As football brings diverse communities together, a new organization hopes to help Muslim athletes thrive in the UK and beyond
By Rayhan Uddin in London
Euro 2020 may have come a year late due to the pandemic, but it proved to be a dramatic, eventful and significant affair – on and off the football pitch.
Italy overcame England in a tense penalty shootout on Sunday night, in a final later marred by the racist abuse levelled at three Black English players.
While the incident proves how long there is to go in tackling discrimination, the English national team has been hailed a success for bringing the country together. This young, humble and talented squad – many of whom have not been afraid to speak out on social issues – have been seen and embraced by communities that have not always felt welcomed by football fans.
Among those cheering them on were members of the Muslim community.
A clip of Muslim boys at an Islamic boarding school crowding round a laptop and cheering wildly as Harry Kane scored the winning goal in the semi-final went viral last week. As did a Twitter thread describing how three hijabi women felt represented by the “anti-racist, inclusive” England side.
The national team is helping millions of people feel included, but will this translate into Muslims succeeding and competing at the highest level of English football?
For Ebadur Rahman, the founder of Nujum Sports, a UK-based organisation set up to help Muslim athletes thrive, it’s a matter of when, not if.
“British Muslim footballers can go all the way”
“I do believe firmly that the conditions are right for British Muslim footballers to go all the way,” Rahman tells Middle East Eye. “It won’t be long until we see [them] playing for England.”
Previously employed by the English Football Association (FA), Rahman set up Nujum during the coronavirus lockdown after a phone call with his close friend, former Blackburn Rovers and Middlesbrough striker Rudy Gestede.
Gestede wanted to be put in touch with the Zimbabwean Muslim cleric Mufti Menk, to talk about sport and faith. The request sparked Rahman to host a wider virtual discussion with Menk on Zoom, which attracted nearly 30 athletes. From there, a new Muslim athletes advocacy organisation was born.
As one of its first initiatives, Nujum sent gift packages filled with dates, perfume, honey and Zamzam water to over 200 Muslim footballers in the UK during the holy month of Ramadan.
