports Before Title IX. thesportjournal.org.
Retrieved from http://thesportjournal.org/article/a-history-of-women-in-sport-prior-to-title-ix/
Fakier, F. (2016). Muslim Women in Sport: Culture vs. Religion. aquila-style.com. Retrieved
Guttmann, A. (1992). From Ritual to Record. Sport and Religion. S. J. Hoffman (Ed.).
Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics Books.
Obare, R. S. (2000). Can Sports Exist Without Religion? Sheffield University. Retrieved from
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