Translated material
Ramadan does not tolerate records
Muslims demand postponement of 2012 Olympics
Devout Muslims once again tried to bring the world order in line with the norms of Islam. The organizing committee of the 2012 Olympic Games in London was “advised” to postpone them to another month. The fact is that from July 21 to August 20, the holy month of Ramadan for followers of Islam will last, and the timing of the Olympics (July 27 - August 12) falls precisely on this difficult period.During Ramadan, Muslims are subject to strict fasting: it is strictly forbidden to eat during daylight hours. Naturally, an athlete who follows Islamic norms is not able to participate in any competitions during this month: it is impossible to break records on an empty stomach. And in many Muslim countries, sports life practically comes to a standstill during Ramadan: championships and competitions take a forced pause.
It is curious that the scandal was initiated not by Muslim powers, but by British followers of Islam. Among those supporting the idea of moving the games are the London-based Islamic Human Rights Commission and the Muslim Council of Great Britain. Commission chairman Masoud Shadjareh told the Daily Mail: “They wouldn't organize this at Christmas. It is equally foolish to organize games during Ramadan... This puts athletes at a disadvantage.” The British faithful were joined by the head of the Turkish NOC, Togay Bayalti, who believes that participation in the games during Ramadan will be difficult for Muslim athletes.
However, the International Olympic Committee requires the games to fit into a “window” from July 15 to August 31, which makes a clash between the Olympics and Ramadan inevitable. IOC spokeswoman Giselle Davis said: “The Games bring together people of all faiths and beliefs. What to do with religious prohibitions is up to the athletes.” However, the London Games organizing committee, according to its representative Joanna Manning-Cooper, will consult with the Muslim Council of Great Britain regarding the settlement of Ramadan issues. According to her, these particular dates are the most convenient: during this period there is the least traffic jam in London. In addition, it is at the end of July and beginning of August that the easiest time is to find 70 thousand volunteers for the Games.
The problem that arose once again showed that in the Western world, where, in fact, modern sports originated, the compilers of sports calendars were not accustomed to taking religious holidays into account. Either because the heyday of big-time sports occurred in the era of secularization of society, or because in Europe and America they learned to combine secular entertainment with Christian norms. Of course, theoretically, one can imagine, say, some Orthodox football player or hockey player who is indignant at the fact that the championships do not take a break during Lent or Nativity... But there is nothing like that in Russia, nor in Greece, nor in Bulgaria, for some reason- that doesn't happen.
On the other hand, it is possible that Muslims simply took an example from their distant relatives: Israeli sports federations have long and successfully twisted the arms of European sports associations and leagues, demanding that they pay attention to the norms of their religion and other regional characteristics. First of all, the matter concerns the observance of the Sabbath: a believing Jew cannot work on this day. International matches of Israeli teams have long been trying not to interfere with the sacred time of doing nothing for Jews. And recently, the story of the Israeli football player Dudu Avat, goalkeeper of the Spanish club Deportivo, attracted a lot of attention from the press. This Jewish believer said that he was ready to break religious norms and compete in the national championship match, despite the fact that the game falls on the Day of Judgment. In Israel they were outraged by this and obstructed the player, but then, fortunately, it turned out that the game managed to end before the onset of the Jewish celebration.
Modern sport is not only generated by Western civilization, but also adapts in every possible way to its norms. Therefore, it is extremely difficult to combine championships, Olympics and even amateur competitions with fundamentally different formalities of Islam. For example, modern sportswear, which for women sometimes resembles a bikini, is extremely revealing for Muslim women (after all, even a bathing suit tailored according to Mohammedan standards reminds a European of shapeless pajamas). As a result of this, the few Islamic athletes who try to dress without violating the rules of hijab look extremely strange at international competitions. And let's say, in cross-country athletics, for example, those Muslim women who are more concerned not with the aerodynamics of the form, but with its decency, are doomed to lose.
However, if the organizers of the London Olympics do not cave in under pressure from the Islamic lobby, world sport is unlikely to lose much. Firstly, most likely realizing that the blackmail did not work, British Muslims will grind their teeth and stop their demarches. And secondly, even if a number of athletes or national Olympic committees of Islamic countries refuse to participate in the Olympics, this will not significantly affect the division of prize places. Despite the fact that about a quarter of the Games participants will represent Muslim states, the majority of these athletes will be extras. Thus, at the last summer Olympics in Athens, Turkey showed the best result in the world of Islam - three golds, three silvers, four bronzes. Iran had six medals, Uzbekistan had five, a country that, although Muslim, was demonstratively secular (the authorities in Tashkent diligently suppress any outbursts of religious radicalism). So, Muslim athletes, alas, are not a significant enough figure for high-performance sports, and therefore attempts to make the Olympic movement dependent on religious rules can be safely ignored.