The "All Turban" basketball game & hundreds of peaceful protests against FIBA's "No Headgear" rule

Remember when the International Basketball Association - FIBA - freaked out and barred a couple of Sikh Indian basketball players from playing with their turbans on at the FIBA Asia Cup in July? Remember when that happened again a month later at the U18 FIBA Asia Championship in Qatar and India's Anmol Singh had to remove his turban before playing in international basketball games? Remember how they unnecessarily delayed their decision on the turban/headgear bans? While the rest of the world seems to be fine with recognizing the traditional Sikh headgear as a part of the community's culture, FIBA is somehow still stuck considering the harmless - yet important - piece of cloth a 'threat'.

Photo via BaruSahib.org

In that case, FIBA officials would've found plenty to feel 'threatened' about in Sirmore a couple of days ago.

In an awesome display of the power of the peaceful protest against FIBA, the Kalgidhar Society on Wednesday, September 10 hosted an "All Turban" basketball game at their Akal Academy in Sirmore (Himachal Pradesh). Special guest at the game was Anmol Singh - India's under-18 player who was forced by FIBA officials to remove his headgear before getting to play at the U18 FIBA Asia Championship in Doha last month. Students from the academy - all in patkas (turbans) - took part in the game and as the audience with Anmol.

This might be shocking to some FIBA officials, but no players were hurt and no harm was caused despite all the turbans involved.

Photo via BaruSahib.org

The game at Sirmore was the final event in the first phase of Kalgidhar Society's massive pan-North India protest against FIBA: similar protest matches have already been held over the last few days at the society’s 128 other Akal Academies spread across the hinterland of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

Apart from approaching FIBA and basketball officials in India, Kalgidhar Society has also filed an online petition against FIBA through Change.org on July 26. The petition #LetSikhsPlay has been supported by around 68,000 persons from across the globe so far. Sports legends like Milkha Singh, Bishen Singh Bedi and eminent personalities from music and culture like Daler Mehndi, Yo Yo Honey Singh etc. too have backed the campaign.

Commenting on controversy, Anmol Singh said, “I was shocked by the discriminatory behaviour of FIBA’s officials at Doha. It is a pity that FIBA continues to be adamant despite the global protest. US Congressmen have also pointed out that no such discrimination happens in American football. How can a turban hurt anybody?”

Photo via BaruSahib.org

Kalgidhar Society’s head Baba Iqbal Singh, 89, who was agriculture director of Himachal Pradesh government previously, said, “Rules are meant to conduct games harmoniously not to divide people. If we see the divine in every being, there will be peace and brotherhood which are desperately needed in the modern world. We should be empathetic to the sensitivities and feelings of all. This can put an end to all quarrels, controversies and wars.”

During FIBA's Central Board meeting at Seville on the eve of the Basketball World Cup (August 27), the committee decided to shelf any decision on its controversial 'Headgear' ruling - Article 4.4.2 of FIBA's official basketball rules - that has denied people of Sikh, Muslim, or Jewish cultures from wearing their traditional headgear (like turban, hijab, or yarmulkes). The official FIBA statement read: "On the subject of a review of the basketball rules regarding headgear, because of the importance of the matter, the Central Board decided that it requires further analysis before a final decision is made."

FIBA also elected a new chairman and several new board members at the World Cup. This new board is set to have their first official meeting tomorrow (September 13): they need to treat this matter with the decency and urgency that it deserves.

Hopefully some of these voices and images of protest reach FIBA so they can realize that playing with turbans or hijab is quite normal indeed with no hint of a 'threat'. The only threat they need to erase is from their own prejudiced thought process.

FIBA delays decision on Headgear Ban; Sikh community reacts

FIBA - the international basketball federation - is currently enjoying it's flagship event, the 2014 Basketball World Cup, in Spain. With this being basketball's biggest international event featuring 24 of the top teams in the world, it has been a chance for FIBA to show the world that basketball is truly a global sport and has the potential to bring people together.

Alas, FIBA seems to be turning this potential push forward into - in simple basketball terms - a turnover.

