Islam’s View on Physical Activity and Sport Essay Example

hopes to recognize what Islam thinks about sports and if there are any valid reasons for Muslim women to participate in sports.

Chapter (I)

Introduction

Certainly, Islam is credited for its adherence to the teachings of the Quran. Secondly, the religion requires its members to fully submit to Allah as the only God, and Mohammed as His prophet in all their endeavors and activity where sport is not an exemption (Ruthven, 2006). Human beings are prone to social activities among them games and sports (Loy, 2008), which could affect different members of the society differently with regard to the interests and status which could be defined by gender and other issues. Sports are beneficial to the body functioning as they greatly involve physical exertion of the body parts including metal activity and putting into application the skills that are required in given games with respect to their rules and regulations (Bailey et al, 2009). Sports can involve teamwork, yet some other sports are self-reliant to the efforts of a particular participant.

Ideally, it is so important to note that Islam encourages extreme cohesion of the belief of Islam within the diverse sporting contexts to avoid breaking the norms of the religion. These regulations are clearly stated at the Sharia and have been emphasized over time in the history of Islam. Training is among the basic requirements for perfection in sports (Testa, & Amara, 2016). This is the ultimate level for the sports people to develop the relevant skills that they are expected to apply as they play. However, all this should be done with respect to the Islamic moral guidelines and teachings (Testa, & Amara, 2016). Certainly, there are

some factors which can hinder Muslims from involvement to sport or participation in general but particularly women specifically when the sport at hand requires the players to expose their body parts. The barriers include hijab bans in some sports as this is the expected dress code (Jawad et al, 2007). Keeping in mind that Islam is intolerant to its beliefs and teachings, it is, therefore, clear that women’s performance in some games will be greatly affected. Imagine playing football or participation in any other athletic sport in a hijab against a team that is well dressed with regard to the dress code of that game. Some cultures based on Islam discourage vigorous exercise as it is viewed as an activity that can lower the woman’s dignity, (Hanold, 2012).

The central idea is that Muslims lives are highly determined by the hadiths, Quran, the sayings and proverbs of the Prophet Muhammad as well as other significant religious practices like Ramadan which altogether affect sporting activities which are found among the five pillars of Islam (Blanchard, 2007). There is great connectedness between Islamic practices and their involvement to sports as well as the outcomes based on the practices (Testa, & Amara, 2016). However, it is crucial to keep in mind that the teachings and practices of Islam with respect to the Quran and the prophet should not be taken for granted in any way at the expense of sports. Thus, all Muslims are bound to the teachings to the later, yet the society should provide an alternative for their members to participate in this important practice without biasness (Testa, & Amara, 2016).

Among the strongest things that determine how

people behave religion has been one of the strongest ever since it began. Islam is a strong religion known for its tough rules and it has a reputation of inflicting its rules on its followers without any chances of kinking the rules (Pfister, et al, 2016). The strength of rules from this religion has been a challenge for the followers because the rules from Islam tend to be parallel to those of certain sports. To adapt to these rules, people have to come together and decide which of the two will bend its rules to adapt to the other because this is more of a social matter than it is an individual matter (Benn, et al, 2010). There should be a system to weigh the odds in kinking the rules of either of the sides though Islam is stronger. It is important to realize that these two parties have their followers and it might provoke them if any of their rules are changed for the sake of adjusting to the other.

Justification

Ever since the founding of the first sporting activities, there have been rules to govern how they will be played. These rules have undergone changes from the original ideas and they have evolved to what exists today (Benn, et al, 2010). The people who engage in these sporting activities are conscious of these rules and they keenly follow them to achieve their best in them. As earlier mentioned sports has grown to be a religion in its own way and therefore the believers in this religion would most definitely not want anything changed for the sake of another religion (Benn, et al, 2010). In actual

terms, Islam is also a religion that spreads its beliefs to its followers from their childhood. These people grow in this faith that Allah is the only God and Mohammed is his supreme prophet (Duderija, & Palgrave, 2011). The rules of sports do not favor Islam and that is clearly a fact. Sports and all its activities have developed on various basis but none of this basis is religiously based therefore it has no strings attached to any religion whatsoever (Benn, et al, 2010).

