Muslim women wear hijabs as a symbol of modesty and faith. They wear hijabs in their everyday life — even in sports. But in order to wear a hijab, Muslim girls have to sign a waiver to participate in sports; however, that has changed in Illinois. 

A hijab means a plethora of things to different people — it symbolizes various social and political ideas, and sometimes it’s a marker of class or personal beliefs. Overall, it’s “a practice rooted in modesty, as outlined in the Quran for both men and women,” the Muslim Women’s Coalition says on their website. 

Hafsa Faiz, a senior at DePaul, says that when she wears a hijab, she feels “empowered” because she can choose how she is seen.

“I recognize every other woman who wears it and who’s representing something greater than herself; that in itself to me is empowerment,” Faiz said. 

Illinois passed the “Inclusive Athletic Attire Act” in September 2021. This “allows student-athletes in Illinois to modify their uniform to match any cultural, religious or personal preferences they may have without facing any penalties or disqualifications during competitions, like wearing longer sleeves, full-length pants or playing in hijab.” 

The executive director of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA), Craig Anderson, said that before the act came into effect, each school would send a letter to the IHSA and request an exception to that sport’s playing rules for a student’s attire. 

“Our office would send a letter back affirming that the student was permitted to participate with the exception,” Anderson said. “This letter was taken by the coach of that school to each game in case there was a question by officials.”

Now things have changed — Illinois was the first state to pass an act like this, followed by Ohio’s Noor Act in February 2022 and Maryland’s Inclusive Athletic Attire Act in April 2022. 

Maaria Mozaffar, the legislative attorney who drafted the Illinois bill, said sports are a way that students feel like they are part of a community, and it is important to make them feel like they belong. 

“The Inclusive Athletic Attire (Act) is written to include anyone who wants to play and compete without having the restriction of uniform policies that don’t have any correlation with how good of an athlete you are,” Mozaffar said. 

Mozaffar said the bill sends the message that a student’s athletic ability is more important than what they are wearing. If a uniform makes them uncomfortable, they should be able to wear attire that helps them compete even if that includes wearing more modest clothing, according to Mozaffar.

Athletic wear companies are also making more inclusive clothing as well. Nike started selling their Pro Hijab line in 2017 and a swim hijab in 2020. Lululemon started selling hijabs in 2022. The New York Times shared that Kiandra Browne, a senior Duquesne women’s basketball player, started her own small business that sells affordable modest athletic wear; she gets the activewear from a small family in Pakistan.  

While there has been positive progress, there are also setbacks. In 2009, Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir was the first ever NCAA Division I student athlete to wear a hijab. When she played basketball in high school, she would get made fun of.

“The fans would laugh and point at me,” Abdul-Qaadir told Mass Live. “There was one game … when this kid said I look like Osama bin Laden’s niece. The gym was quiet and it was embarrassing, scary and it (sucked).”

Because of moments like these, there has been more progression on Muslim women who wear hijabs in sports. Mozaffar said the feedback since the Act was passed has been positive and many young Muslim women who have tried out for sports have become part of teams at their school. 

“The IHSA has been so supportive,” Mozaffar said. “So it’s opened up a door. It’s opened up a new way of experiencing their talent. It’s been fantastic.” 

Faiz says that just because she “follows her religion in a certain way,” it doesn’t mean she can’t accomplish the things she wants.

“The fact that another young girl can see a hijabi basketball player, a hijabi ballet dancer, a hijabi swimmer; I think that in itself speaks its own volumes and it shows that there is representation everywhere,” Faiz said. “Just because you look different, it does not take away from your abilities and your capabilities.”

Faiz said she met U.S. Olympian Ibtihaj Muhammad, who was the first American to wear a hijab in the Olympics. Muhammad was a fencer in the 2016 Rio Olympics — she won a bronze medal with the women’s sabre team. 

“Seeing these women playing sports and being on the big screens, I really have a big hope that it’s going to change the narrative and change what’s normal,” Faiz said.

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