HOOPS AND SCARVES

Well, now this is culturally interesting.  It seems there's a female basketball team in Saudi Arabia. No, they don't wear uniforms like ours. But they do want to, so to speak, break out:

JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia -- The Jeddah United women's basketball team trickled onto the court, each player wrapped in a black abaya and head scarf. Within minutes, the women had shed their cloaks and were in uniform -- white pants and jerseys with their names in red -- practicing layups, passes and foul shots until they were wet with sweat.

The team, made up mostly of Saudi students and housewives, is preparing for a local tournament this month. But what the women would really love to do, many said, is compete internationally and represent their country abroad, something Saudi Arabia does not permit.

The religious bigs have their own opinions.  Some have issued a religious decree banning women's sports centers:

"Opening these centers is one of the main reasons and the biggest doors leading to the spread of decadence," the decree states. "And it is known that the only women who will frequent these centers are those with little or no manners."

It concludes: "Banning the opening of these sports centers is not a ban on sports. A woman can practice sports at home, and there are many ways to do that, or she can race her husband in a deserted area, like the prophet Muhammad -- peace be upon him -- who raced with his wife Aisha twice."

That must have been quite a scene.  I wonder if Aisha had cheerleaders. 

I think they should allow these women to go for it.  The only problem is, it's Saudi Arabia.  What happens to the women if they lose? 

That may give the term "final four" an entirely new meaning.

April 15, 2008.