Basketball Player Sidelined for Wearing Religious Headscarf

Jan. 19,2011 -- A middle school girl was kept out of the first half of a basketball game Saturday because a referee ruled her religious headscarf, called a hijab, was a safety hazard.

Thirteen-year-old Maheen Haq of Hagerstown, Md. was sidelined until Lou Bachtell, the Mid-Maryland Girls Basketball League regional director, arrived to the court at halftime, called league President Jim Shannon and got an exemption approved.

Haq's parents were upset, though they didn't protest the referee's decision. Other parents watching the game volunteered to pull their daughters out of the game and walk out in protest, but Haq's mother Anila, declined the offer.

"My daughter's heart was broken and I didn't want to break other hearts as well," the mother said.

Haq's parents had to agree to assume liability for any injuries that might occur from their daughter's traditional Muslim headscarf, before she would be allowed to play, Shannon said.

League coordinator Daphnie Campbell said the official was "right to make that decision" to keep her out of the game because headscarves could be dangerous in sports if not properly secured.

"If a child's hand comes down and grabs it, it very possibly could snap her neck or break the other person's hand," Campbell said. "In no way, shape, or form are we trying to discriminate against her."

According to the National Federation of State High School Associations' uniform rules, hats and head gear can only be worn during basketball games if they are for documented medical or religious purposes. The Maryland league adopts the high school association's rules, Campbell said.

The hijab is a piece of cloth that usually covers a woman's hair and neck. Muslim women begin wearing them after puberty as a sign of modesty, a central virtue in Islam.

Haq began wearing the hijab in fourth grade as a sign of modesty and dignity, Mrs. Haq said. Her mother began wearing a headscarf as well to show support for her daughter.