Disqualified Hijab-wearing Blind Judo Athlete Rewarded with Umrah
9 October 2018 17:54 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian blind judo athlete Miftahul Jannah recently grabbed public support in the Asian Para Games 2018 when the 21-year old Muslim was disqualified after she refused to remove her hijab prior to the match.
This brought the attention of a member of the House of Representatives (DPR), who has yet been identified, to reward Miftahul with an Umrah trip to Mecca.
“I sincerely appreciate it and would like to say thank you to whomever rewarded me an Umrah ticket. I am truly elated. It personally feels like a gold medal for me since I failed to participate in yesterday’s match,” said Miftah in a press conference at the Gelora Bung Karno Arena on Tuesday, October 9.
Miftah adamantly defended her choice upon wearing a hijab even though she knew in advance that the regulation speaks against her decision.
“I opposed the regulation because I wanted to maintain my principle and hoped that other athletes would follow suit in defending their principle,” said Miftah.
“I knew that the regulation goes against wearing hijab but I thought that there would be a possibility of performing with a hijab. Since the technical meeting, I committed not to participate in the match if I am forced to remove my hijab.”
The Youth and Sports Minister Imam Nahrawi said that Miftah had always shown determination to compete as an athlete in the Asian Para Games 2018 but eventually chose to withdraw after the only available sport was chess.
MOH KHORY ALFARIZI