It is a matter of fact that sports should not make changes in its rules in an effort to suit up for Muslim believers to participate in it and yet it should be a uniting factor in its actual nature. Today sports is one of the greatest unifying factors of the world bringing people of different races, ethnic backgrounds, and nationality together (Pfister, et al, 2016). There is no point in making sports suitable for one specific religion and yet it is supposed to unite people of all color, religion, and ethnicity. Christians, Hindus, Buddhist and people of other religions participate in sporting activities and in the process some miss their worship sessions and go against some rules in their religious beliefs (Pfister, et al, 2016). From this base, an argument comes in as to why some people should make sacrifices from their religions in an effort to excel in sports and others have sports change its rules in order to suit up for them (Pfister, et al, 2016). There should be an understanding that these people have made sacrifices and their contribution is what has made sports have the glory that

it swims in today. The interest that Muslims have in sports is due to the hard effort from people who made sacrifices on their own religions (Duderija, & Palgrave, 2011). It is okay for them to have an interest in sports but they should participate in it according to the rules that they have found to be in existence. There is no sense in Christians, Hindus, and people making an effort and developing sports and seeing to it that they have earned respect in it (Girard and Farooq, 2012). After their hard efforts Muslims come in and because they too want to participate they make requests for changes to be made to align the rules in sports to favor their participation.

Religion is part of some people’s lives. No wonder scholars call it the epitome of life meaning that it is part and parcel of all people’s life (Robert and Yamane, 2014; Bunzl, 2004). In other words, religious issues will always influence their decision making in response to their daily activities and practices (Fernando & Jackson, 2006). The validity of this research is thus geared towards helping reduce the religious dilemmas and conflicts that are associated with Islamic people’s participation in games and sports at the local, national and international level while giving them a chance to abide and comply to the religious requirements.

The content of this dissertation is made following an exclusive literature review on articles as proven by the references attached. Oral interview and questioning were also crucial in understanding the topic; Islam and sports from a wider perspective (Farooq, 2010). The research has a sole intent of justifying that sports are important to

all human beings irrespective of their religious affiliations yet Muslim sports people should be vigilant enough not to deviate from the teachings of the religion as found in the hadiths, Quran and the prophet’s sayings and proverbs to ensure that they do not deviate from morality as this could mean punishment altogether (Payeur, 2013). The research will guide Muslim men and women in understanding their expectation with respect to sports, understand the barriers that can affect their performance and thereafter follow the Islamic teachings to the later (Farooq, 2010).

Chapter (II)

Methodology

Which search engines?

Sport and Islam are the topics of this dissertation. The methods that were used to collect information provided are numerous but all of them were geared by the need to understand how Islam as a religion affects or influence their members who may have talents on different games (Farooq, 2010). Literature review and data collection were heavily reliant to online resources like journals and articles as facilitated by scholarly sources from google search engine (Farooq, 2010). Essentially, scholarly databases such as google scholar, Jstor and SPORTDiscuss were the most resourceful.

Key Words Used

Sports: A particular activity involving exertion of the body through application of relevant skills and adherence to given rules for entertainment and career purposes (Barthes, 2007).

Islam: A monotheistic religious institution reveled through Muhammad the prophet about Allah (Akbar, &Yoonus, 2002).
Gender: The physical state of defining one as male or female in the society which regulates their activities and functionalism (Annandale & Clark, 2006).

How Search Engines were Limited

Google was not the only search engine available, one had a chance to use Bing, Yahoo Alta Vista and Cuil but Google was given preference it had

numerous scholarly data bases discussing the Islam and sport, adequate books and numerous scholarly journals, (Long, 2014).
Sport and Islam are the topics of this dissertation. The methods that were used to collect information provided are numerous but all of them were geared by the need to understand how Islam as a religion affects or influence their members who may have talents on different games (Walseth, & Strandbu, 2014). Literature review and data collection were heavily reliant to online resources like journals and articles as facilitated by Google as the search engine that was used extensively.

