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Muslim girls around Chicago are playing sports and celebrating their faith while doing it

On a frigid Sunday at a gym in Naperville, a group of teenage girls doing basketball drills practices dribbling.

“Lower, lower,” Aminah Chaudhary shouts over the bouncing balls, showing them how to sink into a squat.

After a water break, most of the girls put on their hoodies, form a line at the center of the court, get down on their knees and begin to pray. Chaudhary joins them.

It’s a sign of a major shift among Muslim girls in the Chicago area. Muslim community leaders say participation in youth sports like basketball is on the rise and that these girls are playing while celebrating their Muslim identity, not hiding it.

In 2021, an Illinois law took effect allowing students to wear hijabs, leggings and long sleeves without having to request a waiver from their school district. Muslim Civic Coalition president Dilara Sayeed, whose group helped draft the law, says it's given them the chance “to play in uniforms that meet their faith traditions and not have to constantly be seeking approval to do it.”

Around that time, a number of basketball leagues in the suburbs aimed at Muslim girls sprang up.

Chaudhary started iDrive Faith + Athletics in Woodridge in 2021 to teach basetball to young Muslim girls, recruiting players from her mosque.

Before the new law, Chaudhary says, Muslim girls often were scrutinized for the clothing they chose to wear to uphold the traditions of their Islamic faith.

She says that, when she was coaching girls basketball at a suburban Islamic high school a decade ago, the referees occasionally inspected the hijabs some of her players wore.

“I think because it’s something that’s different to people, sometimes they don’t know how to respond to it,” Chaudhary says. “If you do that to a young girl in high school, that can quickly turn them away from ever feeling comfortable enough to even show up.”

Players and parents pray with their coach Aminah Chaudhary during a break in practice.

Marc C. Monaghan / WBEZ

Chaudhary fell in love with basketball early, watching Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman lead the Bulls to championships in the 1990s. She dreamed about wanting to become the first girl to play alongside her idols in the NBA.

As a teenager, Chaudhary wore the same uniform as her basketball teammates in Lombard.

“The generation where I grew up in … a lot of Muslim girls just went [uncovered] … or they avoided the confrontation of trying to look different,” she says. “I never even saw anyone on other teams that was covered.”

In college, Chaudhary met several Muslim women who were into basketball. Unlike her, some of them didn’t feel comfortable playing with men. So the women started playing together. As Chaudhary got to know them, she learned that many of them had never had a coach.

“I saw just glimpses of how good they could be if they would have been coached,” Chaudhary says. “And, when I would play with some of my friends, I would train them.”

That’s where Chaudhary’s coaching career began. And that’s why she was in the gym in Naperville, pushing players to run sprints and trying to teach them the skills and give them the experience that her college friends missed out on.

Jannat Bhatti and other girls practice their dribbling.

Marc C. Monaghan / WBEZ

Shamsa Jafri, who was sitting in the bleachers, watching her two daughters train with Chaudhary., says that, wen she was their age, “It wasn’t even heard of in sports to be able to wear clothing that would align with our religion.”

When Nooreen Makda, 14, started playing basketball in a northwest suburban park district league three years ago, she faced awkward questions about her modest clothing choices and the traditions she followed to practice her faith. Teammates asked why she wore leggings and whether she felt hot playing in an undershirt. When she fasted, they said things like, “I commend you because I would totally cheat.”

Junaid Makda, her father, says he heard similar stories from the parents of other young Muslim girls who played basketball in the northwest suburbs.

“Our daughters were being discriminated against,” Makda says. “They were being made fun of because of the clothes that they were wearing. They didn’t feel comfortable in their own skin.”

Some of their girls lost interest in sports altogether, including his oldest daughter. So Makda gathered a few parents and asked, “Why don’t we start a league for our girls in our mosque and give them a safe space where they can continue to play basketball without dealing with the struggles?”

That’s how their league, Muslimah Ballerz, was born in Morton Grove in 2022. That year, more than 70 girls signed up. They practiced on Sundays at the mosque’s gym. Makda and some of the other dads volunteered to coach.

With all three of his daughters playing in the league, Makda often coached one of them playing against another.

“I remember the first weekend of the league, the parking lot was completely full,” he says. “The gym was standing-room only. The amount of hype and energy and excitement that was there was amazing.”

The enthusiasm Makda saw for Muslimah Ballerz has spread, with parents and coaches starting similar leagues through their mosques in other suburbs. The people behind these efforts say these leagues are paving the way for a generation of Muslim girls to play sports, encouraging them to try out for school teams despite the prejudice they might have faced.

Sanaa Makda, Nooreen’s mother, is proud of the surge of interest in sports in her community and the role her family has played in that. Of the girls who started in the Muslimah Ballerz league, she says at least a dozen now play on their high school teams, a marked difference from when she was young.

She says she attended a private Islamic school, where she was allowed to cover up for gym, but that, when she moved to a public high school, none of the girls dressed like her.

“I asked the coach, ‘Can I wear sweatpants?’ ” she says. “I didn’t know about compression leggings or anything at that time. He said, ‘No, you have to wear shorts.’ I didn’t even ask twice.”

Sanaa Makda says she tears up sometimes when she sees how confidently Nooreen carries herself as a freshman starting for her high school’s junior varsity team “because you don’t see girls go that far.”

Nooreen says that some of her high school teammates at first asked about her clothing or religious practices but that, after playing with Muslimah Ballerz, she felt confident explaining that she chooses to cover up to practice modesty and that they supported her.

She looks up to Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir — a Muslim American basketball player who couldn’t pursue her dream of playing professionally because of a rule prohibiting hijab on the court. Abdul-Qaadir challenged the rule, and the International Basketball Federation, ultimately overturned it.

