Juashaunna Kelly, a senior at the District of Columbia’s Theodore Roosevelt High School, has been disqualified from a meet because officials said the custom-made outfit she wears to conform to her Muslim faith violated competition rules. (source)Juashaunna has worn the same custom-made outfit for over three seasons but it's been only now that the referees decided that the outfit "violates the rules of the National Federation of State High School Associations" which stays that uniforms are required to be a single-solid color and unadorned...
One of the "options" that was giving to the athlete was to "take the hood off", then to wear a plain white T-shirt on over it...
But what's this need for saying others what to wear, what to say or what to think? Isn't this girl trying to live a normal life just wearing an outfit a little different than their peers in order to be able to be true to her religion? Who does really care? Do her peers, who are the ones who should care if that'd be the case, even care? I don't think so.
I think that the fact that Western people live in "democracies" make us think that we are free of speech, thought and fashion; if you want to wear a shoe in your head and no cloths to cover your legs, go ahead, no one will stop you, no one will take you directly to court! ...
We can dress crazy, trendy and cool as long as we don't wear something that shows your "convictions", like a veil. Because trendiness implies frivolity which harms no one "but yourself", but a veil implies character, and that my dear, that means that you think, and thinking can be very dangerous ...
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Juashaunna Kelly, una atleta musulmana del instituto Theodore Roosevelt, situado en Washington, ha sido descalificada de una competición por llevar ropa deportiva conforme a su fe, pero que "violaba las reglas de la carrera", han informado hoy medios locales. (fuente)
Juashaunna ha llevado este atuendo por tres temporadas pero parece ser que es solo ahora cuando la cosa tiene su importacia, ya que no ha sido hasta ahora que los árbitros han decidido que dicho atuendo viola las normas de la Federación Nacional de las Asociacones de Institutos de América entre las cuales se cita que "los uniformes han de ser de un solo color y sin adornos...".
Y yo me pregunto, de dónde sacamos esta necesidad de estar continuamente diciendo a los demas lo que deven llevar, lo que deben decir o lo que deben pensar? A quién le importa realmente que esta chica lleve o no lleve velo? Les importa a sus compañeros que son, si es que a alguien le tiene que importar, que ella vista de manera algo diferente? No creo que a ellos les importe lo más minimo, al fin y al cabo esta chica lo que quiere hacer es ser libre de poder correr y a la vez poder ser fiel a su religión, para lo que ella misma se ideó un atuendo, ella misma alló la solución que ahora se le esta denegando...
A veces creemos que por vivir en paises occidentales somos libres de pensamiento y de hacer lo que nos de la gana, pero ay, en cuanto nos salimos un poco de las normas establecidas, en cuanto damos a entender a traves de nuestro atuendo que "pensamos", que nuestras convicciones son otras que las "comunes", entonces las cosas se empiezan a poner feas...
Juashaunna Kelly, una atleta musulmana del instituto Theodore Roosevelt, situado en Washington, ha sido descalificada de una competición por llevar ropa deportiva conforme a su fe, pero que "violaba las reglas de la carrera", han informado hoy medios locales. (fuente)
Juashaunna ha llevado este atuendo por tres temporadas pero parece ser que es solo ahora cuando la cosa tiene su importacia, ya que no ha sido hasta ahora que los árbitros han decidido que dicho atuendo viola las normas de la Federación Nacional de las Asociacones de Institutos de América entre las cuales se cita que "los uniformes han de ser de un solo color y sin adornos...".
Y yo me pregunto, de dónde sacamos esta necesidad de estar continuamente diciendo a los demas lo que deven llevar, lo que deben decir o lo que deben pensar? A quién le importa realmente que esta chica lleve o no lleve velo? Les importa a sus compañeros que son, si es que a alguien le tiene que importar, que ella vista de manera algo diferente? No creo que a ellos les importe lo más minimo, al fin y al cabo esta chica lo que quiere hacer es ser libre de poder correr y a la vez poder ser fiel a su religión, para lo que ella misma se ideó un atuendo, ella misma alló la solución que ahora se le esta denegando...