Chapter (III)

Literature Review

The literature reviewed focus on this topic by agreeing that the religion highly influences sports outcomes for participants who believe in Islam at local level games in general but particularly at the international levels (Walseth, & Strandbu, 2014). This will be proven by the references as cited all through the text with respect to the literature review. This is done after researching and comparing different opinions as stated by distinguished researchers, meaning that most of the information present in this dissertation is altogether based on the opinion of researches with respect to different subtopic presented (Walseth, & Strandbu, 2014). The literature review was important as it paved an avenue for documentation analysis which helped in relevant information collection. Analysis of documents facilitated comparison of other historical Islamic issues in sports and how the past influence the present as far as sports are concerned.

Library Search

Library searches were significant in collect of information presented in this dissertation. Most of the journals used elaborated on the issue of sports education and society in general but Islam in particular (Walseth, & Strandbu, 2014).

Sport discos also available in the library have been extremely utilized to make this dissertation a success. The library made the compilation of the information collected easy and effective altogether (Walseth, & Strandbu, 2014). This is because the information was around the same place hence no time was wasted in finding more information in relation to Islam and sports elsewhere. It is thus clear that in addition to online searches, library sermon searches on Islam and sports were helpful in making this dissertation a success (Walseth, & Strandbu, 2014).

Advantages of Literature Review as a Methodology

The literature review was beneficial in the sense that they assessed Islam and sports in details and gave a comprehensive report on the topic as well. This shows that the topic was not a unique thing and that different stakeholders had taken an interest in it and recorded their findings for newer scholars to use (Bouachrine, 2014). It is therefore not a crime to credit literature review as the ultimate methodology that fueled the research on Islam and sports. This was encouraged by the fact that they were opinions as documented by experts on Islam with relation to sporting activities (Bouachrine, 2014). Instead of going through individual scholarly documents, the literature review was a combination of different expertise as it summarizes their unique cognitive undertakings.

The literature review approach was, therefore, a time saver and convenient for research. The methodology was also a key to the realization of other issues that affected Muslim and their participation in sports hence a way to expand once knowledge on this topic that is worth incorporating (Bouachrine, 2014). A literature review is key in researching as

it provides the basis for researching a particular topic. This will help understand different human issues into details hence improve their quality of life as it warns against the disadvantage of a concept but encourage other concepts for the harmonious coexistence of the members of the society. The success of this dissertation is founded by literature review based on Islam and sports (Reilly & Waterhouse, 2007).

On the other hand, it was not possible to go through all the articles and some journals. Could this mean that some relevant opinion was not included in the dissertation (Bouachrine, 2014)? The articles were so voluminous and can be time wasting to the researcher as one tries to locate their topic of interest. Finally, the research agree that Muslims were highly regulated by their religion with respect to participation in a game based on their gender and social set up (Jiwani and Rail, 2010). The religion requires that all activities that a believer opts to partake must comply with the teaching of the religious and practices which include submission to Allah, Ramadan, performing scheduled players, participating on charitable issues and understanding the relevance of Mecca and Prophet Muhammad which should not be affected by sports (Backer, 2012). Deviance from the teachings of the religion at the favor of sports can result to punishment.

Ethnicity in Sports: Racism, Culture and Social Issues in Sports

Sports is a very important sector in the society because it has been at the forefront of uniting people of different backgrounds. Sports brings people together by making them put aside their differences and showing them the actual similarities they have whether they are similar weaknesses or strengths

(Weiss, 2014). People realize they have to work hard in terms of physical activity input or in terms of mental input regardless of their race, religion, culture or any other difference they could have. Sports have their individual rules as per the game and anyone participating in it has to adhere to these rules regardless of who they are because at the end of the day they are all aiming to achieve the same goal (Weiss, 2014). Sports is set to do away with the boundaries that exist between people in the society. Bending the rules of sports to favor Islam will be an effort to render sports useless in harmonizing people. By making these rules be in line with what Islam believers want in order to participate the boundaries between religious groups will be extended to sports (Weiss, 2014). This is inappropriate because sports has been the perfect tool to do away with these boundaries. From that point, people will begin avoiding certain things in sports because it is not in favor of the Islam community. However, there are many other ethnic factors in the society that creates rifts between people like race, culture, and social issues (Weiss, 2014).

