Basketball's degrading turban ban

1. AUG 26, 2014 5:23 PM EST
By Kavitha A. Davidson
Basketball's Degrading Turban Ban
The International Basketball Federation will review on Wednesday its ban on religious
headgear, a rule that effectively discriminates against Muslims, Sikhs and Jews alike.
According to FIBA Article 4.4.2, "Players shall not wear equipment (objects) that may
cause injury to other players." This includes hijabs, turbans and yarmulkes, because
apparently a piece of cloth over someone's hair poses a great threat to international
athletes.
Last week, an Indian Sikh was forced to remove his patka at the Asia U-18
Championship, just a month after a similar situation involving two Indian Sikhs at the
Asia Cup. The athletes involved have described the incidents as "humiliating."
The Basketball Federation of India formally lodged a protest with FIBA and notified the
International Olympic Committee, as FIBA's rules extend toward Olympic competition
as well. There is a growing Twitter movement to #LetSikhsPlay and a Change.org
petition has more than 50,000 signatures. Indian celebrities and politicians have joined
the fight, as have two members of the U.S. House.
On a practical level, all evidence suggests that FIBA's rule is rather pointless. In March,
the Smithsonian honored Darsh Preet Singh, a Trinity University student who became
the first turbaned NCAA basketball player in 2004. In January, Northwestern freshman
Aaron Liberman became the first Big Ten player and only the second Division I athlete
to wear a yarmulke on the basketball court. And Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir shattered glass
ceilings and scoring records on her way to becoming the first woman to wear a hijab
while playing for Memphis and Indiana State.
Somehow, all those players managed to make it through their seasons without causing
bodily harm to opponents. One might even argue that an errant elbow or extra-sweaty
hardwood pose more of a threat on a basketball court than a thin piece of cloth.
Furthermore, the association has proved capable of making necessary

2. accommodations. In 2011, FIBA and the Israeli national team reached a compromise
that allowed an Orthodox Jewish woman to compete in the European championship
while wearing skin-toned sleeves to comply with her faith's modesty rules.
And if you want to take the truly cynical, Darren Rovell route, think of all the cash FIBA
is missing out on by not capitalizing on officially branded religious headgear sales.
In all seriousness, the ban is damaging to FIBA's larger mission. Fostering religious
freedom is tantamount to FIBA's value of openness: "to everybody everywhere,
prestigious and credible." It's also necessary to the organization's stated goal of
increasing basketball's popularity and growing its participation. India could very well
be the world's next basketball superpower, but not if the sport's governing body can't
figure out how to accommodate its athletes. It's not exactly smart for an association of
213 member nations to enact policies that discriminate against more than 23 percent of
the world's population.
It's especially damaging to the cause of women's sports around the world. After
graduating in 2009, Abdul-Qaadir was prevented by FIBA's hijab ban from signing with
a professional team. In 2012, international pressure forced Brunei, Qatar and Saudi
Arabia to send a woman to the Summer Games for the first time, making it the first
Olympics in which each member nation had female representation. Conservative Saudi
clerics proved particularly formidable in fighting the mandate, arguing that sports
would open up women to immorality -- "steps of the devil," as it were.
Forcing Muslim, Sikh and Jewish athletes to remove their headgear lends credence to
the ridiculous notion that modesty, faith and sports cannot coexist. FIBA is effectively
providing some justification to conservative religious leaders who assert their power by
restricting access to sports -- a human right -- under the guise of piety. FIBA is no better
than the clerics who force athletes to choose between their religion and their sport.
After the Sept. 11 attacks, Sikhs were a target of ignorant Americans who associated
their turbans with terrorism. Anti-Muslim violence has recently flared up in majority-
Buddhist countries such as Sri Lanka and Myanmar. The Gaza war has incited a rise in
anti-Semitism throughout Europe. Our differences often seem insurmountable, but as
Singh tweeted, "The court was the great equalizer. Game speaks louder than turbans,
hijabs, yarmulkes."

3. The world is doing a good enough job oppressing religious minorities. It doesn't need
help from FIBA.
This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg View's editorial board or
Bloomberg LP, its owners and investors.
To contact the author on this story:
Kavitha A Davidson at kdavidson19@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor on this story:
Stacey Shick at sshick@bloomberg.net
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