Islamic school won’t let 12-year-old girl play football, citing lustful thoughts and the Koran
An Islamic academy in Georgia put a significant dent in a 12-year-old girl's dream of one day earning a college football scholarship when the school's CEO allegedly cited the Koran and middle school boys' lustful thoughts as reasons for removing her from the team.
Locus Grove (Ga.) Islamic School CEO Hafiz Erwan told Maddy Blythe, 12, "that men and women are created equal but different, and he said that he prayed about it and it was the wrong thing to do," Maddy told WSB-TV. "I think it's kind of crazy and I think it's very archaic and he needs to get with the times."
While Blythe still appears in a team photo on the school's website, the coach reluctantly informed the Blythes that their daughter "would no longer be able to play" despite his best efforts to convince the CEO otherwise, CBS Atlanta reported.
"It's like taking my dream and throwing it in the trash," Maddy told 11Alive News.
Still, the Islamic School athletic director Muhammad al-Rahwani submitted this e-mail statement to the local NBC affiliate: "Our official policy is that middle school girls play girl sports and middle school boys play boy sports."
Maddy's mother Cassy Blythe, who served as a police officer before converting to Islam and turning her attention to raising six children, estimated her daughter registered a handful of sacks while receiving constant praise for her play as a defensive tackle for the Patriots last season.
"My girl can handle herself. I've seen girls in the military," Cassy Blythe told CBS Atlanta. "I've seen fellow female police officers who went out there and they busted tail and they were just a as good and if not better in some aspects."
More specifically, here is what Cassy Blythe said was addressed by the school in a letter to the Atlanta Journal Constitution:
Her school called me in for a meeting to discuss her future. I was told by the CEO that he did not believe girls should play on boys teams. He was worried 1) the boys might have impure thoughts, 2) the locker room talk might be a bit much for her to handle, 3) boys and girls should not compete in any sport, 4) there are other sports she can play, 5) they are a private school and can make any decision they want, and 6) he prayed about it and this was the right thing to do. He also quoted the Koran by saying that men and women are created equal but different and therefore should not be allowed to play the same sports.
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An Islamic academy in Georgia put a significant dent in a 12-year-old girl's dream of one day earning a college football scholarship when the school's CEO allegedly cited the Koran and middle school boys' lustful thoughts as reasons for removing her from the team.
Locus Grove (Ga.) Islamic School CEO Hafiz Erwan told Maddy Blythe, 12, "that men and women are created equal but different, and he said that he prayed about it and it was the wrong thing to do," Maddy told WSB-TV. "I think it's kind of crazy and I think it's very archaic and he needs to get with the times."
While Blythe still appears in a team photo on the school's website, the coach reluctantly informed the Blythes that their daughter "would no longer be able to play" despite his best efforts to convince the CEO otherwise, CBS Atlanta reported.
"It's like taking my dream and throwing it in the trash," Maddy told 11Alive News.
Still, the Islamic School athletic director Muhammad al-Rahwani submitted this e-mail statement to the local NBC affiliate: "Our official policy is that middle school girls play girl sports and middle school boys play boy sports."
Maddy's mother Cassy Blythe, who served as a police officer before converting to Islam and turning her attention to raising six children, estimated her daughter registered a handful of sacks while receiving constant praise for her play as a defensive tackle for the Patriots last season.
"My girl can handle herself. I've seen girls in the military," Cassy Blythe told CBS Atlanta. "I've seen fellow female police officers who went out there and they busted tail and they were just a as good and if not better in some aspects."
More specifically, here is what Cassy Blythe said was addressed by the school in a letter to the Atlanta Journal Constitution:
Her school called me in for a meeting to discuss her future. I was told by the CEO that he did not believe girls should play on boys teams. He was worried 1) the boys might have impure thoughts, 2) the locker room talk might be a bit much for her to handle, 3) boys and girls should not compete in any sport, 4) there are other sports she can play, 5) they are a private school and can make any decision they want, and 6) he prayed about it and this was the right thing to do. He also quoted the Koran by saying that men and women are created equal but different and therefore should not be allowed to play the same sports.
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