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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