The scene of a hijabi Muslim girl playing football is not a familiar one in Lagos, Nigeria.
Yet, for Abdulazzez Zulfah, a 17-year-old Muslimah, the challenge is even more difficult.
“My mum left me when I was six months old, but my grandma picked me up when I was one and a half. And ever since I have been living with her,” Zulfah told The BBC.
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When she is not training on the pitch, she sells candies and sweets at the Ojota Bridge in Lagos as a means of helping out her family.
“I sell cola, sweets, and other things like that in Ojota, Lagos and I am a football player,” she said.
“Selling [these items] under Ojota bridge is difficult, but I see hope in myself.”
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Zulfah believes her hijab is not a hindrance but an inspiration for other Muslim girls who may be interested in sports.
“A lot of people encourage me a lot while selling under the bridge to keep pushing and I am going to be there one day,” she said.
“After years of constant training, I joined Oasis football club in Lagos state and it was very amazing. We play together and I have great teammates.
“Hijab is my identity. It shouldn’t be a barrier to achieving one’s dream.”
Islam sees hijab as an obligatory code of dress, not a religious symbol displaying one’s affiliations.
Zulfah is one of many Nigerian Hijabi girls making headlines recently.
Just few weeks ago, Shatu Garko, an 18-year-old, became the first hijabi Muslim to win the Miss Nigeria pageant since its inception in 1957.
A few months earlier in August, Fareedah Oyolola from Lagos, Nigeria, was named one of the world’s brightest students by the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY).
The post On Playing Football with Hijab, Muslim Girl Reveals Challenges appeared first on About Islam.
source https://aboutislam.net/muslim-issues/world/on-playing-football-with-hijab-muslim-girl-reveals-challenges/
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