Respect! For Whom?

"Every school that joins ROPSSAA [Region of Peel Secondary School Athletic Association], it's a voluntary membership. We will continue to adhere strictly to those constitutions and bylaws."
Paul Freier, chairman, ROPSSAA

"We assumed this was a senior boys' league and we thought it was exclusively for boys."
"Understand that free mixing is something that, generally speaking, we do not do, more so out of respect than anything."
"It's got nothing to do with discrimination."
Essa Abdool-Karim, soccer coach, ISNA [independent Islamic school, Mississauga, Ontario

"I said to my coach, 'I'd rather see everybody play. I don't want to ruin this for the rest of the team. Me and the other girl will sit out'."
Carla Biscoe, Caledon, Ontario

Courtesy of Briscoe family    Carla Briscoe, 18, shown in the foreground during a game in December, is a senior at Robert F. Hall Catholic Secondary School in Caledon, Ontario. She is one of two girls on her school’s boys soccer team.

 

Two girls on the senior boys' soccer team representing Robert F. Hall Catholic Secondary School, playing against a team comprised of all boys, were asked by their coach, halfway through a competitive game that had them scoring 3-1, to sit out the rest of the game. The game referee had been advised that the ISNA High team was unable to continue playing as a result of the presence of the two girls on the field.

Carla Briscoe, 18, is an enthusiastic player and wanted nothing more than to get on with the game. Presumably the other girl felt likewise. In a spirit of team cooperation they agreed to sit out the second half of the game. They had no wish to interfere with the rest of their team's play, particularly since some of the team members hadn't yet had their opportunity to get out on the field. It was, to be sure, an uncommon situation.

And the Catholic Secondary School went on to win the game in the end, 6-1. But, according to Paul Freier the rules governing sports in the region are precisely those formulated by the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations. In this instance if a sport is not available to girls at a school they have the right to become part of the boys' team, if they prove capable of success during a tryout. That's equality of opportunity.

An email was sent to the ISNA coach by Mr. Freier to ensure he knew that all schools that join their sports federation must respect those rules. They are free to leave the athletic association should they disagree with any of the rules. "This restraint is considered by some Canadian Muslims to be an expression of personal modesty and is not meant to be regarded as a personal insult or affront". explained Ihsaan Gardee, executive director of the National Council of Canadian Muslims.

He was addressing the issue that in the Muslim faith there is a firm belief that no physical contact should be made with players of the opposite gender during sport events. The genders must not interact. This interpretation of Islamic code perhaps owes quite a bit to social culture and tradition emanating from the country of origin of Muslim Canadians who have emigrated and arrived in Canada to enable their young to have opportunities not available to them in their countries of origin.

The old adage of 'when in Rome' can never be repeated to excess. Respect given to the welcoming culture, particularly one where equality of opportunity is the norm is never misplaced.