Male coaches, spectators banned from women's sports in Pakistani province

Society Pakistan & World Affairs
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A little much, no?

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) – Male coaches were banned Friday from training female athletes and sports teams in a deeply conservative province in Pakistan.

Male spectators also will be barred from watching sports events where female athletes compete, and male journalists are forbidden from covering them, Asif Iqbal Daudzai, information minister of the North West Frontier province, told a news briefing.

The new measures, decided at a provincial Cabinet meeting on Friday, mark the latest attempt by the six-party religious alliance to impose a strict version of Islam.

The decision will affect thousands of girls and women in the province who compete in sports such as tennis, table tennis and field hockey.

Several retired national athletes were expected to lose their jobs at girls’ schools because of the rules.

The ban on men’s involvement in women’s sports was aimed at promoting a traditional style of Islamic sports, Daudzai said, without elaborating. The government will establish a separate sports group for women, he added.

Only “decent photography will be allowed in these sports events,” Daudzai said, without further explanation.

Authorities in North West Frontier Province already have banned all music on public buses and ordered billboards featuring images of women advertising movies or products to be torn down.

Police often douse gasoline on piles of videocassettes and compact discs seized during “anti-obscenity campaigns” and set them ablaze.

The province elected a hard-line Islamic government in last October’s national elections. Hard-liners also share power in neighboring Baluchistan province. Both provinces border Afghanistan.

http://www.nola.com/sportsflash/topstory/index.ssf?/newsflash/get_story.ssf?/cgi-free/getstory_ssf.cgi?s0359_BC_Pakistan-Women’sSport&&sports&sportsflash-topstory

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UTD: I am not surprised, tehy closed the only two bars in Peshawar. And anyone who knows anything about Peshawar will tell u the bulk of the booze smuggling does not come from those places.

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what a bunch of retards

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Great Job!!!

Actually that should be done in the whole country!

Retarded are those who being Muslims do not study Islam and then deny the Islamic rules.

"Kalimatullah hiya al Ulliya"
"Allah's Word being Supreme"

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The positive that i see here is that this way atleast women will be able to participate in sports. It fundamentally defeats the argument that many mullah types have which tries to restricts girls from taking part in sports because of male spectators or coaches etc etc. Now that their excuses are down teh drain we should force them to ensure that they provide enough sports activities and opportunities for women.

use these ppls own logic against them and provide more opportunities for the women in that province.

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^ Exactly...

To be honest, i dont think women from that part of the country are into sports anywayz...

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Some of my female class fellows in Peshawar were pretty good atheletes. One girl was the head of the hiking club, and put many of the guys to shame.

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Fraudiya, that is twisted logic. It is caving into relgiious thuggery.

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I think that this is a very promising step. Particularly given how conservative the population of the NWFP is, this move may well encourage increased female participation in sports, as previously, conservative-minded girls who would previously have not participated in sports fearing male eyes now have conditions suitable for them. They can now participate in sports together their more liberal sisters.

A nice idea borrowed from our neighbours in Iran :k:

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Maybe your right MS, but without any female coaches the idea is ridiculous. That’s like the Taliban banning girls from co ed schools saying they will eventually be put in female only schools. What happens in the meantime?

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_18-5-2003_pg7_34
Ban on male coaches angers sports officials

By Iqbal Khattak

PESHAWAR: The Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal government in the NWFP has banned male coaches from training female athletes, angering coaches and sports officials.

“I can’t believe this,” one male coach screamed moments after hearing the news on a private TV channel. “Who has advised this government to do so?” he said, adding the ban was an attempt to prevent girls from becoming sportswomen.

Frontier Information Minister Asif Iqbal Daudzai told a news briefing on Friday after a cabinet meeting that no male coach would train sportswomen in the province. He said only female coaches would train female players and also barred male journalists from covering sports events involving girls.

“I will ask the chief minister to reverse the decision, which is not in the best interests of female players,” a senior NWFP Sports Board official told Daily Times. “Where will the MMA government get female coaches from? There are no qualified female coaches in Pakistan.”

Not a single female coach is employed by the Pakistan Sports Board or the NWFP Sports Board, he added. “We have not a single paid female coach in all the country. Before banning male coaches from training girls the MMA should have trained women as coaches,” he suggested.

The NWFP Sports Board has only qualified male coaches for athletics, volleyball, squash, hockey, football and weightlifting. Rashida Ghaznavi serves the board as assistant director, but is not a qualified female coach.