A veces creemos que por vivir en paises occidentales somos libres de pensamiento y de hacer lo que nos de la gana, pero ay, en cuanto nos salimos un poco de las normas establecidas, en cuanto damos a entender a traves de nuestro atuendo que "pensamos", que nuestras convicciones son otras que las "comunes", entonces las cosas se empiezan a poner feas...
9 comments:
Why do they care what she wears? It's not offensive. What a waste.
And how hypocritical to decide this after she's already been competing in said kit?
That's so annoying, stupid officials
qué impresentables
encima que hace todo lo posible para no destacar, y se pone esa capucha que no hace daño a nadie, la descalifican
Playing Devil's advocate: why can she be so strong in so many aspects and pick a futile fight like religion is? Is
The activity she is involved is already a competition, some type of confrontation, where people are evaluating the contender at any level...all aspects are fair.
In an "belief" level,when putting religion as supreme value, you're gonna encounter resistance. Good luck to her.
thats so true.. in this world we think we are allowed to deliver opinions and point of view to everyone, even when NO ONE ASKS
keep the good work up bobble bee, i love the fact u mix all sorts of things related to fashion
xx
it is just not fair. i totally agree with you: only because someone dresses up out of religious beliefs it gets unappropiate. on the other hand - if this was not just about the hoodie, i understand that there are rules how to dress during a sports event. but please do not make this about the hoodie.
Of course there are rules, but there are just some rules that don't make sense at all. She wears a tight fitting outfit, no unallowed advertising on it and oh well it has a hoodie. I wonder why Cathy Freeman was allowed to run in her hooded full body dress ath the Olympics 2000?
This is one of the best posts I have read thus far this year. I especially love your analysis here:
"We can dress crazy, trendy and cool as long as we don't wear something that shows your "convictions", like a veil."
This is the problem with mainstream liberalism in my opinion...a complicated subject.
DURING THE DAYS FOLLOWING THE JANUARY 12, 2008 MONTGOMERY INVITATIONAL INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS, A MARYLAND TRACK MEET, THERE A COUPLE OF ARTICLES RELATING TO THE SUPPOSED DISQUALIFICATION OF A MUSLIM ATHLETE AT A MARYLAND TRACK MEET BEING POSTED ON THE MAJOR NEWS MEDIA SOURCES AS WELL AS LOCAL ONES AND NUMEROUS BLOG SITES. THE ARTICLE, RELEASED THROUGH THE AP BY THE WASHINGTON POST, WAS FULL OF INCONSISTENCIES AND INACCURACIES AND FUELED A FIRESTORM OF RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION DEBATES, RESULTING IN THREATS AND HATE MAIL DIRECTED AT THE MEET DIRECTOR AND OFFICIALS.
ON JANUARY 30, THE PEOPLE UNJUSTLY ACCUSED OF DISCRIMINATION AND RELIGIOUS HATRED WERE FINALLY ALLOWED TO TELL THEIR SIDE.
PLEASE PASS THIS ON SO THAT THE TRUTH CAN BE PUT OUT THERE.
Officials: Religion not issue in runner’s exclusion:
Incident involving the color of a Muslim girl’s uniform ‘has
been blown out of proportion,’ District administrator says
Montgomery school officials recently came under fire for being insensitive and even racist after a Muslim girl was told she could not participate in a county track meet because of her uniform, which covered her head, arms and legs in accordance with Muslim customs.
But according to Montgomery County Public Schools officials, religion had nothing to do with the ruling made by an event referee and MCPS employees had no authority to overrule the decision.
‘‘This has been a colossal misunderstanding,” said Kate Harrison, MCPS spokeswoman.
Juashuanna Kelly, a senior at Theodore Roosevelt High School in Washington, was told she could not run in the Jan. 12 Montgomery Invitational indoor track and field meet because the garment she wore did not conform to color standards. Kelly, who is Muslim, was wearing a half-blue and half-orange unitard and head covering under her track uniform.
