Dr. Adrianne Grubic
Independent Scholar. She received her Ph.D. in Journalism and Media from The University of Texas at Austin and has previously written on the intersection of gender and race in sports media including “Just do it: Media coverage of Muslim women in their Nike hijabs” and “Proud: Examining the Social Media Representation of Ibtihaj Muhammad” on the media representation of Muslim women in sport.
Email: adrianne.grubic@utexas.edu
Twitter: @adrianne_grubic
You would be forgiven if among some of the other big stories facing women athletes in the Olympics including transphobia and mental health we wouldn’t still be talking about what athletes wear or what more importantly they have been forbidden to wear. France believes in the principle of laïcité or secularism that separates civic life and religion. This has extended to bans on religious symbols or dress for athletes competing in the Olympics who are considered public servants. This specifically affects Muslim women who believe in the practice of dressing modestly, including donning a hijab, a veil covering the head and chest while in the presence of men.
Despite athletes from other countries being allowed to wear a headscarf, France has held firm on the ban for the Games. Muslim sprinter Sounkamba Sylla was set to participate in the opening ceremony but was told she would not be allowed to if she wore a headscarf. “You are selected for the Olympics, organized in your country, but you can’t participate in the opening ceremony because you wear a headscarf,” Sylla posted on Instagram. A compromise eventually came, France allowed her to wear a cap for the ceremony and her event but at what cost? When the rest of the participating countries permit its athletes to wear a hijab, what does this say about the supposed inclusivity promoted during the opening ceremony? Especially for what the IOC has touted as the first Gender Equal Olympics, one where there is the same amount of men and women competing for their respective countries.
Human rights groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have criticized the treatment of Muslim sportswomen in France. The country has instituted policies to limit their religious freedom due to Islamophobia despite Muslims making up 10% of the population. The hijab ban is at all levels of sport including youth and amateur, leaving many Muslim athletes with no choice but to quit the sport they love. Diaba Konate, a French basketball player who played at the collegiate level in the United States and the French national youth team in 3×3, said she was unable to play for the national team again because of a 2022 rule change by the French Basketball Federation (FFBB) banning the headscarf. “It’s very hypocritical for France to call itself the country of freedom, of human rights, but at the same time not allowing Muslims or their citizens to show who they are,” said Konate.
Images of Egyptian volleyball duo Marwa Abdelhady and Doaa Elghobashy playing a bikini-clad team from Spain went viral because of their juxtaposition to their own garb, all black long sleeve shirts and leggings along with a headscarf. “I don’t tell you to wear a hijab and you don’t tell me to wear a bikini. No one can tell me how to dress…It’s a free country, everyone should be allowed to do what they want,” said Elghobashy. We are still unfortunately focusing on what women wear. In the 2021 Summer Olympics, stories permeated the internet about what sportswomen chose to wear or were forced to adorn themselves in the name of sport. Athletes are still subjected to sexualization due to the male gaze but Muslim women also deal with the fear that they are a weapon for the state of Islam. How should one’s faith be regarded with such suspicion when one has chosen to compete for their home country?
Ibitihaj Muhammad, an American Muslim and Black saber fencer became a star for the United States when she won a bronze medal while also becoming the first U.S. Olympian to compete in a hijab. She was able to embrace all facets of her heritage and faith by competing in what she felt comfortable in. That’s not to say she did not face backlash because of her religion and the color of her skin. I researched her social media to show how she navigated these spaces. Muhammad traveled widely promoting her faith and on a visit to France, posted herself wearing a hijab and proclaimed, “It’s hard to believe in 2019, people are still trying to tell women what they can’t wear. Please know the bigotry and Islamophobia we face in this world will never break us. PERIOD. See you this weekend Paris! I’ll be in my @Nike pro hijab every damn day.” Despite the homage to the capitalistic force that is Nike, Muslim athletes globally know the discrimination French athletes face by displaying outward vestiges of their faith and offer solidarity. Companies like Nike and Adidas began manufacturing sports hijabs because of the large untapped market of the Muslim world. However, being able to wear what you want and feel comfortable in is a major win for sportswomen everywhere.
One of the last images of these Olympics was of Dutch runner Sifan Hassan standing on the podium receiving a gold medal for winning the women’s marathon wearing a maroon hijab. She doesn’t always compete in a hijab but in this moment chose to take a stand on the biggest stage for religious freedom. The country adopted the motto “Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité” (liberty, equality, and fraternity) during the French Revolution but has failed to follow these principles for all its people. Muslims have continuously endured being othered by western and white countries, hosting the mega event Olympics in France was a setback for the IOC and equality on the grandest scale.
