Abstract

This paper presents the results from a doctorate study of the sporting experiences of Muslim women in the UK, who competed at the Women's Islamic Games (WIG) in Iran in 2005, a manifest sporting event with forty-four participating countries. This study was based on a five-year case study of the British Muslim Women's Football Team (BMWFT), and includes the author's personal experiences of training with the team and competing in the WIG, both as researcher and full participant and member of the team. A social constructionist view of society and sport underpins this paper and takes a critical stance towards 'taken for granted' knowledge. Identity construction through the Games reinforced different identities, including the construction of 'Britishness', and of Muslim and sporting identities. It is important to acknowledge that the experiences of Muslim female footballers reflect the cultural values that currently exist in a society, thereby reflecting the views of society as a whole. This paper will address the relationship between Islam, peace and sport, through the ways in which the WIG provided a 'safe-space' for promoting peace and understanding across different faiths and cultures. The paper highlights the ways in which the Games enhanced cross-cultural understanding between different Islamic sects (Shi'ite and Sunni) and between Muslims and non-Muslims. The paper will also explore some of the tensions the team faced and the ways in which they challenged misconceptions of what it means to be a Muslim female. The paper draws on the author's own narrative of training with the British football team and competing at the Women's Islamic Games. Through narrative accounts the author will explore the differing ways in which sport can unite people and build bridges between cultures. Aus der Einleitung (geändert)