Eman fighting more than just her opponent on the mat

Abu Dhabi // Just over two weeks ago, Eman Mohammed and two other female jiu-jitsu fighters from the UAE national team withdrew from the European Open Jiu-Jitsu Championship in Lisbon, Portugal.

After tournament rules prevented them from wearing the hijab, the headscarf worn by some Muslim women, Eman and her teammates decided their “religion comes first over taking part in a tournament”.

On Saturday, at the Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu Cup inside the new 6,000-seater FGB arena in Abu Dhabi, Eman won gold in the blue belt, 69kg category, and she had her hijab on.

Whether or not female participants are allowed to wear the hijab while competing has become a bit of an issue. The decision depends on participation rules for specific tournaments and federations and in Lisbon, as Eman explained, they were offered an alternative.

“In judo they allow head gear – which is similar to a swimming cap – which covers only head and ears but not the neck and that was an option,” she said. “But the neck is exposed, which defeats the purpose. For me, my religion comes first over taking part in a tournament so we decided to withdraw.

“We were disappointed to miss out on the competition, but we stood our ground. It was about safeguarding our religious belief and so it was OK. They didn’t understand how much these things mean to us and if we didn’t have a problem in fighting with hijab, I don’t understand why they have a problem.”

It is an issue that the former UAE women’s coach Caroline de Lazzer began raising nearly two years ago. At the time, Emirati women had not competed in tournaments abroad and De Lazzer called on the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) to lift the hijab ban.

De Lazzer raised an interesting point at the time. Women are allowed to wear a garment under their fighting kit while men are not.

“If the IBJJF feel that wearing a T-shirt or a garment for men could be dangerous, then it also applies to the female fighters,” she told The National. “They say an undergarment can get fingers entangled, but that is not so in the case for the female fighters. Like the women have to wear a garment for modesty, the Muslim women have to cover the hair for similar reasons. In my opinion, they should be given the right to wear a safe, Velcro-opening headscarf.”

Eman’s immediate concern, however, is whether she will be able to take part in the Abu Dhabi World Championship later this year. She said she needs at least six weeks to prepare, but as with many Emirati sportspersons, balancing that with a work schedule is difficult.

“I’m happy with the result here and was training hard for this tournament,” she said. “The competition was also good so hopefully, with this result, my office will allow me more time to train for the world championships later this year.

“It becomes difficult to get leaves ahead of a tournament as I had taken leave for the tournament in Portugal earlier this year. If you want to compete against the best, you have to spend more time training.”

osamiuddin@thenational.ae

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