[Peace-discuss] Muslim youth football under fire

[Ricky Baldwin]

[Now here's one from the Land of the (Some Are More)
Free (Than Others).  Anti-Chief activists please note
the 5th or 6th paragraph from the end for some real
old-fashioned irony. - Ricky]

Muslim Football Tournament Under Fire

By CHELSEA J. CARTER, Associated Press Writer 12/28/03

IRVINE, Calif. - The idea was innocent enough: A group
of young men organize a holiday football tournament
and give their teams such innocuous names as "4th and
Goal" and "1988'ers." It was some of the other team
names that raised eyebrows: Intifada, Soldiers of
Allah and Mujahideen.

The furor that followed has forced some teams to
change their names and a handful of players to quit.
It also sparked a debate that threatens to overshadow
the tournament, which was planned primarily for young
Muslims and scheduled for Jan. 4. 

"This was really just supposed to be about the youth
playing football. Now it's become so political that a
part of me thinks we shouldn't even play," said Tarek
Shawky, 29, one of the tournament's organizers. 

Those involved in the league said they never set out
to upset or offend anyone. But critics say such names
as Intifada and Mujahideen glorify terrorism. 

Intifada, "uprising" in Arabic, is a term used by
Palestinians for their revolts against Israeli
occupation from 1987 to 1993 and over the past three
years. Mujahideen, which means "holy warrior," is
associated with several Islamic groups that are on the
U.S. list of terrorist organizations. 

"The issue is these are words that are linked to real
terrorists, real threats, real murders today," said
Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Simon
Wiesenthal Center. 

"There shouldn't be young Americans chanting the name
Mujahideen as American soldiers in Afghanistan and
Iraq are put in danger and attacked daily," Cooper
said. "As for Intifada, it has been a disaster for the
Palestinians and the nearly 1,000 Israeli children and
parents murdered by suicide bombers." 

Muslim leaders have asked the teams to reconsider the
names. 

"Sensitizing our youths is our role as adults," said
Hussam Ayloush, the executive director of the Council
on American-Islamic Relations in Southern California. 

But he also said he believed the players were not
being malicious when they decided the names. 
"In this case, the choices were totally innocent and
meant for a small intra-Muslim tournament whose
members all knew what the terms stand for," Ayloush
said. "Unfortunately, we are aware that a few of those
terms are being tainted by the abominable actions of a
few Muslims." 

Ayloush and others believe the incident can be used to
teach youths about freedom of speech and sensitivity
to others. 

One member of the Intifada team said a few of his
friends were forced to quit because their parents were
worried for their safety. 
"It's kind of annoying me how big it's gotten," said
16-year-old Mohamad, whose family asked his last name
be withheld. 

Mohamad, whose family is Palestinian, said little
discussion went into selecting the team name. 

Mohamad's mother, Nuha, said she wants her son to play
despite the controversy but said her sister is
considering withdrawing her own son from the
tournament. 

The uproar began about a month ago after 18-year-old
Sabih Khan, who attends community college, began
organizing a football tournament for the New Year's
holiday weekend. Khan had played football in high
school. 

"I've been missing it all these years," he said. 

Although the league was named "Muslim Football," Khan
said it was not limited to Muslims. 

He passed out fliers at an Orange County mosque and
set up a Web site, inviting teams to register and
submit names. Although most submitted names such as
"4th and Goal" and "Muslim 
Football Allstars," three came under fire. 

Since then, the tournament's founder has received
numerous hate e-mails. The team names also prompted a
war of words in local newspapers and on talk radio. 

"I don't understand it all. They are just words," Khan
said, pointing to professional teams such as the
Washington Redskins, a nickname deemed offensive by
some American Indian groups. 

But Khan said he also has asked the teams to change
their names. 

While two teams — Soldiers of Allah and Mujahideen —
agreed, Intifada has not. Shawky said the team was
considering a name change before the tournament. 

The league also posted an open letter on the Internet,
apologizing "if anyone took offense to what was
intended to simply be a positive outlet for Muslim
youth." 

The letter also defended the use of the word Intifada,
citing the Palestinian movement. 
Khan and others said they intend to continue with the
tournament. 

"Controversy comes and goes," he said. "Today it's
about the tournament; tomorrow it will be something
else." 

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