Orthodox Jewish basketball player may be sidelined over modesty spat
Israel national basketball team star, Naama Shafir refuses to play unless wearing a T-shirt under her jersey due to modesty; international basketball regulations require all team members to wear same uniform.
By The Associated Press Tags: Orthodox Jews Jewish World Jewish lawThe Israeli women's national basketball team says one of its stars might be kept out of the European championship because of a disagreement over her religious observance and the team uniform.
University of Toledo and Israeli national team point guard Naama Shafir is an Orthodox Jew who wears a T-shirt under her jersey because Jewish modesty rules require her to cover her shoulders.
 |
Naama Shafir |
| Photo by: www.safsal.co.il |
International basketball regulations require all members of a team to wear the same uniform. Organizers of the championships in Poland this month have informed the Israelis she will not be able to play with her T-shirt. Shafir said Thursday she won't play without it.
An Israeli appeal to a world basketball panel in Geneva was rejected on technical grounds on Wednesday and the deadline for more appeals has passed.
Why Facebook Connect?
Comment on Haaretz.com articles with your Facebook login, and share your thoughts on your own wall.
- Latest
- Most Viewed
- Most Rated
- Open all
This is funny. I guess she wont ever ever pose for Playboy Israel wins!
What is the problem? If she is so essential to the team, then everyone can wear T shirts under their official uniform.
These girls should remain at home and use every minute and expend all their energy on preparing for Orthodox life. Basketball, sanctioned neither in the Torah nor the Talmud, is a distraction.
Let the entire team showsupport by dressing the same...
It doesn't seem so complicated.
A uniform does NOT include underwear.
If she were Muslim, they would not dare to sideline her.
Poor misguided girl. Imagine believing in a god that would punish you for exposing your shoulders?
Wondering why they have israel anything team plying in Europe anyway.
places restrictions on you, it is YOUR part to endure them - not other people's part to assist you in bypassing them.
try an ORTHODOX team, U have the right. good luck. thanx.
The rule makes perfect sense. Next thing you know there will be players in Burquas. I appreciate Naama as an athlete but if her personal beliefs are conflicting with her job then she's either got the wrong convictions or the wrong job!
When a person has to choose between a personal value that defends a virtue (e.g. modesty) and a group rule that does not defend any virtue, you think they should be forced to follow the group? Is that what you teach your kids?
Wouldn't it be a wonderful gesture if all the other nation's teams also played with t-shirts, so that way all players are wearing the same uniform?
.... trying to research bare shoulder edicts in Jewish sects, so far without success. Can anyone help here? I hope this is not an entirely personal interpretation by this athlete.
would you wear a wig? or a burqa? me thinks not.. the woman knew from the start what the rules were about what to wear. as Ivan said it: you do not like it, do not play. or is this another play to show how anti-semitic anybody who does not live by jewish rules (which ones too>) is?
Last time I looked into the matter (no pun intended) underwear was not considered to be part of the 'uniform'. Does this mean that she has to wear a crotch-cup just because the boys do?
Artificial problem for a nation of whiners.
Would a Muslim woman be allowed to play if she insists on wearing a "hijab" because of religious modesty? I guess freedom of religion is protected as long as that religion is yours. All sports have rules for their uniforms. A certain football player in the U.S. was fined $5000 by the football league for each game he played because he insisted on having a "Spiderman" logo on his uniform. He paid it and he played. Maybe a solution of similar nature can be done where the rules remain in place and allow players some flexibility without making a mockery out of the uniforms and the sport.
Wearing a t-shirt under the uniform does not create a different uniform This is stupid nit-picking. Let her wear the t-shirt and do not require other players who prefer not to to do the same and let's move on people....
In solidarity I'll wear a T-shirt
That this is a sport where they run about a lot so wearing another piece of clothing makes you hotter and more sweaty etc. So why do you all think that her entire team should have to follow withy her religious observances and suffer for it? Its religious fanaticism if you think that for the religious choice of one the others should suffer in any way. Why does she not grow up and realise she is part of a team and if she is a key player she will let her team down by sticking to suck an idiotic relious observance. Its almost as silly as when victorians covered up the legs of pianos as they were too "sexy". This girl has nothing to fear by relevealing her shoulders as her god will undertsand and forgive her. Or is your god not understanding and forgiving?
What, an athletic bra is not modest enough? Organized religion is organized sickness.
a far more dangerous disease than religion. religions are not a problem, intolerance is dear Sam....
If all it takes is a common uniform, why not have the whole team play with t-shirts? When I came to YALE UNIVERSITY on a graduate school fellowship in 1959, there were three of uswho were kosher. Yale "accomomodated" us at a welcoming dinner party by catering the whole affair from the Young Israel of New Haven. Even non-Jews can eat kosher, they explained. Do the other players have religious objections to covering up?
I do not like kosher food so you say for your sake I should eat it anyway? why don't you do the same and eat non-kosher food to "accomodate" all the others non-jewish? so really Yale "catered" to you. by the way did Yale provide Hallal welcoming party too. Hhope you give a lot of money to aYale now.
The Israeli team should all wear T-shirts. This is what is done in the IDF: All soldiers have to eat kosher even if they prefer bloody steaks.
... what all parts of the female human anatomy looks like. This is about as nutty as the Arab gals that go in for their driver license photos with just a slit revealing their eyes.
Can't they all wear sleeved T shirts?
Good for her, stand up for what you believe!!!
I don't see where there's a problem. If Naama needs to wear a t-shirt under her uniform to conform to her modesty beliefs & if the regulations require that all team members should wear the same uniform, then T-shirts it should be for the whole team! It's time for all of us to learn something about supporting our country, our team and most of all eachother.
religious requests in sport & other fields is a pandora box that noone wants to open. if they agree to her request, they will need to agree to others would want to wear a headscarfs, others who refuse to play during special religious days. are you conscious of ahow many faith, sects , etc.,. are out there with all tehir special requirement? I underatnd this girl and her request seems innocent but teh cosneuqances won't be. it will be hell for teh planet. besides there are other consideration such as is it a handicap for her or other players, safety issues etc... this is what they consider in general.my comment is not anti-religious. i respect her choice but this kind of topics is a nest of snakes for any fed. you have to look at all sides of the issue. it is too complicated to sort out before that match. she will have to maybe not play and file a complaint so the international federation considers those cases more seriously and give a proper solution for those players in the future. the issue altogether seems very silly but it is really not.
So why not have the Israeli team all wear T-shirts as well - it's the Israeli team which should make the accomodation for its player not the rest of the world. What's the point being made here - always the victim or never inconvenience us in any way or you must be anti-semites! What if one of the females hated the color of their sneakers or wanted pink shoe laces - WAIT, WAIT - you cant compare non Jewish fashion sense with (some Jews) Jewish fashion sense.
This has nothing to do with fashion. Pay attention - she's modest and doesn't like showing her body when playing the sport (or at anytime). Why not show a bit of sensitivity...
listen leila, it is not about fashion but something more personal. have you heard about freedom of choice, feminism maybe? every single human has its sensitivities and it is here about her own relation to her body, her religious values also. if she can be accomodated, why not but as i said in another post, it is more complicated than it seems to accomodate her without stepping on a nest of bees....so she might have to reconsider or step down. in nay case, you should not target her like she has done anything wrong. it is not politics or about "the jews". it is about one girl who would like to live according to her own values, she's not a terrorist so chill out:-)
Leila is damn right. and you prove her point. here you go ... this is just another ploy to raise the spectrum of "delegitimisation" of Israel and/or anti-semitism. YOU should chill out.