There is an
article in the International section of today's NY TImes that struck me as rather odd and encouraging. It seems that Nike's sportswear designers are working with the UN in Somalian refugee camps in a way that could have a profound effect down the line.
On the surface, it is simply a problem (the traditional clothing worn by Somalian Muslim women is poorly suited for volleyball competition) and a solution (sportswear that maintains the most important elements of the cultural tradition, but that allows freer movement). However, I think that potentially, this kind of thing could be a tremendously progressive agent of change.
You see, everyone has the assumption that progress in the Muslim world means becoming more like America or Europe. Yet, there has been surprisingly little work done deconstructing that assumption: just what elements of Muslim tradition are compatible or incompatible, and to what degree, with modern 21st century life? To what degree is a compromise possible, such that progress can be made in some desirable areas (freedom for women to participate in sports) without giving up critical elements of Islam (modest attire for women).
Another positive thing that could happen is for the large international corporations, such as Nike, to get involved in this way, where there is a genuine effort to work with the UN and with representatives of the local culture to find ways to modernize more gently. Will Nike make a profit from this? Will they keep doing it even if they don't? I don't know. But I think that they deserve credit, as do the leaders of the UN refugee agency and the local elders.
Of course, the big questions are far outside the volleyball court, but why not start there? If Muslim girls can compete and win in an athletic competition, won't that increase their self-confidence? Won't it increase their community's pride in them and in the community as a whole? Unless there is some kind of unanticipated backlash, it's hard to see the downside of this.
Greg Shenaut