Zahra Lari - Arab Emirates Skater | Golden Skate

Zahra Lari - Arab Emirates Skater

Carmen95

Rinkside
Joined
Oct 3, 2013
Hey,

I don´t know if there already is a thread about this young skater, Zahra Lari, but here is an article (in german) about the (first?) muslim figure skater, having the goal to compete at Pyeongchang in 2018.

http://www.fr-online.de/panorama/eiskunstlauf-die-eisprinzessin-aus-der-wueste,1472782,26339004.html

And also a short reportage about her: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOVqh96PeQs

She has been skating for 6 years now, also competed internationally and now has the high goal to reach the Olympics. If she would be able to do so, she would be the first athlete from the United Arab Emirates to compete at the Winter Olympics.
There were some complainings about her skating with a headscarf, and she is also highly critisized by highly conservative muslims to show to much of her attraction even she is skating fully covered.
On facebook she was already critisized by some skating fans because of the political statement of supression transferred by the headscarf and that the ISU should act against that and also a unqualified statement: " Zur nächsten Olympiade, wie lächerlich. Mit dem Outfit kann sie bestenfalls zur arabischen Meisterschaft im Kameltreiben antreten." -> meaning so much as her aim was hilarious and with that outfit she could only compete at the arab championships in camel battue- This makes me angry as none of them had seen her skate and seem to think that the costume matters everything in a skating performance.

Even if I am not agreeing on women wearing headscarves I still recognize that this is something about the culture and the religion, which I highly tolerate and don´t think that she should be banned from competitions as she is not responsible for her cultural background. I kinda compare the possibility that she could be banned with a skater wearing a cross necklace while being on ice, which is also such a statement.
I highly admire her for fighting for her dreams, even while being confronted with very contradictory conditions.

What do you think about her aims? I hope we can discuss a bit about this topic, if the ISU should permit her to skate fully covered (as some people demand to not let her skate as this would be a political statement)
 

LRK

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 13, 2012
Thank you for sharing!

I don't think she's the first Muslim skater, as there are a few I can think of that have, to me (I'm a Muslim), Muslim-sounding names. But maybe the first to compete internationally while wearing the hijab?
 

Sam-Skwantch

“I solemnly swear I’m up to no good”
Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 29, 2013
Country
United-States
Thank you. Brought a tear to my eye! I hope her dreams come true.
 

skatedreamer

Medalist
Joined
Feb 18, 2014
Country
United-States
She sounds like an amazingly courageous young woman. I hope she achieves everything she wants -- and then some!
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
I don't think she's the first Muslim skater, as there are a few I can think of that have, to me (I'm a Muslim), Muslim-sounding names.

I wonder if former U.S. men's competitor Armin Mahbanoozedah is Muslim? (His name means son of the moon goddess in Persian.)

There was a U.S. brother and sister pairs team a number of years ago who were Arab-Americans (I don't know their religion.) I can't remember their names now (I think her first name was Simi ?) They made a big splash in winning the U.S. Novice title, but he aged out out and they didn't get past juniors. She coached at Michelle Kwan's rink for a while. Does anyone recall this this delightful young team?
 

Carmen95

Rinkside
Joined
Oct 3, 2013
I just needed to share this because of the negative commentary in the thread were I found this... I had to fight a lot of rage inside of me because of the intolerance of some people. It was shaming to read such comments from people from my country... :(
They did not even moved two fingers to look up her skating on youtube before they judged her for being who she is.

Okay, then not the first muslim skater, but she definetely seems to be the first one with full body cover - I also don´t see the arguments concerning the safety because of it. She probably already wore it when she started skating, so she is used to it.
 

LRK

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 13, 2012
I think it's a knee-jerk reaction for some.

Like you, I don't know why it would affect her safety? It seems to be bound very tight, so it's not like there's fluttering cloth that would get in the way of her line of sight.
 

desertskates

Medalist
Joined
Nov 19, 2013
Wow, what a wonderful and dedicated young woman. I really hope she goes far, she certainly seems to have the work ethic. With her smile and determination, I barely even noticed her headscarf. In an ideal world it would be a non-topic.
 

Nirti

Medalist
Joined
Nov 24, 2008
We can see many turkish skaters since the 1990s. Tugba Karademir for example... And some skaters from Malaysia, who is mostly a muslim country too.

But Zahra Larii and an other girl, Amira Abdul Moati, are the first to represent an arab country. Morocco is an ISU member too, but I've not seen any competitors since their membership...

I find headscarf is sexist because only girls are required to wear it, but without this she probably couldn't skate. So it's a first step for woman's freedom in these countries. So a good thing.
 

desertskates

Medalist
Joined
Nov 19, 2013
We can see many turkish skaters since the 1990s. Tugba Karademir for example... And some skaters from Malaysia, who is mostly a muslim country too.

