FIFA lifts ban on full hijab

A petition started by Rahaf Owais, a staffer at Jordanian Football Association gained more than 15000 signatures to campaign against the FIFA ban on headscarves.

Previously, FIFA only allowed a cap-like covering and forbade any garments over the neck and ears for "safety" measures. This rule resulted in both Iran and Jordan teams being disqualified from major matches last year due to players wearing hijab. It affected younger, future international players too such as the 11 year old Canadian who was sent off for wearing hijab a few years ago that contravened FIFA rules during a league match.

Numerous meetings and discussions began between pro-hijab campaigners and FIFA bodies. Like most injustices, all it came down to was lack of education on what hijab really wa. After hijab was clearly differentiated from the enveloping burka and chador, as a more sports-friendly Islamic dress item that covers head, neck and ears, FIFA came to the understanding that hijab was not a safety issue. In fact playing with hijab was no more a safety issue than playing with long hair.

A prototype of a suitable hijab was proposed to FIFA - it covers the head, neck and ears, is tight-fitting, closes with velcro and easily comes off if pulled by another player. (Hmm sounds suspiciously like another sports hijab brand that you may know of beginning with R and ending with n).

The short front friniggi sports hijab designed especially for weightlifter Kulsoom Abdullah, has those qualities too. Except that it is not as tight-fitting and appears more like hijab. It doesn't use velcro or pins. Instead like the long-front friniggi sports hijab it has an inner headband that holds everything in place. And comes in different sizes for more comfy fit. And it slides off when pulled..

The petition was hosted by Change.org, a site with facilities for petitions for any campaign. Thank you to all those who signed the petition after viewing both our blogpost and status post on facebook.