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A prominent non-profit Muslim organisation has successfully developed a revolutionary charter which aims at highlighting many of the sensitive religious concerns and needs of Muslim athletes. Nujum Sports, a London-based Muslim organisation, launched the groundbreaking document in an attempt to raise awareness of the many challenges and complications that Muslim athletes face in the sports sector. The charter requests a number of accommodations which would allow Muslim athletes to perform their athletic requirements without contravening any of their religious tenets.
The landmark ten-point Muslim Athlete Charter is comprehensive in its scope. Nujum believes that the document counts as being a crucial step for bringing change in the sports sector. Several prominent sports organisations have acknowledged the charter, and are already “making clear their support for creating positive change within their respective organisations, and collectively, across the UK sports sector.” In addition to welcoming these developments, Nujum will likely provide further support to these organisations, in order “to make progress on recognising and providing support for Muslim athletes.”
In an interview with BBC Sport, the founder and CEO of Nujum Sports Ebadur Rahman celebrated the release of the charter as a landmark achievement:
“Having worked in sport, I am well aware of the difficulties being able to practice my religion…After speaking extensively to athletes and clubs, we felt it was the right time to have a Muslim athlete charter in place in the UK. We believe it’s the first and only one of it’s kind. Clubs and organizations are joining a positive movement of solidarity, equality and recognition of the contribution Muslims make at their respective clubs and teams”
Watford FC, which in April was once again promoted to the top tier of English football, is only one among several major football clubs to welcome the charter. These organisations have expressed a keen interest in taking the pledge and fully implementing the document’s articles. Most interestingly, Watford FC and four other Premier League clubs indicated their willingness to undertake such religiously sensitive commitments even before the release of the charter.
Nujum Sports is a non-profit organisation, and was established as a community interest company (CIC) last year. The company’s interesting name is based on the Arabic word nujūm, which means stars. The group’s proclaimed vision is to create “a world where Muslim athletes flourish and fulfil their potential”. Despite its recent appearance, it has quickly grown in influence and reflects the desire of young Muslims to participate in sporting activities in the UK. In addition, the recognition it has received from professional clubs indicates its strong commitment to building rapport with Muslim players and youth in their respective athletic fields.