During FIBA's Central Board meeting at Seville on the eve of the World Cup, the committee decided to shelf any decision on its controversial 'Headgear' ruling - Article 4.4.2 of FIBA's official basketball rules - that has denied people of Sikh, Muslim, or Jewish cultures from wearing their traditional headgear (like turban, hijab, or yarmulkes). The protest against this rule has been flaring up for the past year, but became a loud outcry particularly over the past few months when three Indian Sikh players - Amrit Pal Singh and Amjyot Singh at the FIBA Asia Cup and Anmol Singh at the FIBA Asia U18 Championship - were forced to remove their turbans before participating in international games.

After pressure from the Basketball Federation of India (BFI), US lawmakers, and Sikh activists - including the #LetSikhsPlay social media campaign - FIBA had decided to review this issue at the Central Board meeting in Spain at the end of August. Unfortunately, the meeting came and went with no further result.

From FIBA.com's report of their Central Board Meeting on August 27:

On the subject of a review of the basketball rules regarding headgear, because of the importance of the matter, the Central Board decided that it requires further analysis before a final decision is made. Both the Technical and Legal Commissions shall study and present options to the Central Board.
A new Central Board will be elected during the World Congress taking place on Thursday-Friday 28-29 August and will meet for the first time on Saturday 13 September in Madrid.

Roopam Sharma, the CEO of the BFI, had promised to raise this topic among FIBA officials at the World Cup. She spoke to The Times of India recently, saying "I have been waiting for my opportunity to raise this issue in the World Congress. I will make them understand that patka is a part of Sikh culture and tradition. It is not an accessory, and it is in no way injurious to players. It is just a piece of cloth that Sikhs wear on their heads. I hope we would be able to resolve the issue and bring it to its logical conclusion."

In response to this delay, Sona Simran Kaur, the Communications Director of Sikh American Legal Defense and Education
Fund (SALDEF) said, "It is a shame that FIBA has decided to let bureaucracy stand in the way of progress and religious freedom.
The FIBA Basketball World Cup starts on Saturday, August 30. While FIBA presents itself as a representative of global sport, Sikh and Muslim players will still be forced to choose between playing the game they love and following their religious beliefs."

Simran Jeet Singh, the Senior Religion Fellow for the Sikh Coalition who initiated the #LetSikhsPlay campaign added, "As the great Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, 'Justice delayed is justice denied.' This is an issue of basic morality and ethics, and we hope that FIBA will do the right thing by allowing religious minorities to play basketball freely. Basketball is a beautiful sport that's growing rapidly around the world. It's time for FIBA to embrace the diverse communities it represents and to modernize its outdated and discriminatory rules. Other major sports organizations, such as FIFA and the NCAA, allow Sikhs to play with their turbans, and there is no logical reason to keep them off the basketball court for international competitions."

Members of Kalgidhar Society staged a protest demonstration against FIBA during their conference in Seville.

Meanwhile, the online support for turban-clan basketball players has gained further support. Several Sikh/Indian celebrities, such as pop stars Yo Yo Honey Singh and Daler Mehndi have promoted a change.org petition against the discrimination by FIBA. So far, the petition has gained over 59,000 signatures.

FIBA have had a changeover in its top brass at the World Congress, too. Argentina's Horacio Muratore was elected as the new FIBA President for the 2014-2019 term of office, replacing Yvan Mainini. Delegates from the 116 national federations in attendance at the FIBA World Congress on Thursday elected 13 of the potential 29 members that will make up the Central Board for the upcoming term.

This new board will meet on September 13 again, near the end of the World Cup, for the first time. Hopefully, the new head honchos treat this issue with the seriousness and urgency it deserves. Until the rule has changed, many of India's players who wear religious/traditional headgear, will have to continue playing without it for future international basketball games.

FIBA to review basketball headgear rule following pressure from BFI, #LetSikhsPlay, & more

Let's take a moment to step back, take a deep breath, and marvel at the power of the internet. Less than two weeks ago, I wrote a post detailing how the governing body of basketball in the planet - FIBA - forced a rule upon India's Sikh basketball players to play at the FIBA Asia Cup in China without their turbans. While the players complied with the rules and played for the pride of their country, there was worldwide outrage, led by significant pressure by followers on the internet and specifically social media.

And the pressure from all angles jabbing at FIBA has finally brought some real results: earlier today, FIBA announced that their Central Board will soon review their 'no headgear' rule after a formal request to do so by the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) at the FIBA Asia Congress a few days ago.

