Ice Princess in the Hijab – Zahra Lari :: Islamic News
Posted on: May 14, 2012
- In: All | Allah الله | HIJAB | Islam | Islam News | News | Women In Islam
- 27 Comments
Ice Princess in the Hijab – Zahra Lari
CANAZEI, Italy — From the sand dunes of the Rub al Khali desert to the snow-capped peaks of the Dolomites in northern Italy, Emirati teen Zahra Lari made figure skating history this week.
The 17-year-old not only became the first figure skater from the Gulf to compete in an international competition but the first to do so wearing the hijab, an Islamic headscarf.
“In my country women don’t do much sport and even less figure skating,” the quietly-spoken teenager told AFP after competing alongside skaters from 50 countries in the European Cup.
A practising Muslim, her black headscarf and sober costume, stood out among the flashy orange tutus and fluorescent pink tights.
“I skate with the hijab, my costume is in line with Islamic tradition,” she explained.
“The other girls are very nice to me. I think they accept me very well. I haven’t had any problems, people are open. It’s not a question of an exhibition, but of sport and my father is in agreement.”
Lari’s American-born mother Roquiya Cochran admitted that it had taken some time to convince her husband to let their daughter compete.
“I had to convince him. In the beginning he saw it as his daughter dancing in front of a male audience
“But he came along to watch, he saw how beautiful she was on the ice, and he loves her, he wants her to be happy. She’s covered, she hasn’t done anything anti-Islamic.”
Lari explains that her love of the ice began when she watched a Disney movie at the age of 11.
“I watched The Ice Princess over a 100 times, I loved it! I said to myself ‘That’s what I want to do’.”
Three years later she realised her dream when she pulled on her first pair of skates at the Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi where she met her coach Noemi Bedo.
“Promising skaters usually start aged 3 or 4 years,” explains Romanian Bedo.
“But she’s very talented, she’s very powerful and jumps higher than the others. I also believe in the Olympic Games,” added Bedo, of Lari’s dream of competing at the Winter Olympics.
The European Cup in Canazei does not have the stature of the ISU Grand Prix events and Lari did not compete at the world junior championships last February, but she nevertheless finished in the top 15.
“This has been an incredible learning experience and I am happy to have been able to show what I have learnt in the last few years,” she said.
“I may not have the competition experience that the other skaters have but I feel that I held my own and look forward to participating in future competitions.”
“For Sochi (2014 Winter Games) I’m giving 100 percent, I can do it. Otherwise I’ll try for the 2018 Games,” she said.
She certainly has the determination, getting up six days a week at 4:30 to practice before her day begins at the American International School.
“I’m on the ice until 7:30 and at 16:00 I’m back skating for an hour and a half. It’s not difficult, I love that, and I want to succeed.”
Apart from wanting her own success, Lari added: “I want to encourage girls from the Emirates and the Gulf to achieve their dream too and not to let anyone tell them not to do sport, not only figure skating but all sports.”
Zahra Lari exemplifies to the world that you can be a practicing Muslim woman who is competitive, ambitious, and bold. That is a good example for all women of faith, particularly in a world that increasingly views religion as incompatible with female strength and empowerment.
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27 Responses to "Ice Princess in the Hijab – Zahra Lari :: Islamic News"
December 13, 2012 at 7:31 am
Aassalam aleyikum .Zajak-ALLAH all sister and brother .Show all world islam is great religion in the world. Allah-hafiz
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November 14, 2012 at 1:30 pm
You people are all haters! How are we to spread Islam if we continue to think in such a narrow minded way! This girl just proved to the kuffaar as u claim that we r just as good and are able to do the same EVEN though she is hijabi and showing proving to the world that Muslim women are not oppressed and that islam oppresses no one and yet here u all are bashing this girl! How pathetic!
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June 7, 2012 at 11:38 pm
It’s true that she is not wearing Hijab properly, because her clothes should not be figure revealing and attractive but at least she is covered. At least she doesn’t wear the traditional clothing of figure skaters, which is way worse. In this society being covered like that is rare nowadays so I’m proud that she is doing what she loves while practising her religion. We are so quick to criticize others when we should be criticizing ourselves.
