Afaf Alaa - 1(ICT, Kanazawa)

Number 10
Afaf Alaa (International College of Technology, Kanazawa)
Hello. My name is Afaf Alaa. What is number 10? Is it simply a number between
nine and eleven, or the number of my fingers? Maybe it’s just the number of years in adecade? In this case, no. It is the 10th goal of the Sustainable Development Goals, which
aim to reduce inequalities. Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, were approved by
the United Nations in 2015. These goals are a universal call to action to eradicate
poverty, safeguard the environment, and ensure that everyone lives in peace andprosperity by 2030.
Here is my Number 10 story. To be specific, my 10.3 story. SDG 10.3 aims toensure equal opportunities and end discrimination. When I got to junior high school I
was excited and eager to join the school tennis team because I felt like the sport was cooland powerful. Not only that, but I knew that my mother had wanted to play tennis one
day, but she had never had the chance to, so I thought I would do it for her. I’ve come torealize that goals are personal and deep, even a child’s goals. However, what if thosegoals are met? Or not met?
I applied to join the tennis team just like anyone else, but I provoked a different
reaction. My teacher said that she needed to talk with me. My heart fluttered, because I
did not understand what was going on. Then my teacher said, “Are you really going tojoin the tennis team? If you do and play in competitions, you have to show your legs
PROPERLY!”
But truth be told, I am a Muslim girl and I had already decided to wear my hijablater that year and cover my body. But it seemed that my choice to wear the hijab and toplay tennis would not be allowed. Should I just give up on what I want to do because of adress code that has no logical reason? Is it okay to neglect my rights to choose as afemale, and as a Muslim? If I did, what other rights would I have to give up? Womenand girls are sometimes pushed to make choices against their best interests. Thisshould not be.
For a long time, women have been struggling with unfair clothing policies. And it’s
still a problem. For example, in the 2014 Asian games, the Qatari women’s basketballteam withdrew because they were not permitted to wear their hijabs. Recently at the2020 Tokyo Olympics, there was a controversy about requiring woman’s beach handball
players to wear bikini bottoms and how the Norwegian team resisted that. Their action
paid off and the International Handball Federation revised its uniform rules. Yes,
women are fighting back against all those rules and changes are happening.
In 2017, I fought back too. I wanted the tennis association to understand that theirclothing policy was unfair. All I wanted was to have an equal opportunity to play tennis.
So, I insisted on joining the team and I was determined to play in competitions whilestill covering my body. I was the first hijabi Muslim in Ishikawa to play tennis and myschool didn’t know what to do about it. That’s when they had to negotiate with thetennis association about the dress code. What happened as a result of myAfaf Alaa - 2(ICT, Kanazawa)
determination? They actually changed the rules and allowed me to wear a covering
under my uniform. I was able to get my rights, and play in competitions with myteammates. Now I have a lot of good memories of playing, and tennis is my favorite
sport.
Wait! My story is not done yet. The next year, another Muslim girl decided to join
the team. She wasn’t asked to show her legs properly as I was. I helped to make her apath to follow. I started my own number 10 story with space for others to join in and add
their own chapter to it.
How about you? What is your number 10 story? With my number 10 story, yournumber 10 story, her, his, their number 10 story, we can achieve equality and leave noone behind. Thank you for listening.