I was relaxing with some of my relatives when the subject of education came up. We mentioned the number of rented school buildings and the lack of facilities for entertainment, sports and school activities.
One relative mentioned that sports in girls’ schools were prohibited and reminded us of some newspaper articles a few years ago that addressed the subject of sports in girl’s schools. I am going to take each point put forward by some religious scholars to justify no sports in girls’ schools and respond.
• Women’s sports in themselves are permissible but they become prohibited if the sports lead to immodest dress, lust and unsuitable behavior. In such cases, it must be stopped.
• Why must we always look at the bad side of everything? There are private schools in Jeddah where girls wear suitably modest and Islamic sports clothes when they participate in sports and this has not led to any of the problems mentioned above.
• Women’s sports will lead to the shameful exposure of their bodies during the class.
• Shameful exposure? Have any of these male scholars witnessed that shameful exposure? Or have they simply imagined it as just another excuse for opposing sports for girls? Did any of the school officials see any shameful exposure during the sports classes and ignore it? If they did, then let us punish the school officials instead of the girls they are responsible for.
• When a girl participates in sports in schools, she reveals parts of her body and this might encourage her to take off hijab.
• We men really have wild imaginations; for every step forward that women take, we bring up the matter of hijab. What possible relationship is there between girls taking physical education classes and hijab? Girls always remove the hijab once they are in the school building since only women are there.
• If women’s sports were allowed, they might lead to wrongdoing so we must prohibit them using the principle of taking preventive action before a problem develops.
• We must not overemphasize this principle. Almost everything can be misused. What about grapes? Must we prohibit them since it is possible for them to be used to make alcoholic drinks?
• There is great danger in women’s sport. Today our women are modest but tomorrow, They will remove their clothes and reveal their body.
• Reveal theri body! Really, this is excessive exaggeration. If this is true, then a girl’s school is a dangerous place to be. Evidently we do not have Muslim educators, teachers and managers in these schools. If this is the case, then we should close down all girls’ schools since we might go into the street and see a naked girl there.
• Most people who call for introducing sports in girl’s schools are men. Are they more concerned with women’s fitness than the women themselves?
• Who said that women have not called for sports in girls’ schools? If we had a great many women writers, we would no doubt see them writing about issues that directly concern and influence their sex.
In conclusion, I must say that those who object to sports in girls’ schools are confused about what our culture and background teaches and what our religion teaches.
Those who object say, “Isn’t it enough that women go to school and get jobs? Why do they now want to have sports in their schools?”
Arab News From the Local Press 16 August 2003
