Muslim Council of Montreal welcomes FIFA’s reversal of hijab ban for soccer playersJuly 8, 2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Montreal, Quebec, July 8th, 2012- The Muslim Council of Montreal (MCM) applauded the recent announcement from FIFA to overturn its ban on hijab for Muslim female soccer players. “We welcome this decision, which both protects the individual rights and freedoms of the players and also ensures safety and comfort during athletic play and sport,” stated Salam Elmenyawi, president of MCM. “While some would seek to pass laws that are discriminatory and violate our basic freedoms of religion and expression, FIFA has demonstrated that the ban was not about passing judgement on the religious dress code of its players, but rather about safeguarding its players’ well-being. We applaud them for taking the necessary steps to fully investigate the matter and come to a reasonable solution.” FIFA’s International Football Association Board reversed the ban that was placed on the wearing of hijab in FIFA competitions five years ago.
Two prototypes of sport hijabs have been approved, which FIFA’s medical committee have determined do not pose a threat to player safety on the field.
Salam Elmenyawi Muslim Council of Montreal (MCM) Ph.: (514) 748-8427 E-mail: muslimcouncil@gmail.com Website: http://www.muslimcouncil.org The Muslim Council of Montreal (MCM) is an umbrella
organization representing a number of Islamic institutions in the Montreal
region. There are over 275,000 Muslims in Montreal, about 1,200,000 in Canada
and 1.9 billion worldwide. -30-
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Muslim Council of Montreal
The Muslim Council of Montreal (MCM) is an umbrella organization representing number of Muslim institutions in the Montreal region.
