2 weeks ago
"Some group don't spot it arsenic correct that if you're a Muslim woman, you're moving astir and playing sports successful beforehand of people."
Rehana Khalil is nan only jock to person represented a Great Britain hoops squad while wearing a hijab.
"If I deliberation of hoops successful England, location isn't anybody other that I've seen who's from a South Asian background, is Pakistani, is Muslim and wears a hijab," she says.
Khalil plays and coaches successful Manchester.
She takes complaint of nan under-12s programme for Manchester Mystics and plays for their elder squad successful nan Women's National Basketball League Division 1 - nan second-highest level of title successful England.
This play she has picked up nan league's subordinate of nan week honour, featured successful squad of nan week 4 times and has been selected to beryllium an all-star.
The 38-year-old has played for Great Britain's over-35s squad for nan past 3 years and will correspond them this summertime astatine nan European Championship successful Italy.
"I deliberation I guidelines retired because I don't cognize immoderate different female, Asian, Muslim hoops coaches aliases players, particularly wrong Manchester," Khalil says.
But her way done nan athletics has travel pinch its ain challenges.
"There was a clip wherever wrong basketball, you weren't allowed to deterioration a hijab and that evidently changed."
At nan opening of her career, she did not deterioration a hijab.
Starting astatine nan Mystics astatine under-16 level, Khalil represented Great Britain under-20s astatine nan 2006 European Championship.
In nan early 2010s she changed her priorities and took a hiatus from her hoops career, and it was during this clip that she made nan determination to deterioration a hijab.
"I didn't screen astatine first but past I thought - I'm going to return a break, if I'm going to spell backmost and play I want to [wear a hijab] - and astatine that clip nan prohibition was still successful place."
The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) had a prohibition connected headgear, meaning athletes could not participate while wearing belief headwear specified arsenic hijabs, turbans and yarmulkes.
Khalil explains: "I retrieve that was a deterrent. I thought, good I can't play basketball."
In 2017 FIBA lifted nan ban, meaning players did not person to determine betwixt religion and sport.
"People conscionable want to beryllium capable to participate comfortably. I perchance would person travel backmost earlier if that norm wasn't successful place."
Clothing is conscionable 1 of nan galore barriers Muslim women whitethorn look erstwhile looking to participate successful a sport.
"There are galore factors that travel into play erstwhile someone's wanting to beryllium progressive successful athletics - culture, religion, really you're perceived by others, really you will beryllium perceived by nan community."
Another hurdle that she sometimes faces is erstwhile shaking hands astatine nan extremity of a game, arsenic 1 of her belief practices is to debar beingness interaction pinch males.
"I do person to opportunity to nan officials that I don't do interaction pinch males, and immoderate of them benignant of look astatine maine funny, but they conscionable don't understand it.
"I person to explicate that it's because of belief reasons."
Khalil is helping to amended nan hoops organization connected different belief practices.
Recently, she received Basketball England's Inspiring Female of nan Year grant for nan northbound westbound region.
Joe Forber, Manchester Mystics co-founder and erstwhile Sports Personality of nan Year Unsung Hero award-winner, described Khalil arsenic a "role model".
"She is an illustration to people. Somebody that you tin look up to, a domiciled model, ever teaches you things nan correct measurement and nan grant couldn't spell to a amended person."
