ABU DHABI // Sports and athletics are integral to Islam as a way to gain physical strength, body aesthetics and spiritual growth, a scholar of Islamic studies said on Wednesday. "Our religion pays a great deal of attention to the body, and does not neglect it," said Dr Yuyu Abdul Hamid. "Islam specifies nutrition for the body, the soul and the mind."
As a trained psychologist and Islamic preacher, Dr Abdul Hamid advises the Islamic Centre of Strasbourg, France, on cultural and religious affairs. He is in the UAE as one of the "Guests of the Nation" delegation, an annual roster of Islamic scholars from around the world who share their latest research at mosques and other venues. He delivered his lecture to an audience of Emirati athletes and educators at the Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation.
"In our world today, there is great importance for the body and its material strength," he said. "In Europe, sports is like a religion for people. At least every Sunday they go running or swimming for an hour." The Islamic tradition has stressed exercise and athletic training from the time of the Prophet Mohammed. In one highly referenced hadith, the Prophet says: "Teach your children swimming, archery and horse-back riding."
Dr Abdul Hamid referred to some Islamic concepts that make a basis for embracing athleticism as a way of life for any Muslim. "In Islam, we talk about strength of faith. But Islam commands us to have strength in everything we do, not just faith. Athletics in Islam is the strength for the body." Aesthetics is another concept in Islam, which stresses the virtues of beauty in all its forms. People often reference a popular phrase in the Islamic tradition that says: "God is beautiful and he loves beauty", to inspire Muslims to look after themselves, their communities and their mosques.
"Islam is a religion of beauty," said Dr Abdul Hamid, adding that God's beauty is evident in all his creations. "When God commanded Muslims to embody perfection in their work, he also spoke about embodying beauty. "It is not enough to complete the material aspect of one's work, but rather a Muslim should be as devoted to the beauty of his or her work. "Athletics cater to the aesthetic aspect of the body, not only the material aspect of muscular strength."
Girls were notably absent from the audience, and Dr Abdul Hamid later said engaging girls in athletics was of particular importance in Muslim countries. The UAE, which suffers from the second highest rate of diabetes in the world, tries to implement policies that encourage girls and women to embrace athletics. "We recently opened a sports club for women on Delma Island, and already hundreds of women have joined," said Mohammad al Mahmood, chief executive of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, referring to the small island with about 5,000 inhabitants.
The council plans to address in a conference later this year best practices on engaging girls in sports and athletics. Public schools in the UAE mandate physical education for girls, but one of the main hurdles can be traditional parents who prevent or discourage their daughters from engaging in certain sports. A pilot programme that introduced the Japanese martial art of jiu jitsu in public schools received mixed reviews among parents, many of whom forbade their daughters from participating in the sport on grounds that it was "too masculine" or "inappropriate for girls".
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