From the opening ceremony of Olympics 2024 in which the French DJ poke fun at the ‘Last Supper’ and stirred controversy by offending religious sentiments of Muslims and Christians, the terms and conditions of this international sports fiesta have particularly emphasised on the ‘not so hidden’ islamophobia and unfair parameters of the ‘fake’ French freedom and global sports through a hijab ban.
After the Olympics kicked off on July 26, the host country France has again provoked alarm by putting a ban on Hijab under its ‘costume-related guidelines‘, compelling wonderful Muslim sports-women to pick between their religious identity and passion.
Amnesty International’s women’s rights researcher, Anna Blus has slammed the ‘unequal treatment‘ and accused the authorities for ‘not counting‘ women as equal counterparts.
While criticising the utter desecration of human-rights, Amnesty International has said that ‘the violations of Muslim women’s and girls’ human rights through hijab bans in sports in France, details the devastating impact that hijab bans are having on Muslim women and girls at all levels of French sport.’
Amnesty International’s women’s rights researcher, Anna Blus has slammed the ‘unequal treatment‘ and accused the authorities for ‘not counting‘ women as equal counterparts. It is also worth mentioning that the sporting organisations have protested for months to attain the freedom to wear hijab in the Olympics.
France at the forefront of ‘anti-Muslim’ and ‘anti-women’ conspiracy-theories in sports through hijab ban
As said by the Hijabi Australian boxer Tina Rahimi, women have the right to choose how they dress. In this sense, the right to wear Hijab in France is a feminist act of rebellion that is similar to the ‘my stealthy freedom‘ movement of Iran. It’s not about a piece of cloth but about the ‘right to choose‘ in order to ensure inclusivity and empowerment.
In the Indian context, we can decipher and relate the western version of Islamophobia with the Karnataka Hijab-Ban controversy of 2022. The French anti-Muslim tendencies are an equally abhorrent showcase of hate and another kind of fascism that needs fierce criticisms and not any “soft-corners” within apparent disapprovals.
Not just in school, colleges and the Olympics, in France women cannot wear any kind of headscarf or Islamic headdress in national or local tournaments of volleyball, basketball and football. France openly bans any gear with a religious or political connotation, resulting in prohibiting hijabs and niqabs in FIFA, FIVB and FIBA.
The annotation of a 27-year-old volleyball player, Asma, that Muslims ‘can’t breathe anymore’ and ‘cannot do sports anymore’ decrypts the distressing aftermaths of the ongoing obnoxious trends in France that go against the humanitarian principles. By the same token, a French Muslim basketball player Diaba has written an open letter to the Basketball federation against the ‘unfair costume guidelines.’ French Muslim athletes are not wrong in interpreting the purpose of Hijab-ban and pointing towards its particular purpose.
French Muslim athletes are not wrong in interpreting the purpose of Hijab-ban and pointing towards its particular purpose.
Islamophobia in France is a political tool of the government. From making caricatures of the prophet Muhammad to forced restrictions on Muslim identity in public-space, there have been persistent violations of human-rights and women’s rights. In a country where the slogan of ‘liberty, equality, fraternity‘ still harks back to the revolution of the past, the administrative urge to control costume-choices of brilliant Muslim women translates into the policy to crush their passion, spirit and talent through shallow rules and regulations. Muslim sportswomen already feel left-out and unheard, but these embargoes are also undemocratic for young Muslim girls who see sports as a part of their academia or full-time career.
Describing the methodological reasons behind the ban, the IOC (International Olympic Committee) has tried its best to justify the step, meanwhile the French sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera has claimed that the government treats athletes like civil servants who are not allowed to wear religious symbols. But on contrary there are ‘no such costume-rules‘ in Olympic-charter.
Besides impacts on tourism, security and economy of the host country, the Olympics have a strong geopolitical reach and evident impact on international relations, global culture, trends and power-balance tactics. The islamophobia in Olympics can reinforce the bad roadmap for numerous sports events, instigating more animosity and inequality against the Muslim identity in different professions.
