"When 17-year-old Maryam Muhammed heads to practise at the Model Queens Football Academy in Ilorin, she endures the intense heat made more challenging by her hijab and leggings and community criticism. They tell me I will not achieve anything. But I believe I will achieve something big, she says, despite regularly encountering taunts on her way to training. Though sometimes uncomfortable, maintaining modest dress while playing is non-negotiable for her."
"FIFA initially banned hijabs in 2007 on safety grounds, resulting in Iran's women's team being excluded from a 2012 Olympic qualifier. The restriction was eased in 2012 and fully lifted in 2014. Morocco's Nouhaila Benzina made history as the first hijab-wearing player at a senior women's World Cup in 2023. Kehinde Muhammed, Maryam's mother, has weathered criticism for supporting her daughter's passion. So many people discouraged me, she admitted. But I respect my children's decisions. I support her and keep praying for her."
Young women in Kwara, a Muslim-majority state in north-central Nigeria, are defying cultural expectations by playing football and embracing the sport's camaraderie and competitive spirit. Players face community criticism and taunts for training in hijabs and leggings, enduring intense heat and social disapproval while insisting on modest dress. Maryam Muhammed, 17, remains determined and views maintaining the hijab as non-negotiable. FIFA's hijab restrictions were eased in 2012 and lifted in 2014, and Nouhaila Benzina later appeared at the 2023 World Cup. Parents and coaches are working to persuade communities, but some resistance persists.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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