Hijab For Sports: A New Radical Invention
When Elham Seyed Javad heard that five Muslim girls were ejected from a tae kwon do tournament in Montreal for wearing hijabs, she felt sick to her stomach. "I was in shock because I play a lot of sports myself - especially soccer - and to have to stop playing because of my religion, well, that would turn me totally upside down."
Instead of saying, "that's wrong!" and organizing a protest march, Elham decided to come up with a solution. Something that would make it possible for girls wearing the Muslim head covering to be able to play any sport they liked. (It's a distinctly New Radical response - New Radicals are positive, constructive, and hopeful about the world's challenges. For more, please see archived articles.)
Elham, 26, was studying industrial design at the University of Montreal. "I told myself - your field is design, and you need to design something so that these girls can play again."
First, she did her research. She went to some tae kwon do tournaments to see for herself. She noticed right away that the back of the hijabs were coming out of the girls' kimonos. As a result, they couldn't concentrate on what they were doing. And everyone else was frustrated, too - play had to be stopped until the girls could readjust.
Elham says her first challenge was to create a head covering that would stay in place. She noticed that the girls wore camisoles under the kimonos (known as a "gi"), and hit on the idea of making a single garment: headscarf and camisole in one. But in an early prototype, she discovered that she had created a new problem. That when the girls had to readjust their long hair, they needed to take off the kimono and her design, too. So, she added an opening at the back of the head, allowing easy access. And the sleek, comfortable, clever Resport was born.
Variations soon occurred - when she wore one to play soccer, Elham realized that sleeves would be a great addition. She needed to offer Resport with short or long sleeves, and a short or long torso. All made from an advanced wicking fabric. And then she knew that athletes weren't the only market: anyone who wanted a way to keep hair out of their face might be interested. "My design was shown to healthcare professionals, for instance, and they immediately saw its utility in a sterile environment." And members of the opposite sex are interested, too. "Boys and men with long hair wear it so that they can be 100% focused on the game."
All of this must be pretty exciting for a newly-graduated industrial designer, I say. "Yes, absolutely! What was best for me, though, was to return to a tae kwon do tournament where the girls were wearing Resport, and see them play without any problems. I was in tears!"
Elham - who doesn't wear a hijab, by the way -- hopes to bring her innovative product to market in 2010. Univalor - technology transfer agents for the University of Montreal - is handling the commercialization end of things (there's a photo there if you can't see the one embedded in this post). I promise to bring you an update when Resport is available. But, in the meantime, if you're a New Radical entrepreneur, you might be interested in ensuring that this creative idea gets into the hands - and onto the heads of - as many people as possible.
Now, over to you. What do you think of Elham's response to this challenge, and the design itself? Please share your reaction by commenting below. As always, I invite you to email me directly at JULIA (that familiar symbol) wearethenewradicals (DOT) (COM).
Julia Moulden is on tour, talking about the New Radicals.
Photo provided by Univalor.
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From the picture it won't be accepted because it is sleeveless. I wonder if the designer understand the concept of covering their women folks. Muslim men do not control their sexual tedencies because
they believe it is a gift rom God. Instead they cover their women from head to toe. Some of the extreme type dresses up like ninjas all black with a veil to cover their eyes. It is really odd when you see them try to eat sphagetti in publc restaurants.
You might have missed the part where the design pictured is worn *under* a gi - which is a long sleeved garment. But it sounds like your post is really an expression of your disapproval of the muslim religion anyway, so maybe details like that won't matter to you.
This is only your assumption. I wolud be glad to be proven wrong on the matter of women covering their body and hair. In the US you may not see those fully covered women but in other parts of the World especially in Islamic countries. I have Muslim as well as Hindu and Christian friends so when you assume you make an ass-u-me.
I don't know that it's a covering of the hair that is at issue. Perhaps as it is in Judaism, the covering of the head as a sign of respect to G-d, to provide a humbling separation between a man/woman and G-d is what is represented here. Those damning these women for wearing a head covering seems a bit like snorting at a male Orthodox Jew for keeping his hat on indoors or keeping his payos (the curled locks in front of the ears).
Personally, I think this woman trying to figure out how to blend participation in sports with maintenance of religious ritual is a wonderful thing, and where, pray tell, is the harm of solving and harmonizing the competing needs? Isn't problem-solving what we are supposed to be about?