Racism in sports has been in existence for over decades, it is a complex problem that can only be reduced, it is difficult but not impossible to eradicate completely if there are appropriate measures put in place (Weiss, 2014). Sometimes it may be harassment of players towards fellow players or discrimination directed to players by spectators. Coaches or sporting officials can also be victims of Racism. One of which is most dominant is racism, footballers are

sometimes jeered on the pitch especially those playing in countries where Islam faith is not the dominant one or not being practiced in those countries (Javad Fallah, 2010). It is common to see a Muslim footballer celebrating by bowing their head to the ground. This practice sometimes may not go well with a section of opponent spectators who have been noted in some occasions to boo the player (Gibson, 2012).

Muslim cultures are strict and some faithful follow the rules to the letter, the basis of their culture and social life should be in accordance to Quran (Bouachrine, 2014). This tends to limit them in the participation of some sports especially women who are more concerned about their religion, especially the sporting activities that reveal their body parts (In Possamai, et al., 2015). Restricting women to participate in some sports has also caused numerous problems; gender segregation has denied some the freedom of socializing with others. For instance, a husband and wife are not allowed to play tennis together as neither of them is allowed to cross over into gender-segregated facilities (Cortis, Sawrikar, & Muir, 2007).

Even if there are no discrimination or intimidation of other for people with Islam faith, most of them opt not to participate in certain games, Muslims upholds high moral integrity and feel some of the games to go against their cultures especially when it comes to women (Bouachrine, 2014). A survey which was conducted by Kamal (2003) on the discernment of students in Malaysian colleges in regard to participation in sporting activities indicates that some people do not involve themselves in such activities due to lack of information on existing activities

and facilities offering such sports (Weiss, 2014). The survey also shows that some students do not involve themselves in sporting activities because the facilities are overcrowded and sometimes the operating hours do not fit their schedules.

Additionally, Kamal found out that others opt out of some sporting activities because faith specific considerations which do not conform to dress code of Muslims, while others had socio-cultural reasons, for instance, customs and traditions which limit them to participate in some sports. Ali (2011) carried out a study to determine the influence of socio-cultural variables and Islamic belief of Muslim students in university participating recreational exercise leisure activity. The research was conducted on 400 students aged between 18 and 24 years doing different programs in Mu la University. He came to the conclusion that socio-cultural factors are the major barriers in contrast to variables of religion.

Historic Aspects of Sports

Fitness and exercise play an important role in Muslim’s life but that does should not overshadow one’s religious obligations or infringe upon family time (Al-Sinani, et al, 2013). Everything should be done with moderation; fanatical and extreme behaviors are not allowed. Islam faith encourages its followers to exercise and keep fit, Prophet Mohammed encouraged Islam faithful to get involved in sporting activities, and he viewed it as a way of promoting family togetherness, to promote a healthy lifestyle and encourages brotherly love among Muslims (Holt & Talbot, 2011).

In Islam’s history, there are notable athletes who rose to fame and dominated some sporting activities which include football, boxing, basketball, golf and many others. For example, Muhammad Ali is regarded as the greatest boxer of all time; another notable boxer is Mike Tyson,

all of which are Muslims. In football, Zinedine Zidane is also considered in history as one of the greatest footballers ever lived; he played for French national team and Real Madrid among others (Crolley& Hand, 2006). Games and sports have been used in Turkey as a culture to pass time and socialize with others among Muslim. Civil and religious commemorations usually involved people engaging in games and sporting activities. For instance, in the pre-Islamic era, they used sports and athletics to celebrate as an entertainment to celebrate military victories and during khanship inaugurations (Lewis, 1917).