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February 16, 2013 at 12:27 pm
Funny how you started off criticizing this girl, yet contradicting yourself at the end of your statement with a “We are so quick to criticize others when we should be criticizing ourselves.” The fact that 7 other people were ignorant enough to thumbs up that comment shows that they share the same hypocrisy. So your hijab is perfect, I’m assuming.
This young lady does not have an ounce of skin showing and has her hijab pinned to the chin. One of the things that irritates me about being a young Muslima these days is the hypocrisy and bigotry in this religion. We get upset when others criticize us, yet we so willingly show our ignorance in moments like this and attack each over the most ridiculous of things. I am just a few years older than this young lady, but at her age, I played an instrument for almost 10 years and was told I was doing something “haraam” by being a musician.
Young muslims in my community (especially the young women–we suffer the most from this bias and ignorance) are fed up and see no reason why religion should hinder them from their hobbies and talents when their intentions are pure. Young people are leaving the deen at high rates (In many communities I have seen so far), but I’m sure many of you have turned a blind eye to that. Leave this young, talented sister alone, please, and stop being so self-righteous.
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May 28, 2012 at 7:22 am
Asalam aleykum
Iam sorry but this is not the correct hijab at all! The correct hijab has few rules and it shouldn’t be attractive or show any body forms…
This is not what Allah soubhanou es Taala has commanded us nor this is what our Prophet Mouhammed Sal Allahi Waleyhi wa Salam has commanded for his wives/ daughters and believing women. I really hope sister that you will come back into the right path and not expose yourself in front of koufr and non Mahram like this
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November 14, 2012 at 1:25 pm
It’s ignorant men like you that make people rebel against Islam.
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May 16, 2012 at 4:21 am
My fifteen years old daughter Samaha Hamid loves sports and wearing Hijab she recently became the Best player in both school Handball and school football tournaments of our country!!! Our country is a Muslim country but practicing Muslims are very few in number!!! Obviously she is not playing at the level of this Ice Princess but words are not enough to express how inspiring and motivating is her story to us who also want to say that you can be a practicing Muslim woman who is competitive, ambitious, and bold.People say Hijab is “cut your shape and kill your shine” but I say “something is always better than nothing”!!! Major and minor sins can be the same!!!Hats off to the Ice princess for making us proud!!!!
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May 15, 2012 at 8:54 pm
leave her alone, women should have some rights, im proud that she showing that not all mulsims are backwards
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May 15, 2012 at 4:50 pm
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala Said in Surat Al Aa’raf , Ayah 59
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ قُل لِّأَزْوَاجِكَ وَبَنَاتِكَ وَنِسَاءِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ يُدْنِينَ عَلَيْهِنَّ مِن جَلَابِيبِهِنَّ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ أَدْنَىٰ أَن يُعْرَفْنَ فَلَا يُؤْذَيْنَ ۗ وَكَانَ اللَّـهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا
Translation from Yusuf Ali :
O Prophet! Tell thy wives and daughters, and the believing women, that they should cast their outer garments over their persons (when abroad): that is most convenient, that they should be known (as such) and not molested. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
—-
It is obvious from the above that covers herself , but at least be recognisable. What is above is against the Ayah. So is performing skating , in these clothes , or in other clothes , in front of these crowds permissible? Obviously not , because it is against the conditions mentioned in the Ayah.
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May 16, 2012 at 4:41 am
Mashallah Brother/Sister………..Jazakallahkhair for the Quranic verse and lecture 🙂
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May 16, 2012 at 3:05 pm
THAT IS THE WAY OF LIFE IMPOSED BY SHAITAN. THAT IS NOT HIJAB. THAT IS NOT THE ACTION WHICH ALLAH(SWT) APPROVES.
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May 15, 2012 at 1:51 pm
Brother , it is not permissible to put the photos of women , let alone Muslim women.
I request that you would remove the images, Jazaaka Allahu Khairan.
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May 15, 2012 at 1:08 pm
as a Muslimah – what i would like to state that how zahra lari is broadcasting Hijab in islamic perspective is totally wrong. just wearing a black headscarf & covering the body anyhow does not completely fullfill one’s hijab.. there are a no. of criteria that has to be fulfilled in order to be called anything as ‘hijab’. This is a wrong representation of islam that zahra lari is giving.