As for those knocking the design because it's like other things, oh c'mon. Many of the great things we enjoy today are adaptations of things that came before. You know, "everything old is new again"?
I give the designer two thumbs up, one for doing a nice design that solves a problem, the other for giving a damn in the first place.
while I disagree with anything that attempts to control the actions of women, I at least appreciate that this will allow more Muslim women to compete.
I think it's a brilliant idea. Let's focus on solving the problem of allowing Muslim women to participate in any sport they wish.
To do that you would have to change the men and their in ability to control themselves!!! I say put them in a burka and see how well they like roasting to death.
So just to clear somethings up for some people who seem to be confused about the hijab. The hijab is a choice, not a duty. It is also a choice by the woman who CHOOSES to wear it. Not by her father or brother or husband. Woman who do not wear it are not "punished" by God.
1. Since two key passages of the Qur'an have been almost universally interpreted by Muslims as requiring some form of female head covering in public/in front of certain men, and the Qur'an is taught as being the literal word of god, it certainly does imply that divine disfavour, disapproval and/or punishment would follow from disobeying such a requirement. No religion teaches that there are no consequences to rejecting god's supposed will.
2. It is hardly a 'choice' when, to use a painfully real example, a girl in a Muslim suburb of Paris must wear a headscarf lest she be raped by youth gangs. Or how about the Muslim fundamentalist who have thrown acid in the faces of girls in Egypt and Pakistan for not wearing headscarves? Where is the 'choice' in that?
As a Muslim, who has lived in the Middle East(Jordan and Lebanon), and studied Islam and whose mother was also muslim and didnt wear a headscsarf, and whose wife is muslim and dosent wear a headscarf, and who has many female muslim friends and relatives who do not wear headscarves. I can tell you that you are WRONG. period. I dont want this ignorance to be spread by people who think they know what they are talking about but have no clue. There have been punishments against women who dont wear headscarves, yes, but these are coming from PEOPLE, not God and these people are extremly sick people who have absolutly no right to call themselves muslim and disgrace my religion and a religion of peace. Islam is not Extremism please please please stop getting the two mixed up.
Goodname - if you prefer to believe that wearing the hijab is a CHOICE, you definitely need your head checked. It is what the "modern" day muslim religion teaches and even that modernity is centuries old. Religion is brain-washing, pure and simple, and the muslim faith is no exception.
When religious thoughts, ideas and habits are practised on children from the cradle, there is NO choice as the chlld grows. She is made to feel that she has a choice perhaps because of her loving family, and she might actually believe that. In reality, that is not the case. The messages and strictures of this religion in particular have already been transmitted and recorded with the passage of the years.
Yes! Separate is not inherently unequal. Maybe they LIKE the back of the bus and segregated water-fountains.
I have long hair, and a hood/neckpiece like that would be great just to tuck my hair up under and get it out of the way while I'm working on something.
But there is nothing new under the sun. This is a wimple, greatly improved by the addition of Lycra.
Many years ago we had a case at a local high school of a muslim girl who could not compete because she was required by the local rules to bare her arms and legs. At the time, nothing was mentioned about covering her hair, so I don't know if that was an issue or not. The girl in the picture has her arms bare, which surprises me.
It doesn't matter to me if she competes totally naked, I'm just saying that I thought covering the arms and legs was also part of some muslims' rules.
The one in the photo was designed to be worn under a martial arts kimono-type jacket.
What do I think? This ‘invention’ (which already existed, just not with the stamp of religious intent) is really a sad accommodation of institutional sexism. Claiming that god demands a woman cover her hair in public is merely a means of making women feel shame for their bodies and thus sexuality. Unlike say the breast or genitalia, the hair is not an actual sexual/reproductive organ, just a key identifying feature, arguably making the hijab a tool of de-individualisation as well.
I note how people here can gush so easily about a pervasive sexual double-standards when it is wrapped up in the premise of diversity, one of course which does not affect their lives as non-Muslims. The real women of note are those with the courage and independence to throw off superstition and tradition (which often is backed by social exclusion, legal risks and even extreme violence) in favour of real social and legal equality.
