An Evening of Inspiration

It is not very often that one feels that they are a witness to a living moment of history. Last night was one of the rare privileges that I was accorded to see history in the making. I had the honour of attending the inaugural awards dinner for the Muslim Women’s Sports Federation (MWSF) held in one of the most iconic and prestigious places of sport, perhaps around the world, Wembley Stadium in the Bobby Moore Suite.

The evening was a rich cocktail for networking amongst senior people from the Football Association (FA), community leaders and journalists which bears testimony to the brilliant work of MWSF in establishing partnerships with some of the prominent mainstream organisations and individuals such as the Women’s England Football manager and the chief executive of the FA who was one of the prize givers. In it is a lesson for many Muslim organisations and community leaders who continuously strive for such recognition, but routinely fail in how to engage, develop and sustain such partnerships.

Ultimately though it was not only about celebrating the best of Muslim women athletes from the UK and across the world but shattering some age old myths about Islam and Muslim women with regards their ability. And this is where the crux of the evening goes to. Internally as well as externally, ‘experts’ line up to paint an ‘ideal’ picture of the Muslim woman in her practice, identity and appearance and how ‘constrained’ they are because of the way they choose to express their faith or the dress that they wear. We are told that Muslim women should or should not adopt certain lifestyles because this is the only way that they can get to express their equality. Yet what the MWSF awards evening proved was the exact opposite, that those Muslim women who are strong in their faith, identity and self assurance can develop the power to believe in themselves, and surpass their latent abilities to perform. Whilst award ceremonies like this are important for women in general, it is actually much more important for Muslim women, because for so long they have been pushed into a corner in terms of what they can and can not achieve. They have been told by many Muslims who have wrongly misinterpreted social and cultural practices into Islamic ideological and theological teachings that subjugate their rights and ability to express themselves freely. Equally there are many non Muslims who would think of nothing better than telling Muslim women that their faith, identity and especially the fact that wearing the hijab is oppressive and limits them in fulfilling their duties as women.

 Both spectrums are wrong as the only thing that can limit a Muslim woman is her ability, her belief in herself and her confidence in who she is. If she does or does not wear the hijab is of no consequence or even relevance. So the stories told by the award winners bear testimony to this. They see no obstacle from their belief or how they dress in getting to where they have got to or even proceeding further. They are trying to change the narrative and shift the paradigm from their own context, when it comes to Muslim women and more importantly it is being spearheaded by the youth.

Often the gatekeepers for the Muslim community have been accused of being elderly men, yet with MWSF, the baton is being held by young confident professionals who are equally proud of their heritage and faith but determined to contribute to this country. In this day and age we should not forget that women around the world still face a lot of problems and in particular the challenges for Muslim women are quite immense and that these awards are a drop in the ocean, but these awards and the work of the MSWF also remain pivotal in developing that sense of confidence in the younger generation that they count and are important. For young Muslim girls it gives them the space to be creative and the platform to excel. For the Muslim community, it should give them the confidence that the new generation of young Muslims are as strong in their faith and conscious of retaining their identity whilst engaging with the mainstream. For the mainstream non Muslim community, it should give them the confidence not to fear or feel sorry for these young Muslim girls but to understand that their faith and practice does not shackle them.

 A milestone was reached last night as Muslim women athletes announced their arrival in a grand fashion on the world stage, challenging myths, redefining narratives, correcting perceptions and shifting paradigms. In that moment of realising their achievements, I recall Bernard Shaw’s comments about ‘'Life is not a ‘brief candle.’ It is a splendid torch that I want to make burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations' . MWSF and those who participated and won prizes last night are now the torch bearers of this new narrative.

Amjad Saleem