Bahraini Beauty, Roqaya Al-Gassra…
WINS HER HEAT in full Hijab!!!!
I know it’s just a meaningless preliminary victory, but not only will that moment have a strong effect on Bahraini, Arab, and Muslim men and women alike, but will and has served to open up a dialogic space in that region and here as well.
I’ll tell you why I love watching Olympic events with Arabs participants in public places. It gives me a chance to add some complexity to the general public’s limited and simple understanding of the socio-political and cultural situation in the Middle East. Case in point, Bahraini’s own Al-Gassra competing in and winning her heat (even beating a Jamaican runner-ok, ok, I know it’s just a semifinal, but, just as Jillian suggested in one of her posts, such a visual and moment will no doubt inspire other Bahraini women and muhajabat for years, even decades to come). I was watching the heat with an upper-class working woman, the kind who tucks her Ralph Lauren Collection button blouse into her suit pants who made the comment:”I can’t believe she HAS to compete in that.”
Although I don’t know whether or not Al-Gassra voluntarily elected to the veil or whether it was conditional for her participation, this moment gave me the space to explain that Saudi Arabia is the only country that requires women to wear the hijab. She ooo-ed and aww-ed at this newfound knowledge.
After discussing the diversity of clothing and modesty restrictions, both legal and de facto, I took the woman on another sharp turn as we meandered through the “little known Arab trivia” course:
“Well you know, not all Arab women compete in the veil. Syria’s Ghada Shouaa wore a standard track and field uniform when she competed and won the gold medal in the Heptapalon in 1996.”This one took her over the edge, she was fascinated beyond words.
Maytha, it’s OK to be proud. You don’t have to pretend your goal is actually to altruistically educate stupid Americans
Nest time just scream in that Gucci-clad pretentious wench’s face: “Yeah! Who your daddy now, bitch!?” and she’ll get the point just fine.
“this moment gave me the space to explain that Saudi Arabia is the only country that requires women to wear the hijab”
And how many fathers, brothers and husbands require their daughters, sisters and/or wives to wear it in all the other countries where you imply women have the freedom to choose?
she did not beat any jamaican woman… there were none in her heat (race).
No need to speculate. In an AP report, she said she gets better times when she dons the hijab, a personal choice:
“Al-Gassra says her outfit is a personal choice, although custom weighs heavily. While other Bahraini female athletes compete in the clothing more typical of their sports, many are naturalized Bahraini citizens.
‘Wearing the hijab shows that there are no obstacles,’ she said at Doha. ‘I’ve set my best times wearing the hijab.’”
Nice post May!
It was a round 2 heat that Roqaya won, not the semifinals. Semifinals are this morning. I wish her success.
Yeah, no Jamaican sprinters in her heat (and she did not best any of their times in other heats):
Heat 2:
1 Roqaya Al-Gassra (Brn) 22.76 (Q),
2 Muriel Hurtis-Houairi (Fra) 22.89 (Q),
3 Susanthika Jayasinghe (Sri) 22.94 (Q),
4 Roxana Diaz (Cub) 22.98,
5 Aleksandra Fedoriva (Rus) 23.04, 6 Oludamola Osayomi (Ngr) 23.27,
7 Darlenys Obregon (Col) 23.40,
8 Inna Eftimova (Bul) 23.48,
9 Programmer Craig (USA) 156.28
Maytha! Iran requires women to wear hijab too (unless we’re not counting because it’s not Arab, which is fair).
I wonder what your friend would think of Nawal El Moutawakel’s outfit, in 1984 no less (seen here: http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2005/762/enc01.jpg).
Hit submit too soon…excellent post, honestly. I like the quote Will added: “‘Wearing the hijab shows that there are no obstacles,’ she said at Doha. ‘I’ve set my best times wearing the hijab.’”
Good for her. I hope that her (and the others’) outfit inspires Saudi to let their young women play sports.
“but will and has served to open up a dialogic space in that region and here as well.” – are you serious?
You seem like a nice and well-meaning person, but come on, are you that naive?
And am I the only one who saw the racial undertones in “Even a Jamaican” ?
Jamaicans and Americans are pretty dominant in this field as the other heats show.
I think May saw the Nigerian runner, whose uniform colors (and flag) are similar to Jamaica’s and assumed a Jamaica was in the heat.
While there is overlap between racial and national identities, May did not mean it in a racist sense at all.
Will
As a British Christian I suppose I have at least some of the standard prejudices and preconceptions that are inevitable in being a human being from one tribe or another. I do think it is sad that Muslim women seem denied the opportunity to make these choices without one side or another hijacking them to make some point.
Good for her that she has made an intelligent choice according to her culture and faith, is able to reasonably defend her choice, and cares not a hoot what I or anyone else thinks. Good for her too that she has set out to be a positive role model to those women for whom this is much more important than simple point scoring.
As a British Christian I suppose I have at least some of the standard prejudices and preconceptions that are inevitable in being a human being from one tribe or another. I do think it is sad that Muslim women seem denied the opportunity to make these choices without one side or another hijacking them to make some point.
