Muslim Player’s World Cup Debut Sparks Debate on Hijab in Sports

Since July 30, Nouhaila Benzina has made history by becoming the first veiled player to play a match at the Women’s World Cup. "It’s a moment of great pride. I knew it would happen at some point, but I didn’t think it would happen so soon. We’re going in the right direction," said Yasmin Hussain, 39, the head coach of Frenford & MSA, a major women’s team in east London with close ties to the local Muslim community, in the newspaper The Guardian. She does not hesitate to make a comparison between the United Kingdom, which is making progress on the issue of wearing the veil in sport, and France, which is still lagging behind.

To read:

"If you compare us to France, to what people have to endure just to play sports, you’ll see that we’re lucky to be welcomed. We’re living in a wonderful time," she said. Despite FIFA’s decision in 2014 on the issue, the wearing of the hijab is prohibited in France on football pitches. The government of Elisabeth Borne has also expressed its determination to ban it for the sake of secularism. In June, the Council of State rejected the request of the Hijabeuses - a collective of Muslim players who were demanding the cancellation of Article 1 of the regulations of the French Football Federation (FFF) which has prohibited since 2016 the wearing of any "conspicuous political, philosophical, religious or trade union sign or outfit".

In the UK, it’s the opposite, thanks to the willingness of the English Football Association (FA) to make women’s football more inclusive over the past two years, including by distributing free hijabs and organizing diversity workshops, says Yasmin Hussain, noting that about 40% of the players in her club, which includes non-Muslim players, wear a hijab. A recommendation she says she makes to all players for safety reasons.