"The real women of note are those with the courage and independence to throw off superstition and tradition"
OK, I agree to a point. But it would be great if Muslim women everywhere felt free to choose to wear the hijab, too, without feeling like she was being judged by her courageous sisters as being a superstitious doormat. Perhaps she wants to wear it as a lovely symbol between her and God (dunno - I'm not Muslim). I'm for anything that would welcome them further into the community at large. The greatest freedom would not be to banish the hijab, rather it would be to give these women more options for what they can choose to wear, where they can choose to go, and what they can choose to do and learn. In short, bravo Elham!!!
"The real women of note are those with the courage and independence to throw off superstition and tradition"
Like Rosa Parks.
Read the comment above, its actually targeting you
"Unlike say the breast or genitalia"
What does that have anything to do with anything? You're just using another culturally-biased viewpoint. The only reason you consider breasts or genitalia to be different is because our culture has drawn the line there. It's no more correct or right than drawing that line as exposing one's hair.
Some cultures wear jewelry and nothing else. Now THAT's true freedom.
I was merely addressing a common objection along the lines of cultural/moral relativism. For the record I do not think being naked in and of itself should ever be legally prohibited.
I seem to remember that during the Sydney Olympics a number of runners, including Aussie champion Cathy Freeman, wore skintight one piece jumpsuits with long sleeves and a hood not unlike the garment shown here. I believe it was used because the Olympics that year were held in the Southern hemisphere's winter, and it was drizzly and chilly in Sydney. The only difference was that immediately after her run Freeman would unzip the neck and pull back the hood. Speed skaters in the Winter Games wear something similar. I don't see why some similar adaptation cannot be developed for any sport. For a picture of Freeman in her skinsuit:
http://memorabilia2u.com/images/cathy%20freeman%20sydny%202000.jpg
Hello dear,
Resport has been designed to maximize the security and the comfort of the athlete during sports. Concerning your comment,
Firstly, the zipper in the front of the existing model would be unsecure for the athlete during sports with physical contacts. There for, Resport’s opening is placed in the back of the head and doesn’t use a zipper.
Secondly, since wearing the head part of Resport is done from the front to the back contrarily to the existing model, it doesn’t undo the hair and allows to entirely clearing the hair from the face.
Ignore the haters. Your design is lovely and attractive as well as modest. Well done! More girls and women should feel comfortable playing sports whatever their culture and personal views about modesty.
Can one's hair/head be covered but not the the rest?
GodYesOrNo.com
Reply to GodYesOrNo
Yes dear, in that case, the other alternative of the design can be used.
Here are the other alternatives:
http://www.univalor.ca/eng/index.php?option=com_mtree&task=viewlink&link_id=84&Itemid=40
Click en_val649.pdf, which appears in the middle of the page in red.
Good for her!
See Anne Naylor's Profile
Hello Julia,
I think this response and outcome are just brilliant. I love the approach of stepping up to a problem and bringing forward a creative response and solution. This is so much the way I see us moving forward in so many areas of life that need to be improved or upgraded in some way.
Thank you for bringing this inspiring story forward!
With love,
Anne
nice to see some positive news about Muslims, for a change. Reporting has been so one-sided for so long. I enjoy innovation. It's fun to see it popping up in places where you don't expect it. These days, news like this would prompt negative comments from so many people. Instead, Javad shows people that there is no reason why everyone can't participate in anything they want, in a positive "fashion".
See Julia Moulden's Profile
Thanks, too, to seatech1. Love your play on words: positive fashion. The Toronto Star gave Elham one of their laurels today (for positive impact), calling her a game changer!
See Julia Moulden's Profile
Thanks, Anne! It's wonderful to write about good people doing good things. Elham is a delight and an inspiration.
Yeah, let's all cheer sexual inegalitaianism. Let's get creative about superstition, because there's nothing more pressing in the world that hysterical fears that some chastising father-figure deity will punish you for exposing your hair!
Yes, Louteverte, by all means, let's make a blanket assumption about why people cover their hair. The reality is that there are many female athletes who are still teenagers who have the same issues to deal with. I grew up in a Muslim family and because there was nothing that existed that addressed covering my head, sports in my teenage years became quickly impossible. Because I was still a child, it wasn't an option for me to deal with the, as you call it, "sexual inegalitarianism". In my teen years, if I could have worn something like this that would have enabled me to play sports, it would have changed those years. Elham -- thank you for thinking outside of the box, and for doing something that speaks to others of us in the world!
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