In some parts of the world, soccer is a religion.

A group of Canadian Muslim women say they are being forcing to choose between their sport and their faith by rules that ban headscarves from the game.
They call themselves Right 2 Wear, and they gathered on the lawn of Queen’s Park recently to prove that the hijab is compatible with the “beautiful game” by playing soccer while wearing their headscarves.
Others watched from the sidelines carrying signs that read “Red Card FIFA” and chanting “Ole ole ole ole, we have the right to play.” Simultaneous games were scheduled in Vancouver, Montreal, and Ottawa.
The playful protest came after a decision last month by FIFA, the international body that governs soccer, to disqualify the Iranian women’s team from an Olympic qualifying match for wearing the hijab. FIFA says the headscarf poses safety issues and violates the organization’s policy of players not making religious or political statements during games. Here in Canada, 15-year-old Sarah Benkirane has been told by her Montreal-area soccer league that she can no longer referee games while wearing her headscarf.
“It doesn’t impact the way that we play. Our hijab doesn’t inhibit us from being able to participate in a number of ways. It’s the FIFA rules that are barring us,” said Right 2 Wear’s Gilary Massa. “There needs to be an element of respect for what people choose to wear. As long as they don’t cause harm to themselves or to others, I don’t see a reason why the headscarf should prevent someone from being able to participate.”
Sana Siddiqui said she’s played contact sports for years wearing a modified hijab that easily slips off when pulled, preventing the choking FIFA seems so worried about.
“I was able to play field hockey for nine years, some of that at a university level, and play rugby for two years with small modifications to the uniform that didn’t affect my performance, didn’t impede my safety, and were welcome by my teammates,” she said. “So I think that there is a way to do it when there’s a willingness to do it.” It might be optimistic to expect major changes to FIFA’s dress code, which has largely remained the same for decades and is so strict it prohibits male players from wearing necklaces on the pitch. Other groups have challenged the dress code before, with little success. India’s men’s team was famously booted from the 1950 World Cup because they refused to wear shoes. The team hasn’t qualified for the tournament since.
Aside from the safety concerns FIFA has cited, there would likely be widespread implications if women players won the right to wear the hijab. FIFA would have to grant the same rights to all other religious groups, which would drastically alter the standard uniform.
Unfortunately before the game could get going, Queen’s Park security personnel informed Right 2 Wear that they didn’t have the right to play soccer on the legislature’s front lawn. The group had no permit to hold a protest at Queen’s Park, so after some debate with a pair of officers the moved across the street to a non-government lawn.
(Source: Nowtoronto.com)