National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Indoor Track and Field guidelines state that a runner must wear a single-colored tracksuit under a school jersey — a rule to help identify runners at the finish line in case of close finishes.
‘‘The uniform rules are clearly stated within the rule book. ... If she had worn a solid color, she would have been fine. It was something that could have been avoided early on,” said Becky Oakes, assistant director of NFHS. ‘‘No one wants the athlete DQ’d.”
Kelly, who had worn the special uniform to other meets, including the Montgomery Invitational last year, had been granted a waiver for meets in Washington, according to Allen Chin, director of athletics for District of Columbia Public Schools.
‘‘I feel sorry for the young girl, but frankly, this is something that has been blown out of proportion,” Chin said.
After being told she could participate if she wore a single-colored, long-sleeved T-shirt over the unitard, Kelly and her coach, Tony Bowden, decided to withdraw from the race, Harrison said. Kelly was not disqualified, according to Harrison.
‘‘Religion had no factor in the decision over whether she could participate,” she said.
Bo Meyers, a hired official who is qualified as a ‘‘master referee” by USA Track and Field, the national governing body for track and field sports, made the ruling, Harrison said.
Oakes said Kelly had time to make a change if she wanted. ‘‘Everything was handled properly by meet officials according to the rules,” she said.
However, for many in the Muslim community, barring Kelly from the meet because of the colors of her unitard was the wrong decision.
‘‘The people who made this decision were very insensitive,” said Rashid Makhdoom, a spokesman for the Montgomery County Muslim Council, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting Muslim interests and involvement in the county. ‘‘I think there should be some sensitivity training. There is some feeling that there might be some kind of race [discrimination] involved.”
Harrison said training to make employees aware of cultural and religious differences is already required for school system employees; however, Meyers and other athletic officials are not considered MCPS employees.
One MCPS employee who was criticized for the decision was meet director Tom Rogers, a track and field coach at Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda. Rogers was blamed by some for upholding the decision not to let Kelly participate.
‘‘There has been an enormous barrage of angry and even threatening letters,” Harrison said.
But it was never Rogers’ role to say who was allowed to compete, she said.
‘‘His role was as an administrator, to take care of the business aspects,” Harrison said.
Rogers was in charge of making sure the track and equipment was ready, sending out the invitations and hiring the officials, among other duties.
Makhdoom believes an exception could have been made for Kelly.
‘‘She has sacrificed quite a bit of her religious beliefs and compromised to participate,” he said.
‘‘Our religious beliefs are such that women, especially, are not supposed to show the body. I would call it a compromise,” he said of the garment Kelly wore. While it covered her skin, it was still tighter than clothes traditional Muslim women wear, he said.
The perception that Kelly was singled out for her religion is damaging for community relations between Muslims and others, he said.
In years past, several runners have competed in the Montgomery Invitational wearing head coverings, including Shakira Raheem, who competed for Albert Einstein High School before graduating in 2007, and Fatima Abbas, who ran for Rogers at Walter Johnson before graduating in 1999.
‘‘The head covering itself was never a violation,” Rogers said. ‘‘Fatima ran with a hejab for four years, and she never had any problems.”
He said there was another athlete, a boys hurdler from James Robinson High School in Virginia, who was not allowed to compete at the Montgomery Invitational this month because of uniform violations similar to Kelly’s.
‘‘The torso of [Kelly’s] undergarment was multicolored, which was the same problem that the kid from Robinson had,” Rogers said. ‘‘The implication was religious discrimination, but that was absolutely not the case. It is a very one-sided view that has been out there and that has been hurtful.”
http://www.gazette.net/stories/013008/montnew64001_32378.shtml
by Chay Rao and Stephanie Siegel | Staff Writers January 30, 2008 Gazette.Net
Maryland Community Newspapers Online
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