Orthodox Basketball Player Allowed To Cover Her Arms

By Michelle Chabin
Religion News Service

JERUSALEM (RNS) The international basketball federation has decided to permit an Orthodox Jewish basketball player to cover her arms during competitions in accordance with her religious beliefs.

FIBA made the decision several weeks after point guard Naama Shafir, a member of the Israeli national women's basketball team, said she would be unable to play in the sleeveless regulation jerseys worn by all players.

Shafir, who studied at the University of Toledo, helped the Ohio university's Lady Rockets win the 2011 Women's National Invitation Tournament last April. She has dressed modestly throughout her college career, and the team accommodated her religious needs, from kosher food to Sabbath observance.

FIBA will permit Shafir to wear skin-colored sleeves under her jersey. She said the solution will enable her to adhere to Orthodox standards of modesty while maintaining the spirit of FIBA's dress code.

The Israeli women's team competes in international tournaments and the European championships.

Earlier this month, Iran's national women's soccer team was forced to withdraw from a crucial Olympic qualifying match after FIFA, the international governing body for soccer, rejected the Muslim players' request to wear close-fitting headscarves. FIFA said the garments violated FIFA regulations that prohibit religious articles on the playing field.

Comments

[AZLibDem]

07:21 PM on 06/24/2011

weird

[TomMartin]

09:18 PM on 06/23/2011

FIFA prohibits religious articles like head scarves, but why is it so hypocritical that it requires shorts? Those are religious articles to support the myth that Adam and Eve covered themselves up after eating that fruit.

[trulyweak]

05:53 PM on 06/23/2011

Uh oh. Next thing you know, they'll be covering their arms with tatoos!

[THE GREAT PURIFIER]

12:15 PM on 06/23/2011

This just in: shariatic basketball team just got stoned and then beheaded for disgracing their families by losing the game.

[AxisV]

01:21 AM on 06/24/2011

Nice attempt to deflect. But this article is about Jewish Halacha, not Islamic laws.

[D-Barger]

11:43 AM on 06/23/2011

Okay, this problem is solved. Now who is going to flip on light switches for her on Friday nights?

People want to feel special, and religion gives them this. The down-side is that it is a divisive force in a world that is shrinking, thanks to the internet and modern travel.

Star-Bellied Sneetches.

[myopinion2]

12:48 PM on 06/23/2011

Very inclusive and tolerant of you. I can hardly wait to hear your views about homosexuality.

[Gonzo36]

10:56 AM on 06/23/2011

I am not a sports fan, but I am an Orthodox Jew, and I just dont get why that league cant make exceptions for either the head coverings or the long sleeves. Is there some kind of dangerous element I am not understanding? I understand the need for uniforms, but arent there some choices like in baseball where the men can wear the pants that go to the knees or the pants that go to the ankles? Isnt the point to have an exciting game that shows the atheletic abilitites of the players instead of the uniforms? I am really asking these questions, this isnt sarcasm.

[Ami Toben]

11:23 AM on 06/23/2011

Excellent question. Now try addressing it to your own religious organization.

[beninabox1]

01:40 PM on 06/23/2011

Snarky but not really to the point. In a pluralistic society we try to make reasonable accomodations to different culture's customs when they do not conflict with the priorities of the larger society. So for example, a head covering doesn't seem like a big deal. On the other hand one should not be entitled to a Sabbath observance if one's in special forces on an ongoing mission. And a full-face-blocking niqab while driving is a problem for law enforcement due to inability to identify the driver.

[D-Barger]

11:42 AM on 06/23/2011

Why can't you flip a light switch on Friday night? Is there some kind of dangerous element I am not understanding?

[GraphicMatt]

11:51 AM on 06/23/2011

Because Orthodox Jews that observe the Sabbath don't turn lights on or off. Nothing dangerous about it. If you are that curious perhaps you should google "Sabbath observation by Orthodox Jews."

[myopinion2]

12:50 PM on 06/23/2011

If you were asking to learn and understand I'd be happy to explain. But you're asking in an attemp to ridicule, so to you I say, be gone.

