Judo and hijab

Opening address

Dear friends,

                    in spite of the increasing number of visits we are receiving from English-speaking countries, this is our first article in English. It is, in fact, an adapted translation of another article previously published in Italian. We hope, though, that by bringing attention to this particular topic, it is possible to stir a well-mannered debate about what can do, as judo athletes and instructors, and where we see ourselves.

Why, and why now

Immigration and integration-related problems, or opportunities, have been consistently debated in recent times, both publicly and on social media. It is a very pressing and important theme that encompasses all citizens of all nations in which these phenomena are at work. Given that everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion (we don't believe in gender neutrality hear. No offence meant), I thought about writing a bit of a provocatory article and see if it is possible to trigger a debate. As martial artists, as citizens of nations where immigration is rampant and where integration is increasingly needed, what stance do we take? Where on the spectrum do we place ourselves?

A few facts

Discussing sensitive themes like themes is complicated by a series of factors, such as a general lack on correct and concrete information and the inevitable difficulty to access authentic resources, because speaking Arabic, and Quranic Arabic in particular, isn't something everybody can do. 

However, there are a few well-established facts that can be summarized as follows. 

1.  The so-called "veil" is hotly debated within the muslim community, for two reasons many: first, there is no religious authority to sanction any of the positions in a clean-cut for all the muslims on the planet, like the Pope would for Catholicism.Second, the most important source of all, the Quran, speaks about it with some degree of ambiguity. The most quoted Sura about "veiling" is Sura 24 which, at Verse 31, admonishes women to "draw their khimār over their bosom". The word khimār is generally understood ad a garment which covers the head, not the face, hence three possible interpretations: a) the verse is telling women to cover their bosom by draping their khimār on their shoulders. b)  the Sura is telling women to draw the edges of the garment over their bosom, thus covering the hair and the ears but leaving the face uncovered. c) Drawing their khimār straight over the face, and thus covering the bosom.
2. The female practice of partially or totally covering a one's head is generally referred to as hijāb, from the Arabic root h-j-b, which means "to render invisible, to hide". However, the word technically means "screen", not veil.
3. Hijāb is a part of a broader admonishment about being modest which is addressed to both men (for example, they grow a beard, they shouldn't wear trousers the leave the knees exposed, she shouldn't bare their midriff, they shouldn't wear silk unless it's for medical reasons etc.) and women ( the shouldn't wear tight or reavealing clothes, she shouldn't attract attetion etc.). The reason why the standards are different is because men and women are objectively different, and so must be the rules applying to them. 
4. The practice of hijāb is supported and criticized by both men and women alike. Some, like Moroccan sociologist Fatima Mernissi, maintain that it is a discriminating tradition with no explicit roots in the by the Quran, whereas others, with many women amongst them, state that it is a declaration of cultural identity, and a form of protection against the exploitment of female beauty.
5. The practice of hijāb is not unique to the Islamic civilization and it was not born with it, with the earliest know instances going as far back as Assyrian legislation in Mesopothamia.

A Japanese research

A group of students from Tōkai gakuin University, whose surnames are  Hizuka, Koumoto, Yamada, Uemizu, Satou and Shirose, have produced a short paper which translated below
(click to see the original Japanese version)

CONCERNING THE INCREASING PARTICIPATION OF MUSLIM FEMALE ATHLETES TO JUDO COMPETITIONS, AND CONCERNING THE FOULARD.

Introduction
Kōdōkan jūdō was founded by Kanō Jigōrō in 1882, with the Female section taking its first steps in 1926. After the war, the activities spread overseas, and  jūdō was introduced formally as an Olympic discipline at the Olympic Games Tōkyō in 1964 and Barcelona in 1992, for males and females categories respectively. 
Nowadays, there are 195 nations affiliated to the Internation Jūdō Association. In recent years, male athletes from the Islamic area have been obtaining consistently better results, winning many olympic medals and world competitions. However, a victory scored by a female athlete from the Islamic area in formal competitions has yet to be recorded. 
In this present work we have conducted a research project to determine whether one of the factors can that hinder the diffusion of female jūdō  in the Islamic area is the foulard (veil) which is wrapped around the head. These are the partial results we have obtained. 

Method
The experiment conducted for the present project consisted in participating to a randori training session while wearing a hooded t shirt, a garment which is suitable for jūdō while at the same time being similar to the foulard. At the end of the training session, we have submitted a survey to 20 participants, then we have collected and weighted the data. The topics of the survey ranged from the material of the hood, whether the athlete felt that wearing a hood was advantegeous or disadvantegeous for the execution of both tachi waza and ne waza in randori, whether the companion wearing a hood was advantageous or disadvantageous, whether wearing a hood didn't hinder the application of okueri, whether it didn't hinder the application of shime waza in ne waza etc. 

Results and evaluations:
Concerning the material, 20 people out of 20 said that they were worried about reduced visibility and the risk of the hood slipping backwords. 19 out of 20 said that transpiration was an issue. Therefore, the hood was problematic and in need of improvements.
When facing off in tachiwaza against a partner who was wearing the hood, the majority of athletes, 17 out of 20, said that they perceived no particular difficulty. There was a small number of athletes among those who wore the hood, 6 out of 20 for shime waza and 8 out of 20 for kansetsu waza, who said they felt impeded while trying to retract or to attack a partner who was defending on all fours. It was observed that working on shime waza and kansetsu waza while wearing the hood was more disadvantageous. 
Wearing the hood is more likely to influence ne waza than tachi waza. In particular, some improvements are required to stop it from influencing negatively the application of shime waza

Now, what say you?

I personally find nothing wrong with the practice of hijāb, so long as it is a free choice, and therefore have no objection against allowing athletes to practice jūdō while wearing hijāb. I actually think it could help bridge the gap to a different way of conceiving the relationship with one's body the relatioship between different genders, thereby easing that process of integration that is presently faltering more or less everywhere. .

I'll be looking forward to your comments which, I'm sure, will all be well mannered, constructive and respectful of diversity.

Acqua Autunnale

Gasshō _/\_