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The recent Olympic Games, however, have reignited<br />

my desire to do something about my<br />

health and become more active. Watching the<br />

female Olympians participating in sport and<br />

breaking barriers (in their respective sports<br />

and in some cases, cultures) was very inspirational<br />

to me.<br />

So for myself, as well as other sisters in<br />

hijab who are looking for sport-friendly options,<br />

here are a few sport hijabs available on<br />

the market:<br />

CAPSTERS<br />

A recognised player in this niche, Capsters has<br />

been synonymous with sport hijabs for some<br />

time. Their products are known for their quality.<br />

Most Capsters sport hijabs feature a fussfree<br />

Velcro mechanism, ensuring comfort for<br />

their wearers while allowing the hijab to be<br />

pulled off quickly and safely should the need<br />

arise.<br />

dry, breathability for comfort, and lightweight,’<br />

says Fatima. ‘But another big requirement was<br />

that it should appear like regular hijab.’<br />

Indeed, the hijab looks good enough for<br />

everyday use, and this is further helped with<br />

the wide range of colours available. The Friniggi<br />

sports hijab comes in 15 colours to suit the<br />

tastes of the customer and also comes in specific<br />

sizes. Although selecting your size might<br />

be slightly confusing, Fatima is very helpful<br />

in assisting you to select the best fit to ensure<br />

your comfort.<br />

QUEENDOM ATHLETICA BASICS<br />

Like the other sport hijab variants, Queendom’s<br />

Athletica hijab is a high quality, easyto-wear<br />

one-piece slip-on. Interestingly, the<br />

hijabs are made of bamboo and organic cotton,<br />

which are breathable, absorbent and block UV<br />

rays to protect your skin. An inner hair-reinforcement<br />

keeps the hair off your neck inside<br />

the hijab.<br />

EXERCISE IN COMFORT<br />

Although sports hijabs are on the market,<br />

some Muslim women may find it difficult to<br />

find suitable workout attire. I took a trip to a<br />

sports retail chain recently and noticed that<br />

there were very few long-sleeved shirts available.<br />

The ones I miraculously found were far too<br />

indecently tight for any hijabi to wear.<br />

I’ve noticed that many Muslim women in<br />

my area wear tight long-sleeved dry-fit shirts<br />

and layer over with a loose T-shirt, or opt for<br />

sport jackets, to stay modest and still look<br />

great. This alternative is less than optimal,<br />

however it works if nothing better is available.<br />

You could also wear a comfortable loosefit<br />

long-sleeved cotton T-shirt from high street<br />

stores like Uniqlo or Forever 21 while exercising,<br />

though you would have to compromise on<br />

SPORTS HIJABS 4 MUSLIM<br />

Their hijabs in the sport range (they have<br />

several models of hijabs catered to different<br />

sports) are made with lightweight, breathable<br />

and stretchable material, making them<br />

extremely comfortable to wear. Interestingly,<br />

they make hijabs for water and winter sports<br />

as well.<br />

One qualm I have is that the hijabs do not<br />

cover the chest area, which is important to<br />

me when I run. Fortunately, I have heard rumours<br />

that they’ll soon be coming out with a<br />

chest-covering model in the sport range.<br />

FRINIGGI<br />

This athletics brand catered to Muslim women<br />

is based in Botswana. It was established when<br />

its owner, Fatima, identified a gap in the market<br />

for comfortable, modest, yet well-designed<br />

sportswear for active Muslim women in hijab<br />

like her. She then meticulously designed her<br />

line, which includes a chest-covering sports<br />

hijab, to ensure comfort for its users.<br />

‘I wanted a sports hijab that had all the<br />

performance requirements for high-impact<br />

sports: moisture-wicking to keep you cool and<br />

RESPORTON<br />

ResportOn started as a graduate project for<br />

designer Elham Seyed Javad, who wanted to<br />

create a functional, uncomplicated and comfortable<br />

hijab for Muslim athletes who’d been<br />

expelled from a taekwondo competition because<br />

of their hijabs. She sought to create a<br />

piece that could cover the head while maximising<br />

athletes’ performance by avoiding the need<br />

to frequently adjust their hijabs.<br />

What she designed was the ResportOn,<br />

which is like a sleeveless hoody top that keeps<br />

the headpiece in place. It is lightweight, uses<br />

dry-fit material and is highly comfortable. The<br />

ResportOn is particularly good for sports that<br />

require a lot of movement, and isn’t limited<br />

solely to Muslim women. Athletes, including<br />

men, who want to keep their hair out of their<br />

face when exercising have also expressed interest<br />

in the ResportOn. The hijab made an appearance<br />

at the Olympics on the head of Sarah<br />

Attar, who competed for Saudi Arabia in the<br />

800m event. A new variation of the ResportOn<br />

that is detached from the hoody top will be<br />

available soon.<br />

dry-fit comfort. If dry-fit material is important<br />

to you, Friniggi offers specialty sports tops for<br />

Muslim women.<br />

Thankfully, though, comfortable track<br />

pants are aplenty in sports stores, with my favourite<br />

being from Nike. Their innovative dryfit<br />

options ensure your modesty while keeping<br />

you comfortable.<br />

EASING THE TRANSITION<br />

These players on the market have varying designs,<br />

but they agree on at least two things: Hijabs<br />

should not deter their wearers from playing<br />

sports, and Muslim women should go out<br />

and lead active lifestyles.<br />

There’s still considerable controversy surrounding<br />

hijabis in sport – the 2007 FIFA ban<br />

on hijabs (recently lifted) and the case of Saudi<br />

Arabian Judoka Wodjan Shahrkhani, who was<br />

almost banned from competing at the Olympics,<br />

are just two examples.<br />

So it is my hope that these well-designed,<br />

comfortable and safe hijabs will help to ease<br />

the transition to full acceptance of hijabi athletes<br />

by sporting bodies and associations.<br />

18<br />

credit: http://www.aquila-style.com/fashionbeauty/sports-hijabs-for-the-active-muslimah/18719

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