Topic: News: CAIR Seeks Hijab Rights for Banned Georgia Muslim Woman Weightlifter

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

Yes, Shaun, I agree that many of the rules are unnecessary, including the press-out and many of the uniform regulations. It seems to me these rules came from bureaucrats, not weightlifters, to ensure job security for officials. I neglected to mention why I focused on potential litigation in my last post and added it just before your last post. CAIR seems to favor such methods. One might even say they seem hell-bent on enforcing a moslem system on everyone else, via legalese, lobbying, bribing, blackmailing via litigation, etc. Certainly, they can ask for the rules to be changed. And I certainly agree, axe the press-out rule and enough of the uniform rules to facilitate her competing and allow for all weightlifters to express their individuality. I do strongly disagree that it is not reasonable for them, if denied, to form their own organization. That's freedom. Don't like the usaw-iwf, do it your own way. Certainly, it is not freedom to use the government to force others to do it your way. Further, it is of course impossible for one way to please everyone, which is why free entry-free trade is the best policy, or why public property is inherently evil. ;)

[Andy Dick]

Tcooper, I appreciate your view on the topic.  It is nice to get some 1st hand info on the topic.  I am in no way attacking the lifter, I do not know her nor infer anything about her.  I am looking at the issue of the rule change.  Perhaps I was not clear on my point.  My main point with the issue about praying was this:

This is opening a can of worms for all sorts of qwerky rule changes and exploitation of the rules by those who do not wish to follow a certain rule.

Then I discuss the prayer issue.  I even admitted myself that is was a poor example:

I know this is a poor example, but seeing if this example is to occur do you see how people will seek to exploit that rule or in her case how some will seek to exploit the clothing rule.

My point has two facets, I don't want my meaning to be construed because it is a very valid and intelligent point.  First, if the rule is passed to change the outfit based on religion where do the rule changes end?  This one change can open the door for many other called for rule changes based on religion and many religions are different and all cannot be accommodated.  That is where the issue about prayer came in.  If we make this concession about the clothing where will it end people can bring up all sort of rule changes. 

Then tie this to my second point: there are those out there who will seek to get rule changes to benefit themselves and give them an edge.  So they will call, as Chris stated, rule changes to benefit them for whatever they want to wear or feel they lift best in.  There are those that will try to then move on to my absurd example of they prayer to say I need to pray and you can't disqualify me because its my religious belief.  Religion is a very easy argument to exploit something and use it as a basis for the discrimination argument.  (NOTE: I am NOT saying this is what the lifter is doing in this case).  But I am saying that there will be those that may come after, if this is passed, that will try to use religion to exploit the rule system.

On such rule that I think is exploited in this manner is the injury time rule in wrestling.  This is my college wrestling background speaking.  I wrestled in the Iowa conference (D3) in college.  There was a thing called “the Iowa time out.”  This was a joking name for a wrestler faking an injury to get to use their injury time in order to stop the match (to possibly get a restart in their favor) or, in most cases, to get an extra rest period.  It was so common it was given a name.  It was common because no one was ever going to call someone on actually faking the injury in order to get this stop of the match and injury time.  Because in society's eyes it is poor form to say someone is not injured when they actually might be.

I see this same potential happening here with the rule change based on religion.  It is still considered bad form to say that a person is trying to exploit a rule and does not hold true to the tenants of a certain belief.  Look at your own reaction when you thought I was saying the prayer argument about the lifter in question in this issue.  On top of that tenants vary so widely in each religion alone not to mention between each religion.  It becomes too difficult and to easy for those with bad intent to use religion to try to find a way around the rules or to change them in their favor.

[Matt Erdman]

Considering the amount of Islamic countries that participate with the IWF, and are seemingly fine, it is hard to imagine that they will amend the rules. Even if they do take it seriously it will be a couple years to sort it out. I doubt the "human rights" groups will wait that long.

[Andy Dick]

On the other hand, I wouldn't mind seeing it ok to allow the current suit to be adjusted or remaid to travel down to the ankles.  Tightness would still be apparent, it could reduce scraping and tearing of the skin on the shins, thus less chances of blood on the bar.  I also think it would help keep the legs warm between attempts.  This would help give legitimacy to changing the ruling.

PS speaking of rules on clothing that don't make any sense.  In powerlifting you can't wear boxers.

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

http://www.muslimnews.co.uk/paper/index.php?article=5353

[Matt Erdman]

Banned!

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

Its a GREAT honor to be banned from the USAW.

[Andy Dick]

So is that the final consensus on the matter?  I thought they were meeting to hash it out?