Muslim athletes win their battle to wear hijab while playing basketball

New rules to be implemented from October 1

Basketball's governing authority, the International Basketball Federation [FIBA], on Thursday, ratified a proposal allowing female basketball players to wear headgear while playing the sport.

The number of Muslim basketball players has been rising around the world since the past two years, demanding that the FIBA permit the head scarf worn for religious reasons. A petition on Change.org, in 2016, was received with 132,444 signatures along with a social media campaign that trended with the hashtag #FIBAAllowHijab.

FIBA started revising the previous ban on headgear since September 2014. In a statement, FIBA said that "the Central Board approved a proposal put forward by the Technical Commission for a new rule that will allow headgear to be worn by players. The new rule was developed in order to minimise the risk of injuries and preserve consistency of the colour of the uniform."

Article 4.42 of FIBA had previously stated that "Players shall not wear equipment (objects) that may cause injury to other players.” It also banned head pieces such as "headgear, hair accessories and jewellery." The proposed new rules will be implemented from October 1, 2017, allowing players to wear headgear, including the hijab.



Asma Elbadawi, a basketball player from Bradford, West Yorkshire who was campaigning for removal of the hijab ban said that "lifting the ban will really change history by giving women who already play the chance to compete professionally in leagues like the WNBA."

The turning point, according to Elbadawi was the worldwide campaign launch which gained the support and involvement of Muslim basketball players as well as referees. "Everyone has also done their own part in their own countries and social media to raise awareness of the ban and how it affects players who choose to wear religious headgear," she said. "Not to mention we have had immense support from so many different organisations and media outlets through out the campaign."

Twenty three-year-old Kike Rafiu from Nigeria, who played while wearing the hijab at Georgetown University, said "We're really excited that our time and effort and work and commitment to lift this ban has come to fruition.

And for the record it's not just for us, it's for the younger generation, the younger people in college in high school and playing in the US Amateur Athletic Union – this is something they don't have to worry about. All they have to worry about right now is just playing ball, that's it."



Another Bosnian-born American, Indira Kaljo, who plays with the hijab and had initiated the first petition in 2014 referred to the last three years as "a roller coaster of emotions." She said she had to make a decision between her faith and the sport she loved and felt that no one should have to go through that.

The World Players Association wrote to FIBA in March relaying concerns of players, on behalf of eight national basketball player associations, who found the rule discriminatory. The Basketball Federation of India also added pressure when two Sikh players from the Indian basketball team had been forced to remove their turbans in order to play at the Asia Cup Basketball Championship in China.

While in some cases the hijab and turbans were allowed during FIBA's review of the case, in other cases players had not been allowed to compete.

This article originally appeared on BuzzFeedNews