Community members often reach out to me when their children are bullied or if the educational material taught in school misrepresents Islam, Muslims, Arabs, or promotes general biases. Over the last year, since Covid restrictions have diminished, parents have contacted me stating that they do not allow their children to play sports or take them out of sports because the team uniform does not comply with their religious beliefs.
At first, I found this notion difficult as playing sports is a part of a healthy lifestyle, and it both sharpens the body and the mind. Plus, playing with others in competitive sports teaches valuable social skills and builds individual character. The more I spoke with parents and former student-athletes I realized that this is a common problem that needs to be addressed.
Often parents will put their children in sports before puberty, during which time there are limited Islamic limitations on what either gender can wear. However, parents take their children out of sports once they hit puberty, especially for young girls. Also, many parents never get their kids involved in sports due to their concerns with sports uniforms.
Nearly all sports maintain uniform requirements. These requirements can sometimes be inconsistent with Islamic notions of modesty and dress code. This is especially true in girls' athletics. For example, in field hockey, girls are required to wear skirts, and in swimming, either one-piece or two-piece bathing suit. Of course, Muslim girls who wear the Hijab find no sports other than maybe fencing, in which the Hijab requirements are part of the uniform. The same is true for boys' sports, though fewer sports have uniform issues. For example, In swimming or water polo, boys must wear speedos.
Parents see these issues and preemptively take their children out of sports altogether because they are ignorant of their rights in the U.S.
What All Parents Should Know:
- The U.S. Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment allows students to practice their religious beliefs in interscholastic athletics. In many cases, Schools that receive Federal, State, and Local funding and even Athletic associations are typically required to provide religious accommodations.
- Many Schools and Athletic programs will work with you to find a reasonable accommodation for your child's uniform. The best step is to first speak to the institution about your faith and accommodations and work with them to address the issue.
- Schools and Athletics programs may request a letter explaining your religious belief and why accommodation is needed. You can get an accommodation letter from your local CAIR chapter, but even an Imam or Masjid can draft a letter. These letters do not have to be exhaustive legal and religious arguments that require Scholars to prepare. Instead, these letters can just put the religious accommodation into writing and be on file for your student-athlete. Often these letters are shown to referees before competitions.
- Do your homework and work with the School or Athletic program to understand the uniform requirements and find alternatives that adhere to your religious understanding.
- Example: Our office had a case where we worked to find swimwear accommodation. One requirement is that any swimsuit must-have neutral buoyancy for the wearer. Once a swimsuit was found that matched this and other criteria by athletics and covered the body following Islamic modesty guidelines, we were set.
- Example: If your daughter wears the Hijab and wants to play soccer. Tell the school about sports Hijabs that won't fly off during the game and under sleeves for the arms and legs that can be worn with the soccer uniform.
- The point is to help educate the school and athletics on what clothing accommodation looks like and where to purchase these items.
If you need further help, call CAIR-Texas Austin & DFW (CAIR-TX) or your local CAIR office.
In Shaa Allah, my goal in writing this short article is to encourage Muslim families to have their children play sports and adhere to their religiously held beliefs. These accommodations include uniforms but can also be expanded to the locker room and showers, prayer breaks, fasting, and other accommodations. I'll write about these different areas in the future. The most important thing is to ensure your child can play sports or take them out after first trying to get accommodation.
Alhamdulilah, over the last year, CAIR-TX has helped several families through this process. I'm grateful to the schools and coaches who have helped us have positive results so far. If you need assistance with this process for your child, don't hesitate to contact CAIR-TX at