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Levelling the playing field for Muslim girls
5-05-2015
Hamilton educators want Muslim girls to get off of the sidelines and onto the sports field.
The Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board Foundation — the board's arms-length fundraising arm — is launching a campaign to raise funds for the purchase of sports hijabs for Muslim girls.
Currently, girls who wear the hijab — the traditional head scarf worn by many Muslim women after puberty — aren't able to participate in many athletic activities for fear that either the hijab or the pin that holds it in place could come loose.
The foundation hopes to purchase 12 athletic hijabs for 20 high-needs schools across the city. The hijabs would be treated exactly like a football helmet or any other piece of sports equipment — they would be the property of the school and free for any student to use.
"Otherwise, they just don't participate. And that's just not good enough," said Julie Densham, a HWDSB foundation development officer.
The board is looking for about $10,000 in donations to fund 240 hijabs, which cost about $40 each. For many families, the $40 to $50 cost of an appropriate sports hijab was simply too much to bear. High-priority Hamilton schools have little money in the budget and limited capacity for fundraising, Densham said.
The foundation hopes to purchase the equipment from the same company that officially supplies hijabs for the Olympics and FIFA. These high-tech hijabs are sweat-resistant and close-fitting, meaning that they won't impede the wearer's movements in any way.
The genesis of the fundraising campaign began with a specific request from Lake Avenue School. Michelle Vanwanrooy, a teacher and basketball coach at the Stoney Creek elementary school, found the girls on her team were being questioned by referees. Several of the girls secured their hijabs with safety pins or straight pins that were exposed at their temples.
After noticing athletes wearing the hijabs at the Olympics, Vanwanrooy successfully applied for a $500 grant from the foundation to fund 10 hijabs for her students.
"They don't have the funds to pay for something like this on their own — and how would you find a sports hijab in Hamilton?" she said.
Vanwanrooy just picked up the hijabs from the embroiderer on Tuesday. The school is now planning a special assembly to introduce the new equipment.
"It's easy to wear, it's comfortable to wear, and it's going to help them still be modest on the court and not worry," she said.
The 20 schools receiving the hijabs is just the beginning, Densham added. Eventually, she hopes that all schools across Hamilton will have a supply of sports hijabs.
The campaign is especially important because sports can help young women, especially newcomers, fully integrate with their peers. A study from the Institute for Canadian Citizenship found that 69 per cent of newcomers who played sports within their first three years in Canada found it helped them learn about Canadian culture. Of those respondents, 87 per cent felt more connected to their community as a result.
"This is a wonderful gesture of respect and understanding of diversity in Hamilton," said Dr. Raza Khan, spokesperson for the Hamilton Muslim Association. "I think this is wonderful. They're taking some leadership on this and trying to make sure that equal opportunities are extended to all of the minority groups. This is only going to make things even better."
For more information about the board foundation's campaign call 905-527-5092, ext. 2436.
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