She’s been called the “Ice Princess in the Hijab.” And, I think she
rocks. Zahra Lari is a 17-year-old Olympic figure-skating hopeful from
the United Arab Emirates. And you can’t miss her because she wears a
black hijab instead of sparkly hair clips and nylon pants instead of the
characteristic shiny nude tights. I love seeing a Muslim woman as a
competitive athlete. I just love it. I was crushed when the Iranian
women’s soccer team was disqualified from the Olympics because of their
headscarves.
I thought it was misogynistic to tell those women,
already living under a regime that is restrictive to women, that their
dream was off-limits simply because they were lawful Iranian women
covering their heads. The images of those strong women, humiliated and
crying on the field, was devastating.
As a non-Muslim, I have my
own mixed views about the hjiab. I don’t understand why a woman would
have to cover her hair to be modest. But I have also seen and met Muslim
women who embrace the headscarf or the hijab who have a twinkle in
their eyes and a freedom in their spirit that must come from shielding
oneself from our grasping, hyper-sexualized world.
And I know
non-Catholics might look at my faith’s teaching against artificial
contraception, for example, as backwards and oppressive, as many rush to
label the hijab. But I am grateful and appreciative towards those who
try to understand, or at least recognize that I find freedom and dignity
in the choice to obey that teaching.
As women of faith, we owe
each other understanding and support in our choices that may defy the
culture’s terms for our empowerment. It is our right to follow our
consciences and make religious choices. And whether the state tries to
take that right away through the law, or whether society tries to shame
us away from our rights, women of faith should be allies in defending
one another’s right to religious choice.
Zahra Lari could have run
away from her family and defied the hijab. She probably would have
become some feminist hero for doing so. But I think she is a feminist
hero nonetheless. She became the first woman in the world to compete in
international figure skating in a hijab. In my book, that is more
noteworthy than being the first woman to land a quadruple axel. Because
that takes a kind of courage that stirs only the deepest part of the
soul. She made a choice that would no doubt engender scrutiny from the
ultra-conservative religious community that doesn’t want to see a woman
dancing on skates and from the liberal pundits who don’t like seeing
women in a Muslim headcovering.
Guts, my friends. Guts.
Speaking
of her ambition, Lari recently said, “In my country women don’t do much
sport and even less figure skating. . . . I want to encourage girls
from the Emirates and the Gulf to achieve their dream too and not to let
anyone tell them not to do sport, not only figure skating but all
sports.” And defending her hijab, she said, “I skate with the hijab, my
costume is in line with Islamic tradition.”
Her defense was refreshingly simple and straightforward, almost as if to say, “I don’t really owe you an explanation.”
Zahra
Lari exemplifies to the world that you can be a practicing Muslim woman
who is competitive, ambitious, and bold. That is a good example for all
women of faith, particularly in a world that increasingly views
religion as incompatible with female strength and empowerment.
Lari
brought to mind the 1980s classic movie, Chariots of Fire. The film
centers around two athletes: Eric Liddell, a Scottish Christian who runs
for the express purpose of glorifying God, and Harold Abrahams, an
English Jew who runs to overcome anti-Semitism. Both men refuse to
compromise their faith for the sport, and they are better athletes
because of it.
Whether she intended it or not, Zahra Lari has
brought Chariots of Fire to the rink. But she is a woman in a part of
the world where women are still barred from many opportunities. And a
Muslim in a time when anti-Muslim sentiment runs strong. She has brought
Chariots of Fire to a whole new level.
So rock on, Ms. Lari.
By
Ashley McGuire
Ashley
McGuire is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of AltMuslimah’s sister
site, AltCatholicah.com, and a fellow at the Becket Fund for Religious
Liberty. This article originally appeared in
AltMuslimah.