Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Nine-year-old Quebec girl pulled from soccer tournament for wearing hijab

OTTAWA — A nine-year-old Gatineau, Que., girl who refused to remove her headscarf was forced to stand on the sidelines Sunday as her team played — and won — the final match of a soccer tournament.

The order came just days after the International Football Association Board voted to lift its hijab ban based on the fact “there is no medical literature concerning injuries as a result of wearing a headscarf,” the organization stated on its website.

Rayane Benatti was told to take off her headscarf for safety reasons, but she refused.

“It made me feel very sad,” she said Monday. “I love soccer.”

Gatineau’s regional soccer association maintains it made the right decision. Until the international organization approves a design, colour and material for headscarves during matches, “scarves of all sorts” will remain banned, said Gatineau’s director of tournaments Marc St-Amour.

“It’s not because she was wearing a hijab — it’s because she was wearing a piece of equipment that is not recognized,” Mr. St-Amour said.

On July 5, the International Football Association Board “agreed to unanimously approve — temporarily during a trial period — the wearing of headscarves.” The organization will define the design, colour and material at a meeting in October.

“The piece of equipment needs to go through a process,” Mr. St-Amour said.

Due to protests, Rayane was allowed to play a game on Friday and another on Saturday morning but was refused participation in the following three games.

Despite her love of soccer, Rayane said she was glad she refused to remove her scarf — an item she has been wearing daily since October 2011.

“I decided to wear the headscarf out of love for Allah,” Rayane said. “Some people decide not to do it because they don’t have enough courage. I had the courage to do it.”

Original Article
Source: national post
Author: Chloe Fedio

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