Opposite Oppression

     So, the Iranian women's soccer team's aspiration to compete in the 2012 Olympics have been shattered because they have been told that their uniforms, which include a full tracksuit and a head covering, break Fifa's rules.

Photo c/o the Guardian

     Hmmmm ... I have a question.
     Why are Muslim women who cover themselves often told by the media, and bloggers, and Youtubers that they are oppressed and that they need to integrate themselves into "normal" society, and then when they want to go and represent their country and simply play a game of soccer, a very social sport, that they can't because their uniform goes against a rule that says "players and officials shall not display political, religious, commercial or personal messages or slogans in any language or form in their playing or team kits" (read the whole story here).
    Sounds like a form of backwards oppression to me.
    All right ... personally, I can somewhat understand the rule ... The point of the the Olympics is for the athletes to represent their countries and nothing more. But I do not think that the women covering their heads is them displaying a religious message. It is them practicing their religion. And, yes, that said, it can sound like a slippery slope, but there is a difference there. They are not telling people to convert or that Islam is the religion they should be following ... It is simply them following their religion (or, let's be honest, the laws of their country).
     Can't Fifa just give these women the right to play a game they have been practicing their whole lives to participate in? Aren't people always going on about Muslim women's rights, anyway?
     And if those are the rules for the soccer players, are similar ones going to spill over into the other sports too? For example, what are they going to do about the women's swimming teams from Muslim countries? I have a faint recollection of a few countries who competed in the swimming competitions in full head-to-toe gear in the past. Burkini's, anyone?

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