When identity collides with uniformity

There is no reasonable objective why the NCAA would not allow

Armstrong to modify her team’s uniform to meet with the standards of

her faith. Armstrong’s uniform could easily resemble the style, color

and fabric that the team wears, but modified -- a longer version.

Those who argue that her uniform would become a distraction must also

hold the view that clear facemasks worn by some athletes are also

distracting -- it’s an empty argument.

Just as athletes have all the rights to protect their health, they

should also have the right not to compromise their faith. Her

modified uniform would be in unison with her teammates. Her modified

uniform would not be a threat to her or her teammates or her

opponents. And those who believe that her performance will be

hampered should look to the all-time best basketball player, Kareem

Abdul Jabbar, who used to fast (no food or water from sunrise to

sunset) during his games.

IMAM SAYED MOUSTAFA

AL-QAZWINI

Islamic Educational Center

of Orange County

Costa Mesa

Hallelujah for someone deciding faith is more important than

sports! Today, Sundays are becoming the most popular day for soccer

matches, marathons and the like.

My family honors a day of rest, which, according to the traditions

of our faith, happens on a Sunday. We don’t shop, clean or do laundry

on Sundays. We go to worship and enjoy spending time together. My

children are learning that if something conflicts with a sporting or

school event, that event loses, no questions asked.

I know of some sports and cheer teams that will not allow students

to participate if they can’t participate on Sundays. We often have

entire families missing from services or rushing out so they can be

at an event. It is a shame that we have come to such a secular place

in our culture that sports and activity take precedence over what

truly gives people meaning and purpose -- their faith.

I often remind our people of the movie “Chariots of Fire.” In this

true story, a young Scotsman (Eric Liddell) is convinced that God

made him fast, and he wants to glorify God with his athleticism. He

makes the 1924 British Olympic team but decides to sit out a race

because it was to be held on a Sunday. There is great controversy and

even royal pressure applied to get him to betray his faith and

conscience. He does not run, yet goes on to win a medal anyway. Eric

ended up as a missionary in China.

I applaud Andrea Armstrong for making this very real distinction

in values. She should be encouraged to continue her education,

regardless of the NCAA decision. It would be a shame if someone does

not step into the gap and replace the scholarship she has lost. We

cannot forget that basketball was a means for paying for her

education.

Having said that, should the NCAA allow her to wear clothing that

meets strict Islamic requirements? The clothing should not be

anything that could give her an advantage or trip, distract, hurt or

hinder another player. A reasonable balance is achievable. Let’s go

back to the America that revered religious values rather than

punished people for them.

SENIOR ASSOCIATE PASTOR

RIC OLSEN

Harbor Trinity

Costa Mesa

International athletic organizations should be able to provide

substantial guidance for our NCAA on this one.

I think I saw some women competing wearing scarfs while watching

the recent Athens Olympics on television, but I do not recall long

pants or tops with long sleeves. Surely there are guidelines covering

clothing athletes may or may not wear in such international

competitions.

It is time for the NCAA to reconsider its rule that all players

must wear the same uniform, as I’ve seen some variations (different

shoes, pads, wraps, wrist and head bands) on local intercollegiate

athletes. Making a statement about wearing religious clothing in NCAA

events is overdue.

Organized religious groups might well consider what clothing their

members must wear while engaging in athletic events: Must Muslim

athletes always wear long pants and long sleeves? Must Episcopalians

always wear items from L. L. Bean’s catalog? Whatever the NCAA rules

about religious clothing, I hope the University of South Florida

maintains Andrea Armstrong’s scholarship.

If she must choose between her faith commitment and athletic

participation, she should be comforted by the many stories of

athletes making significant choices for religious reasons. At the top

of my list is Eric Liddell, the “flying Scotsman,” passing up an

opportunity to compete for a second gold medal at the 1924 Olympic

games in Paris because it would have required him to compete on his

Sabbath.

Shawn Green is also high on my list; the Los Angeles Times has

said that the faithful Jew will sit out a crucial game in the pennant

race today in observance of Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement.

I have known local amateur athletes who have declined to compete on

their Sabbaths. Honoring such priorities goes hand-in-hand with

religious commitment and, of course, leads to greater enjoyments.

THE VERY REV’D CANON

PETER D. HAYNES

Saint Michael & All Angels

Episcopal Church

Corona del Mar

There is something about the word “uniform” that means, well ...

uniform.

Baseball All-Star Dave Parker used to wear a Star of David

necklace, even though he was not Jewish. He said his name was David

and that he was a star.

Now, it is one thing to wear such a necklace, or to wear a small

head covering securely fastened to prevent it falling off and causing

injury. This strikes me as within the bounds of conformity with the

ideal of team spirit.

In the clash between religion and athletics, where a choice is to

be made between sports and observance, the extreme of wearing pants

when others wear shorts, wearing a head covering when others do not,

wearing long sleeves when others do not even wear short sleeves, is

excessive and puts too much of a burden on the desire to accommodate

religious sensibilities.

A baseball player may hike his pants to his knees in the old style

or wear them to his ankles, but he is still wearing the same uniform

as his teammates. What if a person’s faith mandated never cutting the

hair? Or if a religion commanded its adherents to avoid wearing a

certain color?

A uniform enhances the team culture and cohesion. It represents

tradition. It is a positive factor in team morale and decisive in

maintaining esprit de corps. We communicate a great deal through our

clothing, and it is important that each teammate reflect that he is

one of the “us,” the “we.”

Small modifications may, with permission, be legitimately

introduced. But dramatically standing out from one’s teammates

through wearing a completely different uniform introduces more

individuality than a team should allow.

RABBI MARK S. MILLER

Temple Bat Yam

Newport Beach

I am not interested in what people wear, whether it’s maroon robe

with shoulder bared, a nun’s veil and habit, yarmulkes, chador or any

other clothing intended to make a statement about one’s religious

identity or affiliations.

In the Zen tradition, calling attention to oneself as Zen Buddhist

or using Zen to seem special is referred to as “stinking of Zen.”

Important religious issues are: “Is the war in Iraq a just war?”

“Is factory farming moral?” “Is torture ever a means justified by the

ends, as claimed by some about Abu Ghraib?” “Why was so little done

to prevent genocide in Rwanda?” “Why is clergy sexual abuse so

prevalent?”

There is a long list of momentous matters calling for the voices

and action of people committed to our nation’s diverse religious

traditions.

For me, issues concerning hair length, jeans at school and

tie-dyed T-shirts were settled in the ‘60s. It has disturbed me to

lead memorial services where the adult children of the deceased

appeared in flip-flops and Bermudas, but I would not favor laws or

rules against it.

Students are permitted to wear religious garb at public schools.

This is a clear example of the First Amendment right to the free

exercise of religion.

Since it is so well established in other situations, one has to

wonder if the controversy here is related to the fact that this

involves a woman athlete and/or the expression of a Muslim tradition.

I think a uniform that matches that of the team, yet complies with

the player’s religious beliefs, could be easily designed. The

religious liberty of all should take precedence over a literal

interpretation of NCAA uniform rules as well as my personal

preferences and opinions about religious garb.

REV. DR. DEBORAH BARRETT

Zen Center of Orange County

Costa Mesa