Islam and Steroids

The use of artificial hormones to better the appearance and performance of the body has been a widespread practice among the people of the world. These artificial hormones are what are referred to as steroids and they have been termed harmful to the human body and consequently, they have been banned in international sports activities (Wahid, et al, 2011). Sports aim at people competing in their natural state and seeing to it that they achieve the best they can in their natural state of health. Sports is not the only division in the community that has issues with accepting steroids because religion and health sectors have also expressed their concerns (Vallier, et al, 2011). Islam has the strong belief that their bodies should remain pure as per the teaching of the Quran thus they clearly are against the use of steroids in sports.
Their main cause for steroid abstinence is that by using them it would seem as if they are changing their bodies to suit their likeness. This goes against their religion because it will seem that they will

be stating that their likeness is better than that of Allah. Going against Allah’s wishes is the worst that could ever be done by Muslims as it would be viewed as a desertion of the religion. The human body according to them was created by Allah with a unique purpose that varies from one individual to another (Asl, 2011). Using Steroids will alter the body appearance and functioning, therefore, it will be viewed as an act of disapproving Allah’s plan for each individual (Vallier, et al, 2011). There are many things that the Islam religion disapproves on the basis of keeping in line with Allah’s likeness. Use of Steroids is not a compulsory for sports success, therefore, all people should be equal and participate in sports in their natural body state.

Barriers to Islam Participation in Sports

There is marginalization and stigmatization of women from Islam faithful in sports; others are still dogmatic that sports field is not a place for the girl child. These cultural barriers prevent those who have the potential to become great sports personalities to exploit their capabilities. According to Chattoo, Atkin, and McNeish, (2004), cultural barriers prevent some of the young people who are interested in taking up sports as a career; most Islam parents encourage their children to take studies seriously instead of taking part in sporting activities as they see it as a waste of time. Parents should help their children to identify their talents in sports and also support them to nurture the talent when still young (Burt & Perlis, 2007). A child may not perform best in the class but might be good in sporting activities.

Gender Issues in

Sports

Some Muslims, especially women feel that they have been marginalized when it comes to participating is some sporting activities. It is important to note that, there is no rule outlined in Islam that participation of women in sporting activities (Nakamura, 2002). However, there are some communities within Western nations that do not fully support the participation of women in sporting activities (Ahmed, et al, 2012). Women in the society have been having issues in the society but in some communities, their troubles are more profound than in others. The Islam community is one such community which has rules that seem to mount too much pressure and injustice on women (Al-Sinani, et al, 2013). Muslim women have been placed under many conceptions about their roles in the society and due to the strong following and belief in this religion they end up being slaves to the society in an indirect manner (Kruk, 2014). In an instance women in the Middle East countries have not had suffrage for a long time and it is only several years into the 21st century that they have begun vying for electoral positions.

Even after this decision, there are certain rules that still prevent them from vying as per their religious beliefs. The dressing code as per the religion may prevent them from doing suitable campaigns in preparation for the elections because they could use photos that will be seen to be exposing too much of their bodies (Al-Sinani, et al, 2013). There are certain rules that in fact term their hair as nude sections of their body thus they cannot expose it. Such rules are what proceed to influence the type

of activities they can engage. These rules do not spare sports and they, therefore, determine the level of participation for Islam women who are interested. There are certain sporting activities they cannot engage in because the dressing mode of those specific sports do not allow their participants to be overdressed (Al-Sinani, et al, 2013).
Roles of women in Muslim societies differ depending on social class, gender norms, culture, religious orientation and country of origin. There are some countries where sports are viewed as male activity and women are not given time equal opportunities to prove themselves (Hargreaves, 2002). For example, Muslim women in Senegal are making an effort to tackle the taboo acts even though many people still define athletics as masculine (Friend, 2012). Senegal have been on known to produce some of the best male soccer players, but of late women athletes have drawn national attention by their performance in sporting in activities. University of Dakar women’s team in recent years has won gold medals in succession from All-Africa Club Championship (Khan et al.., 2012).

