Aravane Rezai

A couple weeks ago a big stir was made over Rimah Fakih's being crowned Miss USA. But I was a little surprised that no one in the Muslim blogosphere (those few of us who are left) brought up the success story of French tennis player Aravane Rezai.

I first started noticing Aravane a few months ago. Currently ranked #19 in the world (her highest ranking is #16), she is one of several Muslim tennis players playing professionally today. (Another is Sania Mirza of India.) Aravane was born in France to Iranian parents, and competed for Iran in the Women's Islamic Games, winning gold medals in 2001 and 2005.

Aravane is known for a very powerful forehand shot (she puts a lot of muscle behind the ball), and recently had the biggest win in her career at the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open, in which she upset Justine Henin, Jelena Janković and Venus Williams to win the clay court title. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to follow up that success in the French Open (where she lost in the third round); however, she reached the semifinals of the Aegon Classic, and has just defeated the number one-seed and last year's champion, Caroline Wozniacki, in the Aegon International (two grass court tournaments preparatory to Wimbeldon).

So, if you want to encourage Muslim girls with a better role model than a beauty queen, a tennis player like Aravane Rezai might make for a better choice, insha'allah.

Sania Mirza Engaged

I hadn't written about the Indian tennis star, Sania Mirza, for over four years now, so when my stats counter started showing a big increase in the number of hits for my old posts about her, I knew something was up. ;) Sure enough, Sania has announced her engagement to Pakistani cricket player Shoaib Malik. I'm sure this will disappoint many of Sania's bachelor fans, but that's life. Find another girl, guys! ;)

Congratulations to the lucky couple, and may they have a long and successful marriage!

Even as the media portrayed the upcoming marriage between Sania Mirza and Shoaib Malik as a new chapter in Indo-Pak ties, Sania Mirza clarified that she is not here to make any political statement.

Sania termed her to decision to marry Shoaib Malik as a personal one and based on mutual consent. "My marriage has nothing to do with Indo-Pak politics. I am happy as it would be the dream of every girl to get a suitable groom one day", said Sania.

When asked about the enmity between India and Pakistan, Sania said, "This is a happy moment, you should not talk such things while taking sweets. Be happy that we are getting married. We both are happy. Our families are happy. I don't think we can ask for more".

Sania Mirza also made it clear that she will keep playing tennis, once she recovers from her injury. She also said that she and Shoaib will support each other in their respective game.

"Yes, we will settle in Dubai after marriage. But I will keep playing for India and he will Inshallah play for Pakistan", said Sania Mirza.

When asked whom he will support during an India-Pakistan cricket match, Sania said, "I will continue to support India, but I will also support my husband". She revealed that she met Shoaib Mailk six to seven years ago.

Sania Mirza's wedding reception is likely to be held in Hyderabad on April 15. A grand reception will be held in Lahore later.

HT: Breaking News Online

The Lady Caliphs

I came across this video via Muslim Apple's blog. It's a feature from ESPN's Sportscenter on the W. Deen Muhammad HS (Atlanta) Lady Caliphs basketball team. The video (run time: 7:01) focuses on both the team and the coach, Fard Abdur-Rahman. The team, two years prior to the making of this video, had an abominable season of 0-20. (I know the feeling all too well; my HS swim team my freshman year had a similar 0-whatever season.) Moreover, the team had been treated with typical American bigotry and Islamophobia. However, with Brother Fard's guidance, the team had gone in the 2005-6 season to a 21-1 record and a "Sweet 16" finish in the Georgia state basketball championship (this, despite being a school with only 87 students).

And let's not forget that these girls compete with sweatpants and hijab on - yet another nail in the coffin for the idea that Muslim girls/women can't compete effectively in sports unless they dress immodestly.

"It's a Glory for All Muslim Women!"

Back in September 2005, I began writing several posts about the controversy surrounding Sania Mirza and her clothing on the tennis court. In the comments to one of those posts, I began discussing whether women tennis players would be hampered if they wore, say, sweat pants on the tennis court, comparing the issue to baseball players who wear both pants and long-sleeved shirts as part of their uniform. My conclusion then was that, no, both men and women playing tennis really wouldn't have their performance negatively affected by wearing more modest clothing.