“She really promotes playing with hijab,” Nooreen says of Abdul-Qaadir. “I’m not ready for that yet, but it’s something I aspire to be able to do.”

Aisha Shahid, Aisha Siddiqui, Rania Shahid and Rawd Aboubakr do some warm up running as basketball practice begins at Woodridge Athletic Recreation Center. Their training center, iDrive Faith + Athletics, is part of a surge in participation in youth sports by Muslim girls in the Chicago area.Marc C. Monaghan for WBEZ

Aisha Shahid (from left), Aisha Siddiqui, Rania Shahid and Rawd Aboubakr warm up for basketball practice at Woodridge Athletic Recreation Center as part of the iDrive Faith + Athletics program.

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Ревматолог: "5 апреля 2024 в г.Колумбус запущена квота"

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Watch the moment two Gladiators turn on each other as they’re pulled apart during drama-filled BBC semi-final

THE Gladiators semi-final turned nasty tonight as two of the show’s stars turned on one another and had to be held apart.

The BBC series aired one of it’s most drama-filled episodes yet as four contestants fought it out for the last two spots in next week’s final.

Two Gladiators clashed during the semi-final
Legend took aim at his team mates after contestant Mus succeeded in Gauntlet
Viper hit out at Legend, who then tripped him up

But as the two men and two women went head-to-head in a friendly rivalry, the same could not be said for the Gladiators themselves.

After a round of Gauntlet, hosts Barney and Bradley Walsh spoke to the male Gladiators about their performance.

Legend, who has no qualms about rating his abilities above his team mates, pulled no punches in his reply.

He told Bradley: “Listen, there’s only so much I can do by myself.

“They say team work makes the dream work. Wrong. I make the dream work. I am the dream.”

But his words did not go down well with Viper, who is known for saying very little and grunting and ripping up fans’ signs instead.

He grabbed the mic from Legend and said: “Shut your hole, you donkey.”

He then turned to walk away but Legend stuck his foot out and tripped him up.

Viper was furious and lunged at his colleague, causing the other Gladiators and referees to step in and grappled to keep the two men apart.

Gladiators viewers found the dramatic moment hilarious though, with one writing on X: “Legend done viper like a kipper! That trip was comic gold!”

Hammer makes his debut performance in The Gladiators
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Another added: “As fake as that fight was between Legend and Viper I absolutely bloody loved it.”

A third tweeted: “Oh my god-Legend and Viper are brawling!”

Meanwhile a fourth commented: “That’s the most Viper’s ever said!”

There was more drama in the episode when semi-finalist Zavia sustained an injury during Powerball.

Bradley Walsh's career

Actor, presenter and comedian Bradley Walsh has been involved with multiple hit programmes throughout his career. Let's take a look at some of the star's memorable appearances over the years.

  • Wheel of Fortune (1997): Bradley became the second host of the popular game show, succeeding Nicky Campbell who’d left after eight years. His tenure on this programme lasted just one year.
  • Night and Day (2002-2003): A recurring role on this mystery soap opera for ITV saw Bradley play Woody Dexter, brother to Danny Dexter (Shane Richie).
  • Coronation Street (2004-2006): An expansion of Corrie’s Baldwin family in 2006 saw Bradley arrive as Danny Baldwin, son to Mike (Johnny Briggs). He exited the ITV soap after two years in the role.
  • Law & Order: UK (2009-2014): An iteration of Dick Wolf’s popular US “Law and Order” franchise, Bradley starred as DS Ronnie Brooks throughout the entire run.
  • The Chase/Beat the Chasers: (2009/2020 – present): A move back into game show hosting has seen Bradley front hit show The Chase since 2009. Members of the public take on high-level professional quizzers in a bid to win thousands of pounds. A spin-off, “Beat the Chasers” began in 2020.
  • Cash Trapped (2016-2019): This game show was not only presented by Bradley, but based on his idea. 65 episodes aired across three series.
  • Doctor Who (2018-2022): Bradley played the role of Graham O’Brien, companion to the Thirteenth Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) in the long-running BBC sci-fi series. He has appeared in one episode as a guest since departing the regular cast.
  • Blankety Blank (2020 – present): The star began hosting a revival series of the beloved game show for the BBC in 2020. Three series and a Christmas special have aired to date.
  • The Larkins (2021-2022): An adaptation of H.E. Bates’ novel The Darling Buds of May, Bradley starred as “Pop” Larkin. The show lasted two series.
  • Gladiators (2024 – present): Bradley co-presents the BBC’s revival of the classic game show with his son Barney. It is the third iteration of the format to air on British TV.

She decided to push on through the Gauntlet and couldn’t hide her pain as she climbed the rope ladder during the Eliminator.

Somehow, she crossed the finish line first and made it to the final, but after the episode aired, it was revealed her injury was so bad that she wouldn’t be able to compete in the final after all.

Instead, her semi-final rival Aneila Afsar will take her place in the final.

The two men went for each other and had to be held back by their fellow Gladiators, Bradley Walsh and the referees

Gladiators airs Saturdays on BBC One and is available on BBC iPlayer.

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  • ИП Попов А.П.
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Ревматолог: "5 апреля 2024 в г.Колумбус запущена квота"

Каждый человек с больными суставами имеет право получить...






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  • ИП Попов А.П.
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Ревматолог: "5 апреля 2024 в г.Колумбус запущена квота"

Каждый человек с больными суставами имеет право получить...


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  • ИП Попов А.П.
  • ИНН: 602715631406
Ревматолог: "5 апреля 2024 в г.Колумбус запущена квота"

Каждый человек с больными суставами имеет право получить...

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