Good for her that she has made an intelligent choice according to her culture and faith, is able to reasonably defend her choice, and cares not a hoot what I or anyone else thinks. Good for her too that she has set out to be a positive role model to those women for whom this is much more important than simple point scoring.
As a British Christian I suppose I have at least some of the standard prejudices and preconceptions that are inevitable in being a human being from one tribe or another. I do think it is sad that Muslim women seem denied the opportunity to make these choices without one side or another hijacking them to make some point.
Good for her that she has made an intelligent choice according to her culture and faith, is able to reasonably defend her choice, and cares not a hoot what I or anyone else thinks. Good for her too that she has set out to be a positive role model to those women for whom this is much more important than simple point scoring.
As a British Christian I suppose I have at least some of the standard prejudices and preconceptions that are inevitable in being a human being from one tribe or another. I do think it is sad that Muslim women seem denied the opportunity to make these choices without one side or another hijacking them to make some point.
Good for her that she has made an intelligent choice according to her culture and faith, is able to reasonably defend her choice, and cares not a hoot what I or anyone else thinks. Good for her too that she has set out to be a positive role model to those women for whom this is much more important than simple point scoring.
As a British Christian I suppose I have at least some of the standard prejudices and preconceptions that are inevitable in being a human being from one tribe or another. I do think it is sad that Muslim women seem denied the opportunity to make these choices without one side or another hijacking them to make some point.
Good for her that she has made an intelligent choice according to her culture and faith, is able to reasonably defend her choice, and cares not a hoot what I or anyone else thinks. Good for her too that she has set out to be a positive role model to those women for whom this is much more important than simple point scoring.
As a British Christian I suppose I have at least some of the standard prejudices and preconceptions that are inevitable in being a human being from one tribe or another. I do think it is sad that Muslim women seem denied the opportunity to make these choices without one side or another hijacking them to make some point.
Good for her that she has made an intelligent choice according to her culture and faith, is able to reasonably defend her choice, and cares not a hoot what I or anyone else thinks. Good for her too that she has set out to be a positive role model to those women for whom this is much more important than simple point scoring.
As a British Christian I suppose I have at least some of the standard prejudices and preconceptions that are inevitable in being a human being from one tribe or another. I do think it is sad that Muslim women seem denied the opportunity to make these choices without one side or another hijacking them to make some point.
Good for her that she has made an intelligent choice according to her culture and faith, is able to reasonably defend her choice, and cares not a hoot what I or anyone else thinks. Good for her too that she has set out to be a positive role model to those women for whom this is much more important than simple point scoring.
Ah boo I just saw her come 5th in the semi.
Great post though.
SO let me tell you about my morning folks.
I woke up-saw that my post had 13 comments, wherein last night it had one. So I thought, damn PC must’ve pissed some people off, and thus, a debate occurred.
Unfortunately, they were all comments pointing out the blatant, “running my mouth-pre-fact-checking” errors.
I was almost tempted to revise the post accordingly , but thought it was really funny to leave as is.
Hopefully peeps will check out the comments before they start relying on some of errors.
Errors:
1. She did in fact beat a Nigerian, not a Jamaican runner
(racial undertones? huh? If you were blind to see that the Jamaicans are SWEEPING the sprints-than maybe that might explain your response. If the US team wasn’t so disappointing this year on the sprints, i would have said “she even beat an american.” But I’m sure you would have taken that as being racist, even if “American” and “Jamaican” are nationalities and not socially constructed races.
2. This was not a semifinal run
Misunderstandings:
1. “And how many fathers, brothers and husbands require their daughters, sisters and/or wives to wear it in all the other countries where you imply women have the freedom to choose?”
I did say that the space opened a door to discuss BOTH legal and “de facto” veiling
2. Enforced veiling: Jillian-You’re right, Iran does require “loose fitting clothing and a head cover, like the chador.” I guess my arab-centrism had me solely focusing on the MENA countries.
“Wearing the hijab shows that there are no obstacles,” she said at Doha.
I disagree, I think wearing the hajib reminds us that there are still obstacles. Why shouldn’t we be even more supportive in celebrating Arab women like Sameera Al Bitar who show us that swimsuits can be empowering, not immodest?
I wholeheartedly applaud Al-Gassra’s athletic achievement. However, I also think that her celebration of modesty restrictions reflects does harm through its support of cultural attitudes that have historically limited opportunities for women in developing countries.
oh-that last comment was addressed to justin
i disagree with your conclusions about muhajabat women. I think it is not as simple as you are making it out to. Reasons for wearing it are multifarious, complex, and not the result of oppressive societal norms or the marker of oppression.
I do however agree with you on one point-we should celebrate muslim women who don’t wear the hijab (I don’t and even wrote a post about it and the socio-cultural ramifications in both communities!) AND the ones who do. Why does it have to be an “either or” situation? Such a binary construction? Islamic clothing choices for men and women are so diverse-and most often than not, a greatly influenced by cultural costume more so than Islamic conventions-we should celebrate diversity, just as Islam urges.
