Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir dreamed of playing professional basketball ever since she was a child shooting hoops in Massachusetts. Wearing a hijab on the basketball court had never been a problem for Abdul-Qaadir. It wasn't until her senior year at Indiana State in 2013, when she was preparing to play professionally in Europe, that it became an issue. Her agent informed her that the International Basketball Federation, or FIBA, stipulated that no player could wear a head covering -- including the hijab -- during games.
"They told me the league wanted to keep the game of basketball religiously neutral," Abdul-Qaadir said. "When we asked them why athletes who have religious tattoos, like crosses or biblical scriptures, were allowed to play, they then turned it into how hijab weren't allowed because it was a safety hazard."
Not satisfied with FIBA's answers, Abdul-Qaadir petitioned the federation for a rule change. In 2014, FIBA began a lengthy review of its policy. And Abdul-Qaadir continued to practice as she advocated for change within the federation. (#wnba #islamicvideo #islamicmotivation)
Credit: Bilqis Abdulqaddr, Yaqeen Institute (@yaqeeninstituteofficial)
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