But Zahra Larii and an other girl, Amira Abdul Moati, are the first to represent an arab country. Morocco is an ISU member too, but I've not seen any competitors since their membership...

I find headscarf is sexist because only girls are required to wear it, but without this she probably couldn't skate. So it's a first step for woman's freedom in these countries. So a good thing.

There are a couple of rinks in Morocco in the newer malls. I went to one in Rabat a couple of years ago while on vacation out of curiosity. It was very nice and quite crowded. It would not surprise me in the least to Moroccan skaters in the future.

Edit: I found this on youtube, it's a video of the scene in a Moroccan rink. A fair amount of recreational skaters are not as shabby at staying upright than one would think :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QN05C5IQQw
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
Even if I am not agreeing on women wearing headscarves I still recognize that this is something about the culture and the religion, which I highly tolerate and don´t think that she should be banned from competitions as she is not responsible for her cultural background. I kinda compare the possibility that she could be banned with a skater wearing a cross necklace while being on ice, which is also such a statement.

It is, in fact, more than just a statement (like wearing a cross necklace would be for a Christian). It is a religious obligation.
 

skatedreamer

Medalist
Joined
Feb 18, 2014
Country
United-States
I just watched a couple of videos of Zahra on YouTube. Aside from her talent, she's wonderfully charming and articulate, and has a very special kind of courage to follow her dream in the face of the kind of opposition she's getting from some quarters. There were some horrible comments posted re: the videos. Wish I hadn't read them; they made me feel so sad and angry that I got teary-eyed.

Good for you, Zahra -- you go, girl!
 
Joined
Jan 22, 2004

Nadya

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 22, 2004
We can see many turkish skaters since the 1990s. Tugba Karademir for example... And some skaters from Malaysia, who is mostly a muslim country too.

But Zahra Larii and an other girl, Amira Abdul Moati, are the first to represent an arab country. Morocco is an ISU member too, but I've not seen any competitors since their membership...

I find headscarf is sexist because only girls are required to wear it, but without this she probably couldn't skate. So it's a first step for woman's freedom in these countries. So a good thing.
She quite possibly DOESN'T want to skate without it.

She will never be competitive internationally but it's still a good thing and builds acceptance and popularity of the sport domestically.
 
Joined
Jan 22, 2004
One of the articles mentioned that her father initially disapproved of her skating and he needed some convincing so I reckon he is quite conservative/religious.

I might personally disagree with the hijab - which I see as women being essentially told that their sexuality is something shameful that has to be hidden - but I don't have the right to tell anybody what to think, what to believe or what to wear. And even if you do disagree with some people's beliefs or choices, I don't think that it's right to exclude them.

I remember being initially worried that ISU might not allow a skater to wear a hijab because it would be 'a prop' but as long as it's a permanent part of the costume, that is not an issue. And fortunately women have been able to wear pants for a while now. So if a skater wants to be fully covered, they can.

I hope that Lari and Moati can become trail-blazers and role models for other Arab girls and that figure skating can develop in that part of the world as well.
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
I saw one of the YouTube videos, and she's charming. She has nice carriage and a better Bielmann than Michelle Kwan, for example. (And I'm a Kwan fan!) As for her skating outfit, I find it elegant, and it's no more covered-up than many of the hooded speed-skating or track uniforms have been through the years. If this is what she needs to wear to compete, it's still a step forward for women in her country. You go, girl! May you be the first of many.
 

Nadya

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 22, 2004
One of the articles mentioned that her father initially disapproved of her skating and he needed some convincing so I reckon he is quite conservative/religious.

I might personally disagree with the hijab - which I see as women being essentially told that their sexuality is something shameful that has to be hidden - but I don't have the right to tell anybody what to think, what to believe or what to wear. And even if you do disagree with some people's beliefs or choices, I don't think that it's right to exclude them.

I remember being initially worried that ISU might not allow a skater to wear a hijab because it would be 'a prop' but as long as it's a permanent part of the costume, that is not an issue. And fortunately women have been able to wear pants for a while now. So if a skater wants to be fully covered, they can.

I hope that Lari and Moati can become trail-blazers and role models for other Arab girls and that figure skating can develop in that part of the world as well.

He couldn't be VERY conservative to either marry an American or let his daughter ice-skate.

Figure skating will never penetrate the masses in the Gulf; it will for the foreseeable future remain the province of children of mixed, affluent, somewhat liberal families who spend half their time abroad. Lari is not a tribal Emirati; her mother is American and her father has roots in Iran. An average Arab girl would not look to figure skaters as role models simply because the culture does not encourage it. But the more skating, the better.
 
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