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May 15, 2012 at 4:42 pm
Jazaaki Allah-u-khairan , It is doesn’t fulfill what is meant by Hijab , one of the conditions of the Hijab is to be covering the whole body , not showing any details of the body so that any person who would look would not be able to tell how her body looks. This hijab in the blog post is clearly not fulfilling these conditions.
And is it permissible , for any muslim girl , to practice in front of crowds of non-muslims or even crowds of muslims? Wallahi it is not permissible , and it will never be – unless the whole crowd is nothing but women , and no photos are being taken , and no man should see.
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May 15, 2012 at 6:59 pm
Well,
I think this post is giving something else message. and peoples are taking something else.
you are right my sister, but here she is not saying this is the way to wear hijab?
but she is saying “A Girl with Hijab can also do skating,
in no way she is hijab is oppressive,
she is also saying Hijab in no ways bounds a girl mind.
and that was my motive to post this news post…as many thinks Hijab Oppress muslim women.(just yesterday i found in one blog,an article of taslima nasreen,saying all women should burn there naqab and hijab)
According to her
“muslim women should not wear veil, no veil, no chador, no hijab, no burqa, no headscarf, not any of them! They are instruments of no respect. These are symbols of women’s imprisonment. Through them, women are told that they are but the property of men and society: things. These coverings are used to keep women passive, submissive. Women are told to wear them so that they cannot exist with their honor, confidence, separate identity, respect – with their own opinions and ideals – intact; and so that they cannot stand with their heads held high and their spines strong and erect.”
Is this True What she said ? if you will ask her she will say yes and give example of her own mother…
when it was asked to me ,then i shared this same post that hijab or veil don;t oppress muslim women,its person fault who is oppressing. not hijab fault. If Her mother was oppressed then its her father fault not naqab fault…
so,pls don;t take message in another way!
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May 15, 2012 at 7:05 pm
Assalamualikum sister…
i am sorry sister no offence. your thinking is right in your perspective but then dont you think still there is somethig wrong in the picture…. one must be concious about how one is representing one’s religion… so is zahra lari doing so? her way of hijab is actually pricking the instincts of many muslimahs including me…
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May 15, 2012 at 11:02 am
Salam alaykum. I would like to point out that what sister is wearing is not hijab. Hijab is not just the scarf but the entire clothing covering the auro. There are six criteria for hijab for both men and women and this sister is not fulfilling all of them. One of the criteria, applicable to men as well, is that the clothing should not be tight. Also, our purpose in life is to worship Allah. Does this fall into the category of worship by displaying herself in front of people in such a manner? Would ALlah be pleased with this action? I pray tha Allah guides us and rectifies our affairs. I am afraid that we are too keen to follow the ways of the unbelievers in everything. Masalam.
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May 15, 2012 at 7:11 am
assalamualaikum sister very nice work has done by you other sister will see and in the shyness of they use hihaab. allah hafiz
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May 15, 2012 at 7:03 am
Reblogged this on Islam is the solution and commented:
Alhamdulillah
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May 15, 2012 at 3:05 am
THIS IS NOT THE FUNDAMENTAL DUTY OF A MUSLIM WOMAN OR GIRL. A MUSLIM WOMAN OR A GIRL MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN ANY SPORT AND CAN PERFORM IT BUT IT MUST BE AT HOME ONLY. THE COSTUMES THAT SHE WORE LOOKS VERY ATTRACTIVE AND REFLECTS THE BODY SHAPE. SO IT CAUSES FITNAH…
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May 15, 2012 at 12:19 am
Reblogged this on Write & Wrong and commented:
And they say Islam is oppressive…
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May 14, 2012 at 8:38 pm
V nice not forgetting who u r n presenting a Muslim girl properly
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Oh Allah,Please Forgive me
Ex-Christians-Now Muslim,Alhamdulillah
I Love My Prophet Muhammad s.a.w
ISLAM---World's Greatest Religion! 
November 22, 2013 at 12:05 am
Alors là STOP .. c’est pas un hijab du tout !! certes, elle a fait un truc épique, que les hijabistes ne font pas, mais ça ne représente pas la fille musulmane.
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