From Canada.com:
MONTREAL — A Tae Kwon Do team of mainly Muslim girls says it was kicked out of tournament south of Montreal today because its members refused to remove their hijabs.
Tournament organizers told team officials that the girls can’t compete because the Muslim head scarves are a safety risk.
As someone who once took a Karate lesson, it seems to me that a hijab could could easily fall down over the face and result in somebody's losing an eye. Karate garb takes the form that it does for a reason.
Interesting too in that its difficult to argue that Western Culture is being intolerant here. After all, the gals are being asked to observe the traditions of a Chinese fighting form.
I thought there were sports hijabs now, not unlike a wetsuit head covering. Surely that wouldn't be disputed.
ReplyDeleteI don't know, all of this is making me very uneasy. Is this the first time that Muslim girls have ever competed in a Tae Kwon Do tournament? Surely not, so why now?
Hmmm. Now that I look at one, you might be right. I also note that the team had been allowed to compete at previous tournaments.
ReplyDeleteAlthough karate does involve locks and grapplings. I'm not sure I've ever seen a headlock, but if you are allowed do that then I can still see a safety issue.
Not sure about the headlocks, don't know enough about it.
ReplyDeleteWhat is disturbing though, is I haven't seen this happen outside of Quebec, in Canada. Correct me if I'm wrong.
For the record, it gives me no joy to say that, I'm from there.
Unfortunately in our safety-obsessed society labelling something a "safety risk" is a universal method of advancing any number of other agendas. Hell, isn't letting people whale on each other for sport a potential safety risk? What if they accidentally poke an opponent in the eye or hit them in the temple? Someone could get seriously hurt! To be safe we should be encouraging girls to engage in safer pursuits, like maybe Japanese tea ceremony competitions instead of Chinese martial arts.
ReplyDeleteWith lukewarm tea, of course.
Tae Kwon Do is Korean not Chinese and is not exactly a "traditional" martial art. The guy who founded the modern martial art died a few years ago after living in Canada for about 30 years.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.guardian.co.uk/korea/article/0,2763,771475,00.html
Also there is virtually no grappling in tae kwon do, it is mostly kicking and the competitors wear a type of helmet that would keep a hijab out of their face. Choking is definitely a no-no.
Thanks rev,
ReplyDeleteI've actually got a picture of the "sports hijab" in my next post,and there doesn't seem any way it would pose a choking hazard.
Also, some articles refer to the tournament as being "karate", some "tae kwon do". Karate is Chinese, according to wiki.