“With the MMA government’s decision women’s sports will be destroyed,” warned Naveed Khan, saying female players of the Frontier province were excelling. He said Shabana Khattak of Mardan district was Pakistan’s best athlete and she was recently selected to represent Pakistan at the World University Games.

“Shazia Gadoon from Abbottabad represents WAPDA in table tennis. The MMA government’s decision will stop the Frontier province from producing more Shabana Khattaks and more Shazia Gadoons,” the table tennis coach fumed.

He said Chief Minister Akram Durrani’s government had not even consulted with sportswomen, promoters and officials of the Sports Board before taking the decision.

“We have female coaches. Don’t you see PT [physical training] teachers in schools and colleges?” Information Secretary Shafiquzzaman said during the Fridau briefing, much to the amusement of the reporters present.

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Matsui: *
Fraudiya, that is twisted logic. It is caving into relgiious thuggery.
[/QUOTE]

matsui thats called making the best of what is there, One can try to oppose this action, but at the same time can also try to make sure that even under these circumstances women are afforded the type of atheletic and sports venues which have not been offered to them.

I have no respect for MMA in general and see this is yet another one of their highly visible actions just to continue getting support from the types who elected them into power in that province.

I am yet to see MMA do anything worthwhile on health, education and social welfare types of issues.

but while they are in power, as much as one can try to oppose what theya re making into laws, short of a widespread protest..one can call their bluff and force them to provide the services and staff needed. Sooner or later their true face will show to the idiots who elected them into power.

Thank god MMA is limited to majority in one province, at the minimum it will serev as an example for sensible folks to not vote for these clowns ever again in the future.

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i think for the average female its a step in the right direction.... it will definitely boost overall female participation in sports....

in our own high school in karachi which would not even be considered conservative as such, it was a private english medium school in a posh area, we used to have one female miss and one sir...when the sir used to be coaching us, to some girls it didn't make a difference and to others it did...some girls moms even had told them not to play when the sir was coaching...there were some girls who wore chaadars and one or two would play when the sir was coaching but most of them didn't...even tho some of them were brilliant atheletes...it was the same story with all the girls sections....when the miss was teaching us, we all played.....soon, we talked to the headmistress and just made sure only the miss would be coaching us....

but yes if they've removed the male coaches then they should make sure female ones r provided soon coz otherwise the atheletes might lose practice...

however, one thing is...as long as they r competing within pak they can stick to this, but if they want to take up athletics seriously and compete at an international level these girls will have to then get used to all this stuff which i am sure a lot of girls even if they r talented will not want to...

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I say the move is right because the MMA can do whatever it likes, as the people in NWFP elected them and had confidence in them!

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Well said. It is a good decision.

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I don't understand what sins has MMA committed that they are criticised. They are not corrupt and atleast making new laws and bringing a change. They are elected members, so they should be respected! One surely needs to understand the culture of NWFP. We know very well what the previous non-MMA members did- loot loot loot! If MMA is bad, then people will reject them in the next elections. So why worry?

One of the thinking which Wrestern media has made us learn is that everything to do with Shariah/Islam is dangerous!

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You can't make people take part in something they don't want to. I don't like MMA either, but if they represent the people of that province then that's what's the point in making it into an issue?

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Originally posted by Islamabad: *
**I don't understand what sins has MMA committed that they are criticised. ! *

the sin is that they were not elected just to become morality police, they need to do more for the province aside from banning music and debating whether someone can become chief mnister because he does not have a beard (howcome they allowed him membership of the party while he was clean shaven ;))

Have they done much to stop bonded labours, how about the honor killings, the ashnaa factor, what about health, social development and educational policies. What about trying to attract investment and bring industries to the province.

I criticize them for beating the same damn line and not looking beyond it. But hey as I noted I am very glad that MMA won power in NWFP. It would serve as an example to people in other provinces, and to many in NWFP to never vote for these clowns again

*If MMA is bad, then people will reject them in the next elections. So why worry? *

Yup the only thing to worry about is what mess they crerate between now and then.

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aur khamooshi cha gayee

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Lol, well Pir saab, the MMA will be judged by their performance in the end. Their obsession with these non issues will in the end just anger the average voter in Sarhad. They supported them because they campaigned on an anti American platform and promised a revolutionary improvement in conditions. So far closing a few cinemas and now their new plan to forcibly veil women is bordering on the ridiculous. The only reason Mush and co let them do it is because they want there support rather then make any deal with Benazir or Nawaz Sharif.

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Did you guys know that these days there is a big anti-american rally infront of all the KFCs, McDonalds etc in Pakistan. There are molvis standing outside these chains in various cities of Pakistan urging people not to go inside...