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[Tim]

It is the first time in the history of Saudi Arabia to have sent or to have been represented by female athletes in the London 2012 Olympics, as a country that strictly followed what the Qur'an and Hadith have prescribed for the modesty of Muslim women's dress code, though in 2010 Singapore Youth Olympics Saudi Arabia sent "Dalma Rushdi Malhas, with her horse Flash Top Hat, [who] took part in the individual jumping event in equestrian, and won a bronze medal, the country's only medal at those Games". There are two Muslim female Saudi-athletes competing in London 2012 Olympic Games: Wojdan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shaherkani and Sarah Attar who have just competed in Judo and in Track and Field, respectively. Their participations are considered a milestone so that Saudi Arabia "wouldn’t be left as the sole country among [the] 204 nations at these Summer Games without a female representative". The other two countries are Brunei Darussalam and Qatar- all fielding female participants in the Olympics for the first time this year.

The 18-year-old Shaherkani ( another account says she is 16 ) was trained by her father. She competed in a judo outfit with a tight-fitting black modified head covering. On the other hand, the 19-year old Attar (in another yahoo news it says she is 17) was wearing a white hood, long-sleeved green top and black leggings. She described her participation in the Summer Olympics as "an incredible experience" and she further said with pride, "it is the hugest honour to be here to represent the women of Saudi Arabia,"

Sarah Attar, though "finished last and more than 30 seconds slower than her nearest competitor on the women's 800 meter race on Wednesday",gained recognition and was welcomed across the finish line with a laudable standing ovation from the crowd of spectators and Olympic enthusiasts.

"A thunderously welcoming audience at the ExCeL Centre embraced the shy young woman when she emerged from the tunnel to take her parade place at the edge of the arena, inhaling deeply the sight and sounds of a spectacle in which she was the unlikely starring character" .Indeed, they both are unlikely the starring charcters. They both lose but it's not the winning that matters. It is their participation that counts, and "that couldn't be more true for Saudi Arabia's first female athlete[s]".

It is notably saddening that some non-Muslim columnists like Rosie DiManno (http://www.thestar.c...ated-in-seconds) still viewed the Muslim female hijab as a sign of backwardness and being primitive, saying its like a stone age era. Speaking of those primitive era, people were all naked regardless of gender and age. If we relate it to our present situation, it is not the Muslim women who are fully covered that are backward and being primitive. It is those who are exposing their body parts that are the most like the primitive women.

Whatever it takes for Muslim women to be involved in sports competition, it is the issue of choosing the right sport events that matters, and which should not compromise their identity as a real Muslim women who wear hijab. It is indeed a matter of exquisitely blending their faith and sports (http://www.moreformu...orts/#entry3918).


Reference:

1. http://www.thestar.c...ated-in-seconds

2. http://www.telegraph...e-in-hijab.html

3. http://www.tntmagazi...t-wins-applause

4. http://en.wikipedia....iki/Sarah_Attar

5. http://en.wikipedia....a_Rushdi_Malhas

6. http://en.wikipedia....jdan_Shahrkhani

7. http://edition.cnn.c...etes/index.html