‘I will not remove the hijab’ – Indonesians hail blind athlete Miftahul Jannah, disqualified for her hijab at Asian Para Games
Tearful Miftahul Jannah refused to take off her headscarf and was barred from competing in judo because of a new rule brought in the day before her event
Indonesians have thrown their support behind blind judo athlete Miftahul Jannah, who was disqualified from her Asian Para Games match in Jakarta on Monday because she refused to remove her hijab.
The 21-year-old Muslim was in tears after the referee disqualified her, with reports indicating that the rule banning the headscarf was only introduced the day before the judo events started – with organisers citing safety reasons.
“Defend your hijab. It is important to take part in the Asian Games [but] you have become a champion,” wrote one supporter on social media.
“You are the real winner. Maintain your hijab and do not open it,” wrote another, while one contributor said: “You are more noble in the eyes of God.”
Miftahul was scheduled to take part in the 52kg event for athletes deemed to have low vision. She had trained for 10 months for her chance to shine on the big stage on Monday. However, little did she know on the morning of her event that a technical committee meeting decided the day before that athletes would be banned from wearing hijab.