This paper will cover the subject of the wearing of cultural and religious apparel in Canadian sports, based on Sheema Khan’s essay “Hijabs: Don’t Kick Up a Fuss “
A. Thesis: Writer’s position is one that is in favor of permitting Hijabs to be worn by participants that are engaged in organized sports.
B. Roles/Arguments: Khan with the use of literary humor and satire makes for a persuasive argument in her paper for the wearing of the Hijab. The writer quickly dispatches the only reason given for not allowing the Hijab, that being a “Safety concern” as being entirely without merit. In addition, the writer has researched FIFA’s formal rules and found no prohibition against the Hijab, as the wording is sufficiently vague where …show more content…
She uses herself as an example of a player who has been wearing the Hijab for years whilst playing football such that it has little or no significance for herself or any of teammates, nor her competitors. In fact, Khan notes her jersey as “number 13” as being far more significant as an identifier then her Hijab. Here we find the author committing an anecdotal fallacy, as although the Hijab may be second nature to her, she doesn’t mention any of her teammates or anyone else in the league wearing one. To an outside observer, such as a fan that attended one Khan’s games, she would definitely be noted solely as result of her headdress, given that she is the only one wearing one. The writer is attempting to create the impression in her article that the Hijab is rather routine and common in sports, when in fact, the reality is, it is seldom seen on the pitch. As an example of its rarity, for the 2015 FIFA World Women’s World Cup, not a single female was observed wearing the Hijab during play, even though many Muslim countries participated in the event. Khan references the fact that Asmahan has been playing for many years in Ontario with the Hijab with no issues. Khan cites another example of a player in Australia who was not permitted to play with the Hijab, with the result being that the team the player was with boycotted the rest of the tournament, and the federation later passed a law permitting its use. By citing these references, and the wording the author is using, the writer creates the impression that the overwhelming of players, fans, and officials are in favor of allowing the Hijab to be worn in football. The writer commits the fallacy of Argumentum ad