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 The Qatari players were asked, in accordance with International
Basketball Federation (FIBA) rules, to remove their Islamic
headscarves in order to play against Mongolia.
However, the players refused, saying it violated their religious
beliefs and they wanted to send a strong message to the sport's
governing federation that the ban was unfair.
"We have to take this stand," said Ahlam Salem M. Al-Mana of Qatar.
"We are here to push the international association that all Muslim
teams are ready to compete in any competition.
"We knew about the hijab ban, but we have to be here. We have to
show everyone that we are ready to play, but the International
Association is not ready."
A spokesperson for the Incheon Asian Games (IAGOC) told Reuters that
organizers had no alternative other than to declare a forfeit
because, "the rule that the players broke is International
Basketball Federation rule 4.4.2, which talks about uniforms and
what players can wear.
"The technical official asked them to remove the scarf and they
refused, so the game was forfeited by Qatar."
An assistant with Qatar's National Olympic Committee who declined to
be named said they had not made up their minds about whether they
would play against Nepal on Thursday.
Qatar are also scheduled to play Khazakhstan on Friday and Hong Kong
the following day.
'TESTING PHASE'
The use of hijabs has become a hot topic in sport in recent years
with Muslim athletes complaining that they are being discriminated
against.
Human rights groups and the United Nations joined forces to put
pressure on sporting bodies to lift the bans.
Earlier this year, the International Football Association Board
(IFAB) unanimously overturned a ban on the garments, allowing soccer
players to wear them.
They had previously been banned due to safety concerns and because
they were not recognized in the laws of the game. But FIFA medical
reports showed there were no safety concerns.
Other sports at the Asian Games allow athletes to wear the hijab.
All four members of the Iranian lightweight women's quadruple sculls
team wore hijabs as they rowed to a bronze medal on Wednesday.
Basketball remains one of the exceptions, though FIBA said earlier
this month it had held discussions on the issue and was introducing
a two-year 'testing phase' on what players can wear.
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"Relaxing the current rules regarding headgear in order to enable
national federations to request, as of now, exceptions to be applied
at the national level within their territory without incurring any
sanctions for violation of FIBA's Official Basketball Rules," FIBA
explained. "National Federations wishing to apply for such an
exception to the uniform regulations shall submit a detailed request
to FIBA. Once approved, they shall submit follow-up reports twice a
year to monitor the use of such exceptions."
The Incheon official said there had been no instructions from FIBA
regarding the hijab.
"FIBA informed me they had not released a statement regarding
possible changes yet," the official added.
Qatari player Amal Mohamed A Mohamed said they had been assured they
would be able to wear the hijab before they came to the Asian Games,
which are being run under the slogan: "Diversity Shines Here".
"Before attending the Asian Games, we were told that we would be
able to participate in matches by wearing a hijab," she said.
"However, the organizers of the Asian Games said to us that players
with the hijab cannot play today's match.
"Since we can't take that off to take part in the match because of
our religion, we just forfeited the match with Mongolia."
Mohamed said she was confused about why the scarf had been banned.
"I just don't understand why we're not allowed to play with the
hijab. I don't think the hijab is dangerous, and negatively
influences the match or other players," she said.
"We've attended many international competitions in Indonesia and
China. Therefore, we will not attend any games in this Asian Games
unless the officials change their decision."
(Editing by Amlan Chakraborty/Sudipto Ganguly)
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