In Gaza, there’s a few women who want to play like the men:
Society in the Gaza Strip sees boxing for women as an instigator to violence against their husbands in the future and has repeatedly slammed women for practicing it, in an attempt to get them to quit it.
Despite the obstacles, Gazan women have fought for their right to practice boxing in a society that keeps proving its patriarchal character first and foremost with its repeated refusal of women to participate in sports and other fields, restricting women’s roles to marriage and the home.
However, some support women’s rights to live their lives as they see fit, as long as they do not undermine traditions and norms. [AL-Monitor]
It’s not without its challenges:
Osama Ayob, 36, the coach of the girls boxing team in Gaza, decided after a tour in several European and Arab countries to create a boxing team for girls without the support of any party, at his own expense.
In early 2020, he announced through his Facebook page the launch of a boxing training program for women. The team was initially made up of 10 girls, and continued to grow until it reached 45 girls and women aged between seven and 25.
Ayob told Al-Monitor, “Forming a team of girls was difficult for me because it is the first one in Gaza, and it took personal effort without anyone’s support. There was a strong turnout of girls, and I really wished that society’s harsh view of them would change. I took it upon myself to protect them and toughen them against insulting comments that demoralize them and curb their desire to practice this sport.”
Sometimes just successfully existing can be enough to encourage something to pop into existence in another culture.