Muslim Athletes Observe Ramadan While Playing Sports

Explanation or further observation is unnecessary for one to note that Islam is very observant on it rules and beliefs. It does not allow for any external forces to alter its beliefs or interfere with its observation of these beliefs. The followers always place their religious beliefs before anything else and therefore sports is of no sparring (Leeds, & Leeds, 2013). The holy month of Ramadhan is an important belief and they see to it that they adhere to the requirements irrespective of the occupation they are in. This includes military officers and sportsmen who

are usually engaging in energy-demanding activities. Despite their knowledge of the challenges they face during this month of daytime fasting, they continue to engage in it (Dogui,et al, 2007). These actions have heavy impacts on their sporting activities and yet they consider that to be nondescript though it is of a mega essence.

The act of fasting is mandatory for all Muslim faithful that requires each healthy, adult Muslim to abstain from taking any food or drinks whole day from sunrise to sunset (Leeds, & Leeds, 2013). According to the faithful, the act of fasting is portrayed with some greatest significance owing to the general belief that it is a spiritual act that increases the blessings from God. In sports especially football and athletics, the choice of fasting is left to the individual players (Mudahka, 2013). Generally, the act of fasting during Ramadhan is observed from the ages of 12 and above years. After some few years of experience in sports, each Muslim sportsperson is expected to have developed some specific sets of beliefs regarding the effect of Ramadhan fasting to their physical and mental performance. It is, therefore, true that some Muslim athletes observe fasting while playing sports (Waterhouse, 2010).

From one perspective, the decision of fasting may receive approval or criticism depending on the stakeholders in a given game. If the coaches and the community of an athlete give more weight on Ramadhan fasting, then the athlete may have no other option but to observe fasting while in sports (Kirkendall et al., 2008). For those who fail to cope up with fasting routine while sporting, they decide to observe the practice during training and break

the fast while sporting (Weiss, 2014). The regions mostly dominated by Islamic religion such as Saudi Arabia, chose to fast daily due to the social and cultural support (Dogui,et al, 2007). This often comes with training and competition plans that are convenient to the athletes from the team organizers (Abbas, & Idriss, 2011). To the contrary, in the regions where Islamic religion is less dominant, the coaches and even the event organizers are less concerned with Ramadhan fasting (Kassam, 2010). Any decision that goes against the majority in the teams may decrease the morale of the players hence leading to poor performance (Peek, 2005). For this reason, the Muslim players may have no otherwise but to cope with the demands of the team.

Effects of Ramadan Fasting on Sports Performance

The practice of fasting actually involves a total abstinence from food and fluid during the daytime. This kind of lifestyle limits the intake of energy giving food until the hours of darkness that disrupts the normal activities related to sleep and health patterns (Leeds, & Leeds, 2013). The obligation in which the Muslim are entitled to such that they only eat within a short duration of time leads to several behavioral disruptions related to eating schedule and sleep duration. In most studies, these disruptions cause at least some aspects of performance in sports to deteriorate. According to Chaouachi et al (2009), sprint time, muscle power and vertical jump height performance are lower during Ramadhan when compared to normal periods. The reasons underlying these failures are attributed to different lengths of water and food deprivation, different protocols in testing, the timing and environmental conditions related to training.

Daytime fasting

also causes fatigue to the parties involved hence leading to performance decrement. Fatigue can also result from the disturbances related to sleep-wake cycles during the fasting period (Orris, 2005). Generally speaking, the behavioral changes that are associated with Ramadhan fasting such as physiological, metabolic and psychological variables of an individual negatively affect performance in sports (Leeds, & Leeds, 2013). It, therefore, implies that the Muslim faithful who may be required to go for training or compete during the fasting month must adopt strategies that would help them maintain their physical fitness and motivation for them to reach the standards of excellent performance. Chaouachi et al (2009) observes that athletes who strive to maintain their total energy intake, body mass, and training load exhibit better tendencies of sustaining sports performance during the fasting period (Abbas, & Idriss, 2011).

