07 September 2015

Could a sports hijab boost number of Muslim women playing sport?

Sport England's latest participation figures suggest less than one in five Muslim females exercise at least once a week - lower than any other faith group.

Could a sports hijab make a difference? A martial arts champion from east London thinks so - and the BBC Asian Network has found out more.

.... Qamar Musaad, a 16-year-old from Manchester, admits it sometimes feels uncomfortable wearing a normal hijab when playing basketball.

"Sometimes when you're playing, you have to wrap it around again and stuff like that," she said.

She also says some Muslim girls are just not interested in sport or are lazy.

Amina Ismail, a 23-year-old from London, says she is not sporty but would get "so hot" when wearing a headscarf during PE lessons at school. [BBC] Read more