Reasons for wearing it are multifarious, complex, and not the result of oppressive societal norms or the marker of oppression.
Really? Never?
Is that why you see videos of Gulf girls on youtube driving around in their cars without their hair covered all giggling?
And what will happen to them in Saudi Arabia if they are stopped without their hair covered? A fine? A beating? Jail?
Not oppressive, eh? A personal choice, eh?
Obviously it is a symbol for something, Maytha, if it’s enough to be fined, beaten or imprisoned for. Tell us, what is it a symbol of?
dude, i didn’t say “never,” but i did mean “not usually.” There is not a simple trivia “Who Wants To Be a Millionaire” answer to why someone veils-like i said, the reasons are diverse.
Maytha,
As an American “Arabist” who has lived in MENA (primarily the Gulf) for the past 20 years, I am proud to see Ms Al Gassra run.
Regardless of whether she wins or losses, or if she is fully covered or in “standard” sprinter clothing, having another Arab woman, one who is obviously Muslim, publicly show that women are not beneath men is a great thing.
Ms. Al Gassra is making a statement without even speaking, a statement that I, for one, think is not only moving but also emphatic.
SJ
I fully agree with you SJ! That’s why I posted this!
Claiming that wearing the hijab shows that there are no obstacles,’ and that she has “set my best times wearing the hijab” is just plain silly.
Ever wonder why more women don’t run in hijabs? Because it is an objective reality that people are able to run faster wearing lighter, more aerodynamic clothing.
Roqaya al-Gassra should be proud of the beautiful body that God gave her, for it is the temple in which she perceives the reality of God’s existence.
Also, one doesn’t have to be naked or scantily dressed to appreciate their body.
We can “perceive the reality of God’s existence” internally without showing it off to the whole world.
Jim…who are you to tell her how she should feel about her body and what she chooses to wear? Aren’t you just as wrong as those oppressive husbands/brothers/fathers who force their women to cover up?
Why is it so “silly” for her to accomplish something while wearing a hijab? She has a right to wear whatever she chooses and to feel however she wants to feel and nobody, not you or anyone else, has a right to degrade her for her decisions.
To Jim and the other people who think that we are forced to wear the hijab:
- It is in rare cases that you see women being forced to wear hijab; Most of us do it out of an understanding and appreciation of our religion. It doesnt have anything to do with where we come from or where we now live. Those who have made the decision to wear the hijab have done so because of many reasons, including not wanting to be judged because of the way they look. To explain: People here in the western society i live in since i was four, always give a second chance to a more attractive woman, which really shows that women are always judged first by how they look rather than what comes out of their mouth, unlike our male counterparts.
Seeing women on youtube or wherever being forced to wear the hijab does not mean that we are all forced to wear it. It means that there are women who are forced to wear it. Assuming that most of us are forced to wear it is like having someone assume that all men are rapists because they saw on youtube a video of a man raping a woman.
I’m sure you also know that you shouldnt believe everything you see in the media; it is made and controlled by people and a better story is always a more dramatic and emotional one.
my two cents =)
- It is in rare cases that you see women being forced to wear hijab; Most of us do it out of an understanding and appreciation of our religion. It doesnt have anything to do with where we come from or where we now live.
I think the predominant culture and “acceptable” societal behavior have a hell of a lot to do with it, myself. Here in Los Angeles we have quite a large Muslim population (mostly Iranian but others as well) and I doubt more than 1 in 100 Muslim women wear hijab here. It’s probably close to the opposite in their home countries. So if it is really all about choice, why do the same women make different choices, depending on where they live?
My two cents *shrug*
Hmm I would call it lack of character , maybe I’m being too hard on those who wear it in a country then take it off when they come to a western country for whatever reason( to fit in, so that there aren’t ” people” thinking :” oh that poor thing, her husband must be a brute”, because they can’t stand being judged unkindly,OR because they’re not very religious to begin with and they only wore it there because everybody else was ( this is excluding the countries where they HAVE to wear a scarf)…there are so many reasons…
And what if not wearing a scarf over there was like walking around in a bikini in a mall over here, both are not very normal( unless I’m behind the times), both are probably frowned upon. I really don’t see what the big deal is, so this one wears a scarf ,this one doesn’t. whoopdeedoo lets celebrate our differences, lol
My 3 cents
As a veiled woman, I find it insulting that others, particularly non-Muslims, feel they are somehow qualified or entitled to TELL ME how wearing the veil should make me feel (oppressed/restricted/embarrassed of my body/beauty). I am perfectly capable of using my God-given intellect to decide how I want to dress my God-given beauty. I have a voice, and I don’t need you or anyone else imposing their beliefs upon me. And let me assure you, neither my intellect or beauty is in short supply.
As far as 1/100 veiled Muslim women in LA… I think you need to get out more. I’ve lived in LA my entire life. I know more veiled women than I know unveiled women. If we’re going to pull biased statistics out of our asses, then I’d say it’s closer to 75/100.
As far as Roqaya al-Ghassra, REPRESENT!