Enter Ruqaya Al Ghasara, a 24-year-old Bahraini sprinter who took the gold in the Women's 200m and the bronze in the Women's 100m sprints at the Asian Games, currently playing in Doha, Qatar. Ruqaya is different from most sprinters, though, in that she's an observant Muslim and won while having covered her legs, arms and hair.

The debate whether Muslim women can succeed at high-profile track and field competitions without compromising their beliefs on attire may have been buried for good at the Khalifa Stadium yesterday [December 11] when Bahrain’s Ruqaya al-Ghasara sped to a spectacular 200m gold at the Asian Games. “It’s a glory for all Muslim women,” she declared after crossing the finish in 23.19 seconds, adding an extra emotional dimension to her achievement by falling to her knees and kissing the turf.

It marked the first time in the history of the Asian games that a Muslim woman kitted in a full tracksuit and a hijab has won a track gold medal and that too in the draining 200m sprint which calls for a tremendous burst of energy and mental resolve.

"I want to say I'm very thankful for being a Muslim; it's a blessing," said the sports management student. "Wearing conservative clothes has encouraged me. Wearing a veil proves that Muslim women face no obstacles and encourages them to participate in sport."

"Wearing traditional Muslim dress has encouraged me. It's not an obstacle – quite the opposite. Wearing the hijab shows that there are no obstacles. I've set my best times wearing the hijab and even qualified for Osaka in it," she said, referring to the Japanese city which is hosting next year's world championships."

Congratulations, Ruqaya!

Sources:
Ruqaya Steals the Thunder
Veil No Bar to Glory for Muslim Women Says Doha Champion
True to Her Faith

Sex on the Brain

Looking at one of my hit counters this morning, I was struck by how many people currently have sex on the brain. Aren't you guys supposed to be celebrating Christmas or something? Ho, ho, ho, and all that?

Out of the past 20 search engine referrals (such as those made by Google, Yahoo, etc.), 13 had something to do with nudity with 2 more being questionable. Of the 13, eight people wanted to see the Indian tennis star, Sania Mirza, naked (what else is new?), two wanted to see nude pictures of coeds from Arizona State University (this is regarding the upcoming Playboy pictorial that will be published next year), and then there was one each for Angela Keathley (the ex-Carolina Panther cheerleader who may or may not have been having lesbian sex in a bar's bathroom stall), a generic "young mother posing nude" (hey, perv, you wanna see the kid too?), and one for "JD erotic photos" (sorry, wrong JD, no erotic photos here). The two that are questionable included one for "sania mirza's skirt" (uh, it looks like any other woman tennis player's skirt?) and another for "texas street korea." The latter is a (in)famous street in the "Russian" neighborhood of Busan, Korea, near some of the piers, where you can find a number of Russian bars, stores, and hookers. (I visited there briefly one night to see what the place was like.)

I've got a few more comments to make regarding what my visitors want (including a survey I took on people looking for information/photos on Sania Mirza), but those will be in later posts, insha'allah.

What People Want

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Technical Note and Some Comments for Guys Looking for Sania Material

I've added another section to my sidebar, of "Noteworthy and Popular" posts. I've categorized those posts into various topics, which will undoubtedly grow in number as time goes on, insha'allah. What may surprise some of you is that I've added a section for my three posts regarding Sania Mirza. Not that I consider those posts earth-shattering, but she is incredibly popular based upon my hit-counter statistics. (Right now, over half of all my search engine hits have to do with Sania.) I figured I might as well make it easier for those guys who want to read about her to find the other, related posts.

While I've brought up the topic of Sania Mirza, I'd like to make some comments to those guys who are looking for information and/or pictures of her:

1. I have NO pictures of Sania Mirza naked or semi-naked. If that's what you're looking for, you've come to the wrong blog. (I never thought I'd say this, but you're making me feel dirty!)


2. My interest in Sania was primarily about the controversy surrounding her choice of clothing on the tennis court. Otherwise, I know rather little about her. You might want to visit Adarsh Krishna's blog about Sania Mirza instead.


3. Yeah, I know, Sania's cute and all of you are secretly hoping she'll meet you one day and ask you to be her husband, but...it ain't gonna happen. Time for your reality check! Try asking the girl next door out for a date instead.