This is the first step to what detractors of the rule hope will eventually lead FIBA to allow players like Sikhs (who wear turbans) or muslims (who wear hijab) to keep their headgear on while playing basketball in FIBA/international basketball competitions. A FIBA press release today announced that "FIBA's Central Board, which is ultimately responsible for changes to the Official Basketball Rules, will review these requests and decide how to proceed in the best interest of the sport and of its 214 members." The Central Board is set to meet at the FIBA World Congress on 28-29 August in Sevilla, Spain during the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

FIBA's decision to review this rule will be seen as the appropriate step by many, including the BFI, who made the formal request to FIBA. The Sikh community and the thousands of others who support their cause - led by SALDEF and others - did an immense job at promoting '#LetSikhsPlay' on social media to protest against FIBA and asked for the international basketball federation to show the same request that the NCAA and other basketball bodies around the world have shown to players who wear turbans or other headgear for various reasons. India's Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal weighed in on the controversy, declaring that he was "shocked and outraged" at FIBA as he extended his protest to the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Even United States congressmen got into the act and asked FIBA for a change in what they called a 'discriminatory policy'.

But most importantly, this review will come as a relief to players like Amjyot Singh and Amrit Pal Singh, two of India's most talented basketball players who were instrumental in the team's wondrous performances at the FIBA Asia Cup in Wuhan. Until two weeks ago, both players had freely played with their turbans on in FIBA tournaments and other basketball competitions. As Sikhs who hold the symbolism of their headgear very closely to their identity and their religion, they had both expressed sadness at the implementation of FIBA's rule. And yet, they played on after being forced to tie their hair back by rubber bands or other hair bands through the course of the tournament.

The 214 members of FIBA now hold the key to a sensible and happy end to this conflict. Basketball shouldn't discriminate on basis of harmless cultural insignia like turbans or hijab. And the end of the 'No Headgear' rule will bring smiles to the faces of not just India's Sikh players but also Muslim players who have clashed with FIBA in the past over this.

Article 4.4.2 of FIBA’s Official Basketball Rules states, "Players shall not wear equipment (objects) that may cause injury to other players," a list that includes headgear like turbans, hijab, etc. FIBA claims that the rule was made to observe safety on the basketball court and uniformity of equipment within a team and currently, players are only allowed to wear headbands no wider than five centimetres in order to hold back hair and sweat.

Bizzarely, this is a 10-year-old rule, but FIBA only decided to start strictly implementing it recently and it was only imposed on Team India two weeks ago. I first reported the story on this blog days after India's first game against Japan at the FIBA Asia Cup when Amjyot and Amrit Pal were forced to take off their turbans and wait a couple of minutes after the game began before checking in. India's Head Coach Scott Flemming claimed that a misunderstanding with FIBA officials led to this last minute disturbance, which of course had adverse effects on the concentration levels of the entire squad.

While #LetSikhsPlay quickly got the wheels of protest in motion, India's own mainstream news factory typically reacted much later to this news, after India had returned back home from the tournament in China. The reaction eventually led to BFI's formal request against this ruling, but looking ahead, it will be the online pressure and the power of the internet directed that FIBA itself that could perhaps convince the ruling basketball body's voting members to rescind or edit Article 4.4.2.

The saddest part of this whole controversy? The outrage has pretty much overshadowed Team India's brilliant play at the FIBA Asia Cup, where - led by Coach Flemming - they defeated China for the first time in history in perhaps their greatest ever basketball victory and gave a tougher than expected fight to Asian giants such as Iran and the Philippines. The Indian media reacted to the negative news much fervently than the positive one. And unfortunately, Indian basketball's shining moment was portrayed by our mainstream media more as a silver lining around the dark cloud of FIBA controversy rather than the other way around.

The fight isn't over yet, but at least, there are positive signs that FIBA are willing to listen to the outcry of Indian, Sikh, and everyone else who supports this cause around the world. Hopefully, common-sense prevails over rudimentary thinking, and we can get back to basketball instead of worrying about whether a little bit of cloth covering someone's head could ever be a "threat". Especially if that bit of cloth has such a deep-lying significance to the culture and religion of the targeted individuals. The rest of the world is catching up with multiculturalism; it's time FIBA did, too.