During this period of Ramadan, one of the challenging facets of the scientific studies lies heavily in controlling the situation. Preferably, this control situation is said to be near out of the Ramadan and the non-fasting control group (Leeds, & Leeds, 2013). To obtain such a group is somehow sensitive as it’s difficult to request the scientists to ask the Muslims not to fast, for the role of the scientists to conduct a research. Most of the research studies compare the Ramadhan variables towards the end of the Ramadan control ones (Bouhlel, et al, 2013). Some of the sports competitions and training being held during this Ramadan like the London 2012 Olympics and the FIFA 2014 world cup, the cases of research to find out the effects of Ramadan on athletic performances has increased. On that point there are

investigations taken on a mission to identify the genes which are responsible for the possible decrement of performance during the period so as to present better strategies to maintain fitness and public presentation (Leeds, & Leeds, 2013).

Fasting during Ramadan period, reduction in energy intake and hydrating to the time of darkness somehow reverses the normal daily pattern of feeding. During the daytime fasting is affected by some naps, the normal sleep wakefulness system is associated with the solar day is seriously broken (Friend, 2012). The large meal intake during the nighttime is too potential to hinder sleep onset. The accumulated sleep deprivation causes a negative impression on the cognitive function, attitude, daytime sleepiness and the execution (Bouhlel, et al, 2013). In general this behavior change characterizes Ramadan are associated with some modifications in the metabolic, physiological and psychological changes of individuals, which would drastically reduce the sport performance (Friend, 2012). There are conflicting conflicts results on the examined sports observations affected by Ramadan.

The performance during brief exercise are ordinarily preserved, as the long term extent efforts are thought to be concentrated during the Ramadan period as compared with the test before Ramadan (Chamari, 2012). The massive loss of body weight is triggered by the acute water loss or lost weight fat mass. Extreme loss of water in the body may result in impairment in exercise performances. Extensive research has proven shown detrimental effects on hydration on the exercise performances (Abbas, & Idriss, 2011). This hydration can affect the athlete’s cognition in addition to physically. Injuries in sports have also adversely been reported on athlete’s activities during the period. This injury risk is of a major

concern for athletes and the clubs in terms of safety, health, cost and their operation (Abbas, & Idriss, 2011). Information on scientific findings should be applied in an effective injury investigation system and consequently a better report on the factors which affects injuries is highly required (Chamari, 2012). Injury risks and the respective dependent and independent variables also need to be placed.

There are strategies which can be set instead of the athlete’s to withstand with daytime fasting. In some of the recent inspection reports have detailed practices which athlete’s may use to dilute the negative essence of Ramadan fasting on sports performance (Abbas, & Idriss, 2011). Athletes are advised to carefully pick out energy drinks and food when taking and after practice session so as to support their needs for functioning and recovery (Tomaszewski ,et al, 2009). In special sports the chosen food, is applied to dilute gastrointestinal disorders. Nevertheless, if athletes are able to control sports and the fasting with ease, others may not be capable to sustain the needed exercise performance during the Ramadan period (Abbas, & Idriss, 2011). Technical and medical experts should therefore, try and emphasis on individuals in that esteem.

Dress Code and Impacts of Dress Code to Islam Women in Sports

The Islamic Quran outlines the dress code for the Muslim men and women for the fundamental purpose of protecting the society and promoting modesty in behavior and dressing (Mossière, 2012). The dress code allows the Muslim believers to create a distinction between sexes and allowing them to conduct their lives with dignity and respect (Peres, et al, 2013). The words of God through Quran 33:59 state that the wives and

daughters of the believers to draw their cloaks over their bodies. It would be better if they are known as freely respectable women (Turner, 2008). The women’s hijab is thus the very symbol that epitomizes the dress code of Islamic women. It is used to cover the body and its private parts.

The Islamic dress codes impact strongly on the participation of women in sports. For instance, in once occasion, Kulsoom Abdullah was barred from the US weightlifting competition since she wanted to dress in clothes that would cover her body from the knees to the elbows (AltM, 2011). This was not surprising since the weightlifter is a Muslim faithful that strictly observes strict modest dress codes for the women (Timothy, 2015). The decision was made by the officials owing to the fact that the dress code would obscure the judges from assessing the lock of her elbows and knees, aspects that are quite essential for such competitions.