Cronin's Criticism regarding Sania

Two weeks ago, if you had mentioned the name of Sania Mirza, I'd have said, "Who?" :) However, this topic has started to take on a life of its own (based on the number of hits and comments I've received in the past few days).

Adarsh Krishna, who has a nice blog on Sania Mirza, had a recent post in which he referenced an article about Ms. Sania by Matthew Cronin of tennisreporters.net. Following are some of my remarks to Mr. Cronin’s commentary:

“She's a national hero in short skirts, and the Islamic fundamentalists do not want her to exert any real influence on other young women who might get "heretical" ideas about dressing the way they want to.

Horrors! Now, if a Muslim suggests that a young Muslimah should cover herself, he (or she) is an “Islamic fundamentalist.” Actually, the “heretical” ideas about dressing come from the non-Muslims, but Mr. Cronin appears to be blind to that perspective.


“To her credit, Sania has stuck up for the positive principles of her religion. But, the fact is, there are numerous negative ones, such as the existence of extremists who have declared a "fatwa" on her.”

Mr. Cronin shows his ignorance of Islam when he equates the writing of a fatwa to that of extremism. As I’ve written before (and which many other Muslims will tell you), a fatwa is merely an opinion about a religious question, frequently having to do with mundane, day-to-day issues. Ms. Sania is free to accept or ignore the fatawa that have been written regarding her. (Obviously, she has ignored those fatawa so far to date.)


“That's when it's either time to stand up and say that your religious opponents are wrong and don't represent the thinking of many young Muslims, or you leave that religion.”

What a hoot! “Islam is wrong” vs. “Become an apostate!” What a “choice.” Mr. Cronin proves the Qur’an correct once more: “Never will the Jews or the Christians be satisfied with thee unless thou follow their form of religion. Say: "The Guidance of Allah,-that is the (only) Guidance." Wert thou to follow their desires after the knowledge which hath reached thee, then wouldst thou find neither Protector nor helper against Allah.” (2:120)

Mr. Cronin, how about the choice of “I go against the norms of the tennis world by covering up in a way that preserves my modesty, but still allows me to compete effectively.” Oooh, “heresy!” No doubt that would rock your world.

Response to a Comment regarding my Sania Mirza Post

Steve came by the other day, and had an interesting comment regarding my Sania Mirza post. I've decided to post my response here, and also at my Learn About Islam blog.

Thanks for your comment, Steve, and I hope you'll make more in the future, insha'allah.


Steve wrote: "I think a reasonable person can debate what kind of clothing is acceptable under Islam. I know dozens of Muslims who ruitinely wear shorts and skirts, and at the same time affirm most of the basic principles of Islam."

Those shorts-and-skirts Muslims must be young. :) Yeah, I've heard of cases up in Malaysia where a young woman might go out in public wearing something skimpy but also wearing a hijab. Go figure. Still, there are clearly defined dress codes for both Muslim men and women. Those women who wear the shorts and skirts are not following the dress code. While they may "affirm most of the basic principles of Islam," Islam is not a "pick and choose," cafeteria-style religion. Muslims should (ideally) follow all aspects of Islam as much of the time as possible. As my wife would say, "We strive to be better Muslims."


"That being said, whats at issue is whether or not the actions of this tennis player is worthy of a 'fatwa.'"

A fatwa in and of itself is merely an opinion, and does not necessarily have to be obeyed. Most people who ask for a fatwa normally ask for themselves (i.e., they have a particular situation they would like resolved, and they are looking for guidance in the form of a fatwa). That someone asks, "What about the type of clothing a female tennis player wears in public, like Sania Mirza?" seems a little odd, but is still not out of the realm of the ordinary. In that regard, Ms. Sania is worthy of a fatwa, as is any other Muslim in the world.


"I completely agree that an Islamic council should be more worried about things like Wahhabism or the Mujahadeen than tennis attire."

In all honesty, the vast majority of fatawa that are issued deal with very mundane, daily life issues. There's nothing wrong with an Islamic council dealing with the bigger issues (many Muslims wish they would), but most of their work deals with very small issues.


"However, it is the position of some Islamic scholars that if the purpose of rules and regulations regarding attire is to not attract attention to ones self, then covering up in conditions such as western society and or tennis courts might actually defeat the intended purpose of such modesty..."

