A group of religious fundamentalist zealot was least interested about all those enthusiasms gathering around women’s soccer tournament being held for the first time in Bangladesh, inaugurated from 4th October, 2004, at Birshrestho Stadium.

On 5th October, 2004 they staged a demonstration at the north gate of Baitul Mukarram Mosque in protest of the women’s soccer tournament naming it “un-Islamic” activity and threatened to launch a massive demonstration if the organisers did not take their objection seriously. “Stop the nude exhibition on the field in the name of football” marked a banner in front of the Baitul Mukarram Mosque as the fanatics condemned the first ever football tournament in threatening words. Blaming the Khaleda-Nizami Government and the organizers for encouraging un-Islamic activities, they declared a series of protest demonstrations which include aggressive rallies carrying “Lathi” on 7th & 8th October at north gate of Baitul Mukarram Mosque and a “Gherao” programme of the office of the “National Sports Council” at 10 AM on 9th October 2004.
With gradual development within forthcoming years towards formation of a Women’s National Football Team, from 4th October 2004 an invitational football tournament among eight selected teams from around the country commenced under the auspices of Bangladesh Football Federation. This was for the first time in the history of Bangladesh Football that the women’s football tournament is taking place. The Deputy Minister for Sports Fazlur Rahman MP inaugurated the tournament at the Birshrestho Sahid Sipahi Mohammed Mustafa Stadium at Kamalapur. This was in inauguration of the stadium too, which was named after one the greatest martyr of our liberation war.
The special guests Mr. Brandon Manton, Director of National Associations of The Asian Football Federation including three members of Vision Asia and the officials of Bangladesh Football Federation were among those who attended the inaugural function. With colourful march past of the Women Ansar’s Band and pleasant display staged by a contingent taken from the Women Ansar & Women’s Village Defense Police including that of “Spandan Group”, amidst cheerful crowd of a large number of enthusiastic girl viewers coming from around the country, made the festive inaugural function remarkably enjoyable.
Apart from the two teams from Bangladesh Ansars and Village Defense Police the other district teams who are participating the tournament this time are the district teams from Dhaka, Chittagong, Khagrachari, Narayanganj, Khulna, and Jessore.
During last few days already several matches were held and watching those games Mr. Manton of Asian Football Federation and Mr. Thomas, Director, Grassroots, of Vision Asia, felt confident about the potential of the women in Bangladesh and expressed optimism about growth of women’s soccer in Bangladesh.
In each year Bangladesh Football Federation receives allocation of US $ 250,000 from the Asian Football Federation. This year only US $ 10,000 was allocated for this tournament of women’s football. Even it was difficult to convince any sponsor this time although a souvenir was published to raise some funds. But, after attending the inaugural function and few of the matches, now few sponsors are getting interest and also Bangladesh Football Federation promised to raise the allocation to US $ 25,000 for the next tournament to be organized early next year.
Bangladesh Football federation have expressed serious discontent on the activities of the religious bigots and expressed their firm commitment to continue the tournament, unless the Government would direct to stop the tournament failing to resist the activities of the zealots who are trying to take the situation to the brink of lawlessness. It may be mentioned that, early this year a programme of friendly women’s soccer match between Bangladesh and a neighbouring country including a women’s wrestling match were cancelled due to similar demonstrations staged by the zealots.
In the international arena, in general Bangladesh has a very poor performance track record in sports and athletics. Bangladesh ODI and Test Cricket performance placed in the “Minnows” brought dismal records back home. The quality of most popular and oldest crowd catching sports of soccer is also degrading day-by-day and even could not make a commendable place in the regional competitions. Far away from being able to earn any respect qualifying at all in Asian Games competitions or being heard the name of Bangladeshi sportsmen or athletes in the results of competitions, other than being participant in the inaugural march past in the Olympics.
Sports is not only means of healthy entertainment from which the youth of today are more getting diverted to Computer Games or TV entertainment channels but with the rise of indiscriminate distorted interpretation of religion with bigotry by orthodox group of self-proclaimed religious leaders are creating lot of nonsense values in our society even regarding the outdoor or indoor sports including women’s sports and athletics which are becoming their targets of criticism.
Sports and athletics help achieving mental and physical fitness. When women are getting enrolled in police and army there is no reason why more and more women will not participate in tougher outdoor sports like soccer, hockey, basketball, volleyball, tennis, table-tennis or in other events of athletics including sprints, marathon, hurdles race, swimming etc. to improve their physical fitness and healthy means of entertainment other than getting involved spending time in front of TV watching soap serials or obscene films or dance programmes. Many of those zealots would not know that in the present World many would take the national success in sports collectively achieved in all disciplines as an indirect yardstick for measurement of Human Development of a given society involving health, education and technology.
Although, difference in physical performance have segregated genders in sports and athletics, but many would not know that comparing the performance records of the course of events of sports and athletics it is revealing progressively that the performance of women are improving at much faster rate than men. Researchers working in the field of sports and athletics are predicting that if this upward trend of improvement of performance sustains then during the third quarter of this millennium the organizers of the Olympics Games may have to consider mixed competitions even in case of 100 Meter Sprint which requires hardest physical fit, presuming tough competition between the genders for securing supremacy. In this year the difference of time to finish the sprint between the genders was only one second. This lagging difference of one second is creation of thousand years of patriarchy.
I do not know whether those particular groups of the religious zealots who are declaring these agitation programmes in Bangladesh are aware of what is happening around the World in the field of women’s sports and athletics vis-à-vis in the field of physical empowerment of women, in particular as to being aware of this small piece of information emanating from the results of research made on gender related performances in sports, athletics and health developments.
Darkness is the worst enemy of humanity; hence for this reason the knowledge of igniting made humankind different from the animals. Those animals who liked to live in the darkness are getting extinct day-by-day and the species who are getting themselves enlightened progressively are securing their prominence. Bangladesh is struggling in their effort to emerge as an enlightened population in this World and that is what those bigots should try learn and understand. I hope the Government would sincerely advance to take stern measures to stop those regressive religious bigots out there trying to create lawlessness in the society misinterpreting religion, and not cow down this time as they did during the earlier soccer and wrestling matches which were scheduled to be held earlier this year but met with unfortunate suspension causing immense frustration to the women participants in sports and athletics.

Afroza Begum
Dhaka, 8th October 2004