{"id":1377,"date":"2009-02-12T04:25:34","date_gmt":"2009-02-12T04:25:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mohamediqbalp.wordpress.com\/?p=3"},"modified":"2009-02-12T04:25:34","modified_gmt":"2009-02-12T04:25:34","slug":"courting-confidence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/venusimportexport.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/2009\/02\/12\/courting-confidence\/","title":{"rendered":"Courting confidence"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Ahllam Berri gets into the middle of the action for a rebound in game vs Godinez.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Save<\/strong>\/Share<\/span>\u00a0\"\"<\/a>\u00a0\"\"<\/a>\u00a0\"\"<\/a>\u00a0\"\"<\/a>\u00a0\"\"<\/a>\u00a0\"\"<\/a>\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Starting forward was hesitant to wear a hijab at first, but says it\u2019s part of who she is now and her peers are supportive.<\/p>\n

By Mike Sciacca<\/h5>\n

Updated:\u00a0Thursday, February 5, 2009 5:35 PM PST<\/span><\/p>\n

There are\u00a0No comments posted.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

If you didn\u2019t know better, you\u2019d think it\u2019d take Ahllam Berri a littler longer than most players to put on her game face.<\/p>\n

White Under Armour leggings and top: check.<\/p>\n

Uniform: check.<\/p>\n

Shoes: check.<\/p>\n

Focused mind set: check.<\/p>\n

White hijab: check.<\/p>\n

\u201cHijab?\u201d<\/p>\n

Yes, the hijab \u2014 a traditional garment or head cover for Muslim women \u2014 has distinguished the starting forward from the rest of her teammates on the Laguna Beach High girls\u2019 basketball team.<\/p>\n

Make that, has distinguished the senior from\u00a0all\u00a0<\/em>players on the court the past two-plus years.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt takes me about five to 10 minutes to get ready for a game. That\u2019s it,\u201d she said. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t take me that long to put on my head scarf. I put a head band on first, wrap the scarf around, tie it in the back, slip it down and pin it under my chin. I\u2019ve gotten used to it. It\u2019s simple, really.\u201d<\/p>\n

Berri, 17, has been wearing the hijab since she was 15. A Muslim girl, she said, starts to wear the headdressing when she turns 9.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is expected in the religion to wear it when a girl turns 9, but it is your choice,\u201d Berri said. \u201cMy parents never pushed me to wear it, although my mom always reminded me that someday I would wear it.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, it\u2019s a part of who I am. I wear it all day at school and wear it when there are men not related to me are around. Even my male cousins cannot see me without it. I don\u2019t take it off until I\u2019m in my room at home.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said she can be seen most days on campus in jeans and a loose, long-sleeved shirt, wearing her head scarf.<\/p>\n

Berri, born in Fountain Valley, moved to Laguna Beach before the start of her freshman year. She said she didn\u2019t wear her head scarf her first year at Laguna Beach High due to insecurities.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t too sure about wearing it when I started high school,\u201d she remembered. \u201cI wanted to wear it, but I was just insecure about it. After my freshman year I decided, on my own, to start wearing it. I began to grow up personally and gained confidence. I came into my sophomore year wearing it, without warning anyone at school. When kids at school saw me, they asked questions like, \u2018why are you wearing that?,\u2019 or, \u2018how come you didn\u2019t wear it before?\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cBut everyone was really supportive and accepting. On a few occasions, I\u2019ve even been asked by some teachers at school to speak to their classes, like foreign language and history classes, about my attire and why I wear it. That has given me the opportunity to tell people about my religion. It\u2019s been a positive thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

When it comes to playing basketball, Berri \u2014 who averages four points and five rebounds a game this year \u2014 said the head scarf hasn\u2019t been cumbersome.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has slipped a few times, but I just adjust it and get back to the game,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

During her sophomore year on varsity, Berri was nearly unrecognizable facially for a stretch of the 2006-07 season, yet everyone still knew who she was. In addition to wearing her head scarf, she wore a protective face mask after fracturing her nose during a game.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy teammates looked at me like I was crazy,\u201d she said. \u201cEveryone was telling me to take the mask off. It did look pretty crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Berri played varsity as a sophomore, then junior varsity ball during her junior year before earning a starting spot on varsity this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had no qualms about her headdress and actually thought it was a physical symbol of her dedication to herself, her faith and our team,\u201d Laguna Coach Jon Hendrickson said. \u201cWe\u2019ve had no questions from referees, or opponents, about it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a pleasure to coach Ahllam and see first-hand her dedication. She brings intensity and leadership. She is very committed to the team and her teammates. She\u2019s gotten extremely better and we struggle when she is not on the floor. She is definitely an asset to our team, both on and off the court.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although the Breakers will have a tough season end next Tuesday, Berri said she has nothing but great memories of playing for the Breakers.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m extremely glad that I played basketball here,\u201d she said. \u201cI have a real close bond with my teammates, and it\u2019s been a great experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Berri, who intends to study medicine at a four-year university, says her decision to wear the hijab a little more than two years ago has been educational.<\/p>\n

\u201cWearing it has taught me about myself and about people, in general,\u201d she said. \u201cI realize that I\u2019m stronger than I thought and wearing it actually has given me more confidence. It\u2019s also made me want to be a better Muslim.\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 \u00a0 Ahllam Berri gets into the middle of the action for a rebound in game vs Godinez. More Stories \u2022\u00a0Breakers upset Costa Mesa \u2022\u00a0Breakers surprise Estancia \u2022\u00a0Rally clinches share \u2022\u00a0Breakers tuning up for CIF \u2022\u00a0Laguna Beach clinches CIF playoff spot with tie \u00a0 Save\/Share\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Starting forward was hesitant to wear a hijab at first,…
Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[80],"class_list":["post-1377","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-islam","tag-courting-confidence"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/venusimportexport.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1377","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/venusimportexport.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/venusimportexport.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/venusimportexport.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/venusimportexport.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1377"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/venusimportexport.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1377\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/venusimportexport.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1377"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/venusimportexport.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1377"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/venusimportexport.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1377"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}