Possibly, but... The purpose of the dress code, of course, is for modesty; it's not necessarily not to attract attention to one's self. While a pro female tennis player might attract attention initially by, say, wearing a sweat suit instead of a skirt and blouse, don't you think the fuss might die down fairly quickly (within a year's time at the most)? Is women's beach volleyball popular because we value the women as athletes...or because they wear bikinis? Was Anna Kournikova as popular as she was because of her tennis skills (her having never won a Grand Slam tournament) or because of her looks?

Sania Mirza

The Sania Mirza controversy seems a little odd to me. If you haven't heard, Sania Mirza is an Indian Muslim tennis player who started the year ranked #206. However, she was able to reach the fourth round of the U.S. Open, and will possibly be among the top 35 women tennis players in the latest rankings, insha'allah. The controversy is that Ms. Mirza has been the subject of two fatawa recently due to her wearing standard tennis clothing (a shirt and skirt).

"Sania Mirza is a Muslim and she stands half-naked on the tennis court while playing, which is against Islam," said Siddikulla Chowdhury, secretary of the Jamiat-Ulama-Hind Islamic movement in Kolkata. "She is trying to ape some Western tennis players who dress in a similar way."

"The dress she wears on the tennis court not only doesn't cover large parts of her body but leaves nothing to the imagination of voyeurs," said another cleric, Maulana Hasheeb-ul-Hasan Siddiqui of the Sunni Ulema Board. "She will undoubtedly be a corrupting influence on these women."

Ms. Mirza herself has declined comment on the fatawa. "I have nothing to say about that."

My own thoughts:

First, I wonder at the credibility and motivation of the people who are issuing these "fatawa." Who are they? The Sunni Ulema Board in particular has been described in some news articles as "little known." Likewise, is this just grandstanding by people who want to take advantage of this young woman's recent success? According to one article, "Zafarul-Islam Khan, editor of The Milli Gazette, a bi-monthly publication with a focus on Islamic issues, told AFP no fatwa had been issued. 'It is just for sensation,' he said. 'There is no fatwa.' According to Khan, a fatwa is a response given in writing to a specific question, and can only be given by a qualified scholar, or 'mufti.' 'But every time a bearded person says something it is called a fatwa,' he said, adding that Mirza's attire was not an issue among most Indian Muslims."

On the other hand, what the two groups are asking for is not unreasonable either. I don't think it's necessary that she be covered up completely, but I also don't think her performance on the court would be hurt if she, say, wore sweat pants instead of the skirt.

The Shia have given an interesting response to the controversy so far: MYOB! The All-India Shia Muslim Personal Law Board on Saturday disapproved the edict issued by some Muslim clerics on dresses worn by Indian teenage tennis sensation Sania Mirza while playing and asked them not to meddle in [the] sports arena. "The fatwa issued against Sania by a section of Muslim clerics is unnecessary and uncalled for. It is not for them to issue guidelines on what players should wear during matches," Board Chairman Mirza Mohammad Athar told reporters in Lucknow. Asserting that Sania had committed no sin by wearing her choice of dresses on [the] field, he asked clerics not to interfere in matters pertaining to sports. Athar said it was regrettable that the clerics issued the fatwa against Sania who did the community and the country proud by becoming the first Indian to reach pre-quarterfinals of the US Open. The Chairman told them to understand that sports had its own dress code, and a player, belonging to any religion, was the best judge to decide what dress suited him or her while playing. Lauding Sania's achievements, he said she had become a role model for her community and the country by her performances. Athar urged clerics and countrymen to encourage her to bring more laurels for herself and the country. "They should not demoralise her by issuing fatwas on her dresses," he said. For the record, my wife (who is Sunni, as am I) is surprised at the Shia response in that she does believe that a woman showing that much skin is committing a sin. She would have expected the Shia to take a more conservative response (i.e., agreeing with the fatawa).

Sources:

Muslim clerics lash out at 'half-naked' Indian tennis star Mirza

Fatwa on Sania dress uncalled for: Shia Board


Update: (1 April 2010) A lot of people are visiting this blog post now that Sania Mirza has announced her engagement to Pakistani cricket player Shoaib Malik. For more information, please visit Sania Mirza Engaged.