Olympics against olympism to pull apart the purpose of international sports
The theoretical perspective of Olympism ensures respect and commitment to the ‘internationally acknowledged‘ human-rights in order to encourage sports as a crucial part of the cultural and educational arena with the three great values of ‘excellence, respect and friendship‘. Olympism proves the Olympic Hijab-ban matter as a fundamental error that opposes its own detectible and acclaimed charter values. The purpose of sports is not only limited to boosting activity and enthusiasm, it’s also a symbol of inclusivity and humanity. It shapes the political affairs of a nation and the identity of the people who cherry-pick it as their absolute ambition.
The purpose of sports is not only limited to boosting activity and enthusiasm, it’s also a symbol of inclusivity and humanity.
Women in general are often categorised as physically weak, and Muslim women who hold on religious-symbols are often misinterpreted as too soft, timid and restricted. Therefore, the Muslim women with the ability to reach the Olympics are no less than fluttering flags of revolution against drifts of Islamophobia and capitalist-patriarchy. Prohibiting Muslim women to shine-up before the world does not sound like liberating them in any way. The ban clearly intends to snatch the opportunities and crush their fundamental and human rights. Revealing ‘structural failure‘, a report about Muslim women in sports finds that around 43% Muslim women don’t participate in sports due to poor and unsuitable sports facilities.
After the sweltering hullabaloo, human rights organisations slammed the Hijab-ban, but they have not questioned the alleged promises of ‘friendship, equality and inclusivity‘. Precisely, Olympics 2024 goes against Olympism and the purpose of sports.
Palestinian crisis, western secularism and Islamophobia in sports and Olympics
Muslim athletes have been on the receiving end of criticisms, risks, threats and harassments. This also plays with the quality of different games, keeping football the frontline of targeted attacks. The football association of England has also been underlined several times for its visible-invisible exploitations against Muslim sportspersons that have dismantled their psychological condition, social reputation and professional possibilities.
Imran Awan, a professor of criminology has marked out that the ‘problem is being hidden, because victims are afraid to speak out’ and the reasons behind these inappropriate coping mechanisms and fears lie in the widespread conspiracy-theories and wicked depiction of Muslim identity in news, films and stories. Even football players like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, R Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Yorkshire Cricket Club Players like Azeem Rafiq have not been safe and sound from these racisms.
However, the case of Muslim sportswomen is more horrifying because. Being women they fight through patriarchy and misogyny to reach their goals. As a matter of fact, the French idea of secularism presents an idea of “western secularism” against “intersectionality”. This is anti-Muslim and anti-human in its core. Women empowerment is not a byproduct of white-feminism, it includes struggles of all the beautiful races that can be white, brown or black and can belong to Islam, Christianity or any faith.
Women empowerment is not a byproduct of white-feminism, it includes struggles of all the beautiful races that can be white, brown or black and can belong to Islam, Christianity or any faith.
In general Olympic games do not include countries involved in war and violence. Even Russia and Belarus have been excluded for causing a humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, but this time they are watering the root-causes of a gigantic conflict. After causing mammoth bloodshed in Palestine, the participation of Israel is another question on the principals of Olympics. The athletes representing Palestine in the ongoing tournaments have said that France does not recognise Palestine as a country.
On the other hand, authorities are giving special welcome and security to Israeli participants and supplying diplomatic answers to the robust voices of solidarity and peace. This temperament also exposes the twofold ethics in implementation of secularism and human-rights.
The slogans to stand up with Palestine, the checkered prints to show solidarity, the demonstration of Palestinian resistance through symbols and fluttering flags are the only marks of hope against islamophobia and arbitrary hate in Olympic 2024. Not acknowledging a country as a country, women as women, sportspersons as sportspersons, freedom as freedom and Muslims as Muslims is a violence on all the races, all the religions, humanity and the genuine values of sovereignty.
The Hijab ban in Olympics will indeed benefit the islamophobia-based business of the west but the common-people and the fans of different sports persons will only witness the downfall of sagacity. From women playing on the ground and women stopped at the doors, to the Muslim girls watching them on screen and aspiring to become sports stars, women’s empowerment will be more restricted and more troubled by these narrowed parameters.