[Ami Toben]

10:31 AM on 06/23/2011

Considering the fact that none of this cumbersome religiously inspired nonsense is actually useful for anything, religion should be viewed as a disability. Not unlike Agoraphobia (fear of the outdoors, crowds or uncontrolled social conditions), or Astraphobia (fear of thunder and lightening), religion is simply Theophobia (fear of god), which seems to inhibit the people who suffer from it from wearing things, eating things, saying things, and loving things that modern 21st century society has to offer.
The only cure i know for Theophobia is a good dose of reason and evidence.

[beninabox1]

01:27 PM on 06/23/2011

You're kidding, right? You're just as bad as the bible thumpers who can't see any way but their own.

[Ami Toben]

04:17 PM on 06/23/2011

Nonsense.
I simply think that no special allowances or treatment need be given to any organization above any other and that people should be judged according to their actions, not according to how their actions might relate to a specific interpretation of a specific ancient tribal scripture.

[wak84]

02:36 PM on 06/23/2011

I agree Ami. After working "in the field" for the Catholic Church for many years, I became convinced that serious religious belief is a mental illness. Paranoid delusional or something like that.

[beninabox1]

06:27 PM on 06/23/2011

What did you see in the field, and what do you classify as serious religious belief?

[jwb2013]

09:36 AM on 06/23/2011

So, if a player is a sun worshiper, can she play topless?

[Ami Toben]

10:16 AM on 06/23/2011

One can only hope.

[TheLonelyGod]

10:58 AM on 06/23/2011

Only volleyball.

[BobBobson]

02:44 AM on 06/23/2011

Well thank goodness. One associations arbitrary set of rules was willing to accomodate another groups arbitrary set of rules!

[Ami Toben]

10:16 AM on 06/23/2011

Well said.

[beninabox1]

01:28 PM on 06/23/2011

"can't we all just get along?"

[MattJensen]

12:34 AM on 06/23/2011

I think this is great. But on a side note, where's the line?

[BurtonDesque]

09:29 PM on 06/22/2011

More nonsense from the religious.

[tswift4evar]

10:45 PM on 06/22/2011

Just because you can't find the strength to put down the Big Mac and hop on the basketball court doesn't mean that others should be barred from doing so just because they don't want to show a lot of skin!

[BurtonDesque]

03:22 PM on 06/23/2011

Stupid ad hominems do not an argument make.

[Puncastle]

02:03 AM on 06/23/2011

If you're going to throw out an accusation like that, you are expected to defend it. How is it ridiculous for a person to cover their arms?

Scientific studies show that a person who covers their skin greatly reduce the chances of skin cancer. There are numerous other skin diseases that are prevented from covering the skin. Wearing clothes is common sense. It's what separates us from the animals. Otherwise, we would all be walking around naked. Have you asked yourself why most countries of the world have decency laws that require people to wear clothes?

[jwb2013]

09:38 AM on 06/23/2011

studies also show that the direct sunlight keeps us from getting cancer. vitamin D, and all that.

[BurtonDesque]

03:26 PM on 06/23/2011

If I remember correctly, you're a Muslim. Didn't you recently say in another thread that individual women were too delicate to give testimony on their own? With that level of sexism I wouldn't expect you to understand.

Suffice it to say I don't think a sport should bend its rules for religious cranks.

[thebigbike]

04:46 PM on 06/22/2011

cover the arms but ok to wear shorts? inquiring minds want to know

[Frequentwind]

05:44 PM on 06/22/2011

The shorts are probably long and baggy enough to be ok.

[TheTXI]

11:06 PM on 06/21/2011

I'm actually surprised this was even a big deal. Didn't realize that FIBA had such strict regulations on uniforms.

In the NBA they are pretty straightforward with the uniform length but the players will sometimes wear those arm sleeves (which are supposed to be restrictive and add some elbow padding, but often end up getting used just as fashion accessories at times).

In college, it is definitely not uncommon to see players with shirt sleeved shirts on underneath the jersey (usually the same color as the primary jersey color). I don't think I've ever seen a long sleeved version (or in this girl's case, tight skin-tone sleeves).