The Islamic communities and the secular organizations of sports find it difficult to work in compromising situations that would ensure maximum participation of Muslim women in sports (McCue, 2008). For instance, when the Islamic dominant nations such as Iran define certain dress codes for all women, it may turn out difficult for the international sports organizations to modify the rules related to dress codes for the participating teams (Abbas, & Idriss, 2011). This gives a clear indicator on how women from the Islamic communities face the challenges when negotiating with sports organizations an international level.

No Valid Reasons for Islam Women Not to Participate in Sports

Women in Islamic religion face a myriad of challenges related to barriers in sports and

exercise participation. Interestingly, most of these barriers originate from their own communities (Grantham, et al, 2012). The belief that public participation of women in sports and exercises is unacceptable arises from the need of the society to protect their modesty (Madigan, 2011). When one lady was interviewed regarding the role of women in football, she argued that jumping and running before men spoil the dignity of women since such kind of movements exposes too much of women’s bodies that are supposed to be kept private (Fakier, 2015).

According to Sofian et al (2010), there are no valid reasons for women not to participate in sports. Most scientific studies put a lot of emphasis on the significant of women participation in sports. Sports improve the physical fitness of people that helps women to socialize with each other in the society. The notion that women should not participate in sports should have no place in the society because it ruins the women’s vitality. Sofian et al (2010), argues that Prophet Mohammad had also advised the Muslim followers to engage in sporting activities. They affirm that the prophet himself could participate in archery, racing, horse riding and swimming.

Chapter (IV)

Conclusion

The Islam religion does not take anything important to the advantage of the teachings of this religion as found in the Quran and Prophet Muhammad’s hadiths, sayings, and proverbs (Eliakim, et al, 2008). Following this requirement, all Muslims lives and activities are influenced by the religion which encourages morality of the highest level by regulating the social interactions of the believers. This has been the reason why Muslims participation in sports records lower turnover rate as compared to other religion (Madigan,

2011).
The males and females are affected differently by this concept where women’s participation was lower than men based on what they are expected by their respective cultures which in most cases regulate their mobility (Gebremedhin, 2002). Women’s dressing code that should cover all parts of their bodies can affect participation in some sports that require vigorous approach as well as the outcomes of competitions in these respective games (Dvorak, et al, 2007). Daily prayers and the holy month of Ramadan that involves fasting could as well affect participation in sports as well as the results (Afifi, 1997). Islam affects all fields of life in general but sports with respect to this dissertation.

Personal Reflection

Finishing this thesis has furnished the writer with important information on the range of interest, and the experience of composing an exposition has really been stunning and advantageous. The author had some satisfactory exploration aptitudes before taking part in this examination; be that as it may, those abilities were enhanced as a consequence of leading the present study. The author feels the procedure was kept at an expert level, furthermore incredibly profit by the exploration experience through enhancing time-administration aptitudes.
In particular, the exploration procedure required readiness and making arrangements for each of the sections of the concentrate, at first the way toward choosing the headings inside the parts, was a moderate procedure, be that as it may, with the assistance of the individual guide, the procedure was determined. In this way, the difficulties as far as guaranteeing the advancement of the study as indicated by the timetable was halfway meet. Diversions and superfluous exercises were dodged when conceivable, with a specific end goal

to adhere to the timetable.
In my view, I think that the marginalization and stigmatization of Muslim women’s participation in sports is due to lack of awareness misinterpretation of religion, which has caused several women to be prevented to take part in sporting activities. Also, in think some Muslim women just choose not involve themselves sports because of fear of facing negative attitudes or discrimination from other members of the community as well as service providers concerning their cultural and religious needs. Lack Muslim women participation in sports can also be contributed by inadequate role models that they can emulate so that they can start practicing to be lack them. Finally, family expectations concerning the role of young women in the community also impact their participation in sporting activities.