Serene Kergaye\u2019s religion is important to her \u2014 so important that she wears a headscarf, long sleeves and long pants even when she\u2019s on the soccer field at Cottonwood High School.<\/p>\n
Kergaye is Muslim, and the monochromatic clothes she wears under her uniform during games don\u2019t bother her one bit. They are a way to uphold the modesty standards that are part of her faith.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really thin and loose. It\u2019s not that hot, I don\u2019t think,\u201d she said. \u201cYeah, I look kind of weird on the field. I\u2019ll be dressed head to toe in one color, because we have to be either white or black, but oh well, I\u2019d rather play.\u201d<\/p>\n
While her coach acknowledges other teams might \u201cdo a double take\u201d when they see Kergaye from the sidelines, her teammates know her personally and see beyond the differences.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s just a very sweet person anyway, and the girls just \u2026 they love her,\u201d said coach Angela Hamilton.<\/p>\n
Kergaye\u2019s uniform might look different compared to her teammates, but state athletic directors say uniform accommodations are built into the rules for every sport in order to protect religious expression.<\/p>\n
\u201c(We want) to allow the individuals to maintain practices and still compete,\u201d said Bart Thompson, assistant director of the Utah High School Activities Association.<\/p>\n
Each sport has specific rules for uniforms that participants must follow. But within those rules are accommodations for students like Kergaye, who want to play, but have special requirements.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe rules are written to promote fair, even competition for everybody,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cIf you\u2019ve got a situation that doesn\u2019t fundamentally alter the competition, you\u2019re going to be OK.\u201d<\/p>\n
In Kergaye\u2019s case, it was a non-issue, since the extra clothing she wears as part of her religious expression in no way impede or alter the way the game is played.<\/p>\n
There are similar accommodations for students with prosthetic limbs, religious jewelry and other special circumstances. Thompson said schools always want to encourage participation, so if an accommodation for a specific situation isn\u2019t written into the rule, they\u2019ll find a way to make it work. That\u2019s what happened a few years ago when a Jewish high school student with a beard joined the wrestling team. Rules for wrestling prohibit beards.<\/p>\n
The UHSAA obtained permission from the National Federation of State High School Associations that allowed the student to wear a special face mask during play.<\/p>\n
\u201cSchools are asking for accommodations to be made in that regard rather than denying,\u201d Thompson said.<\/p>\n
Kergaye jumps at the opportunity to show other people the things they have in common and dispel false perceptions.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t sit in our basements all day and make bombs,\u201d she said. \u201cWe play soccer, we play football.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Check out the rest. <\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"How cool is that? Details: Serene Kergaye\u2019s religion is important to her \u2014 so important that she wears a headscarf, long sleeves and long pants even when she\u2019s on the soccer field at Cottonwood High School. Kergaye is Muslim, and the monochromatic clothes she wears under her uniform during games don\u2019t bother her one bit. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":132,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,49],"tags":[11208],"class_list":["post-7239","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-interfaith-news","category-this-that","tag-muslims"],"yoast_head":"\n
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