It is true that the outfits worn by most female track athletes these days resemble nothing so much as fattened bikinis, and are evidently more to do with young women's desire to show as much skin as they can than with efficiency. But even if the girl wore the head-to-toe covering with which Cathy Freeman won gold on the 400 in Sydney, it would still be utterly unlike anything that "Islamic tradition" dictates, being totally skintight. And if Muslim female athletes such as Nawal El Mutawakil (gold at the Los Angeles Olympics for Morocco) were forced to run in anything like Islamic dress, they could only race each other. After which, no doubt, the Islamic grievance machine would go into overdrive, complaining that modest Muslim maidens were being prevented from beating (as they would indubitably do, not a chance about it!) their sluttish kaffir contemporaries. And Muslims could award medals to their own athletes without having to compete. If you think about it for a minute, that is rather neat.

Posted by: Paolo at August 4, 2005 9:27 AM

So they are watching what their women wear even when they are abroad in the free world. Can it get any sicker? And our Western academic "feminists", instead of ever condemning such extremepatriarchal bullshit, still go on with their idiotic theories about the compulsory burqas in the Islamic world not being any worse than the "near compulsory" miniskirts in the West. Well, as soon as I'll get the first official warning for not wearing a miniskirt from the political leaders in my country, I'll be willing to join that discussion.

Posted by: rahel at August 4, 2005 10:28 AM

Paolo:

There was another Moroccan female Olympic middle distance runner. I don't remember her name but she competed around the time of the Barcelona or Atlanta games. There was a biography of her on the television where it mentioned that she was assaulted routinely when training in Morocco - and she didn't wear a bikini type track suit when competing.

BTW - I wonder what Al Muhhanadi has to say about beach volleyball?

http://msn.foxsports.com/olympics/pgStory?contentId=2671042&pageNumber=8

Posted by: johnb at August 4, 2005 10:37 AM

johnb: I heard the same story from Algerian athletes. As for Nawal el Mutawakil, she is now a big noise in the IOC - we saw her recently in London during the run-up to the choice of olympic cities - and, guess what? She does not wear anything resembling a veil. Beautiful thick black hair gleaming in the camera flashes.

I do find the current athletics fashions ridiculous, but it would not occur to me to insult or threaten the athletes. I have the highest respect for anyone who can go through the training regime required for a professional athlete, and if they want to race naked, I would probably let them.

Posted by: Paolo at August 4, 2005 2:00 PM

Why don't these imams, mullahs and ayatollahs just do an Oedipus and pluck out the offending organs.

Then the whole world could be stark and they wouldn't have a clue.

(Not that they do, anyway.)

Personally, I find their outfits pompous, pretentious, patriarchal and puerile.

Give me khaki hiking shorts and a cotton shirt in the summer and let the ladies wear whatever feels cool.

(But, then "cool" is the most alien concept to Islam.)

Posted by: BigSleep at August 4, 2005 2:31 PM

Last week, in an article in the Arab News, some Saudis recommended building new sports centers and stadiums with some of the oil money coming in. Competing to host the Olympics was mentioned...

jay

Posted by: jay at August 4, 2005 3:38 PM

Here's what she was wearing by the way.

Posted by: Rupert at August 4, 2005 8:54 PM

Perhaps they would win more events if they didn't have to lug all that unnecessary clothing with them during competition.

Sorry, but the Burkha isn't much for cutting through wind resistance.

Posted by: DCWatson at August 4, 2005 10:26 PM

Maryam Yusuf Jamal of Bahrain wins the women's 3000m at the Oslo Golden League meeting (Getty Images)

Jamal sets surprising 3000m World lead in Oslo - TDK Golden League

Just saw it. Now look at how pretty this girl is.

Muslim males: stop hiding the beauty of Muslim women already, you male chauvanists.

Posted by: DCWatson at August 4, 2005 10:29 PM

t is true that the outfits worn by most female track athletes these days resemble nothing so much as fattened bikinis, and are evidently more to do with young women's desire to show as much skin as they can than with efficiency. Posted by Paolo

Give 'em a break Paolo. Women are guilty of only trying to please men, they are giving us what we want, nay they are fulfilling our needs and desires. Women dress to please men, it is the way that they are raised and enculturated.

You mimic the Muslim, who blame women and hold them responsible for inciting their sexual desires.

And again>

I do find the current athletics fashions ridiculous

What a prude. Comments like this make me think that many anti Jihadis, have essentially the same mindset as the Muslims (yeh, I know, you don't stone or behead), attitude, mindset I said, towards sex and gender..especially considering other comments you have made about homosexuals.

Sometimes I think that this whole religion thing is about sex and gender and the prerogatives of patriarchialism.

For sure if sex was excised from religion and scriptures (all faiths), I doubt seriously if we would ever have heard about even Judaism, much less Christianity and Islam.

I wonder if there is anything such as a sexless, genderless religion or spirituality.

Posted by: Giaour at August 5, 2005 4:20 PM