Iqra Academy Football Champions: Hijabs as Symbols of Empowerment

Muslim adolescent girls from an all-girls institution, who recently secured a national football championship, articulated feeling empowered to participate in their hijabs, drawing a comparison to superheroes donning capes. Peterborough’s Iqra Academy, an independent Islamic educational establishment, claimed victory in the Muslim Schools National U15 Girls Football Championship on 3 December, an event supported by the English Schools Football Association. During the championship final, contested in Leicester, the Iqra squad triumphed over Al-Aqsa school, representing the host city, with a score of 2-0, thereby claiming the title for the seventh occasion. Shahida, the team’s captain, noted that every player wore the hijab and, despite it being “not easy to compete feeling like the odd ones out,” she expressed pride in the team’s progress. Located in Bretton, Peterborough, the Iqra Academy enrolls over 100 students. The institution established its football team in 2016 and has subsequently participated in 250 matches, achieving victory in 200 of those contests. Shahida, whose ambition is a career in medicine, described football as “a hobby and an outlet” for her, having participated in competitions for the last three years. “We have worked hard to get to where we are. It is not easy to go out there and compete as [sometimes as] the only hijabi girls team. It feels like we don’t fit in. “But in reality, you being the odd one out makes people to take notice of you,” she said. She further elaborated, “You know how Superman wears a cape – my hijab is my cape. It makes me unique, it makes me special. This is my identity. It is part of me. It makes me feel empowered.” She concluded by stating, “At the end of the day – they are girls, we are girls and playing a sport we love.” Inaya, a Year 10 student with aspirations of becoming a speech therapist, participates in both the school’s cricket and football teams. She commented: “Sometimes opponents make fun of us. We feel there is a bias sometimes which puts us down. But we try to use that to give us motivation to win.” She added, “Even if we face barriers we know we can overcome it.” The female athletes expressed feeling “well supported” by both their coach and their relatives, and advocated for greater encouragement of girls from varied backgrounds to engage in sports. In the current year, the school received the Equal Access National Award from the Barclays Girls Football School Partnerships, an accolade recognizing its significant contribution to girls’ football. Michael Wright, who serves as both the principal at Iqra and the team’s manager, conveyed that he felt “extremely proud of the girls, who show such great commitment and resilience”. He further stated: “The school’s development of football and health and wellbeing has had a dramatic impact on students, staff, and the whole school. “Iqra is now a happier and heathier school, students are more confident and have greater opportunities in sports and health initiatives, to fulfil their potential as active British Muslim women.” Information regarding Peterborough news is available on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram, and X. This content is copyrighted by BBC in 2024. All rights are reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for material found on external websites. Details concerning the approach to external linking are available.