What is FIBA?
International Basketball Federation also known as FIBA is a national governing body of basketball that determines the Official Basketball Rules, which is applied to all International and Olympic competitions. This organization was established by 215 National Federations of basketball worldwide. FIBA controls and governs the approval of international referees. They are also in charge of transferring as well as regulating players from one country to another.
FIBA's article 4.4.2 bans "headgear," because "they may cause injury to other players." This includes hair accessories and jewelry; head bands can be no longer than 5 centimeters in width. This rule affects Muslim women who wish to play in international competitions such as the World Cup and Olympics as well as just about every professional league in the world. FIBA agreed to have a two-year "testing phase" to explore the possibility of lifting the headgear ban. But this trial period still does not allow the only two young women, Bilqis and Kaljo to play pro basketball in a FIBA-endorsed league because it would be in a violation to the "anti-hijab" rule. This testing phase is only within national federations not in independent pro leagues, this meant that Bilqis could only play wearing a hijab on Team USA. She could not play wearing a hijab in other countries internationally. The hijab ban is a discriminatory practice that should be eliminated. http://muslimmatters.org/2014/09/19/fiba-ruling-on-hijab-ban-is-too-little-too-lame/ |
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