Imagine a Muslim woman who wants to play football. She wears a hijab for her religion, but the sports rules say she cannot wear it during games. She must choose: follow her faith or play the sport she loves. This example shows how different parts of our identity can create difficult situations.
Dr. Haifaa Jawad writes about Muslim women in sports. These women face many problems at the same time. First, they are women in a world where men’s sports get more attention. Second, they are Muslim in Western countries where people sometimes fear Islam. Third, they want to follow their religion’s dress rules, but sports organizations often say no.
Jawad explains that Islam supports women doing physical activities. The problem is not religion itself. The problem is when institutions do not understand or welcome religious needs. For example, many sports do not allow hijabs or modest clothing. They also do not provide separate spaces for men and women, which some Muslim women prefer.
This creates what we call “intersectional discrimination.” This means facing problems because of multiple parts of your identity working together. A Muslim woman athlete does not just face sexism or just face religious discrimination. She faces both at the same time, plus racism if she is from certain countries.
The same patterns happen in education. Students with religious beliefs often must choose between their faith and their studies. For example, important religious holidays might happen during exam periods. Prayer times might conflict with class schedules.
When institutions ignore these needs, they send a message: some students matter more than others. They treat Christian holidays as normal but treat other religious needs as “special requests.” This is not fair.
Religious students, especially those who are visible (like women wearing hijabs), face extra challenges. Other students and teachers might see them as different or assume they have certain beliefs. This affects how people listen to their ideas in class.
At UAL, these problems are visible across the university. Muslim students sometimes miss classes during Ramadan because they need to pray, but there are not enough prayer rooms. With significant numbers of religious students across UAL but only one multi-faith room per college that cannot be booked in advance, access becomes very difficult. While UAL states that “every College has at least 1 Quiet Space available” [1], this means thousands of religious students across all UAL colleges must share very limited spaces for prayer and reflection.
I also see that our academic calendar includes Christmas and Easter holidays automatically. But we do not mark Islamic, Jewish, Hindu, or other religious holidays when planning classes or deadlines. This makes it harder for students from these backgrounds to fully participate.
Some students stay quiet during discussions about topics that touch on religion. I think they worry about being judged or having their views dismissed.
To create inclusive education, we need to do more than just “accommodate” religious students. We need to see religious diversity as normal, not as something extra or difficult.
This means having enough prayer spaces, considering different religious calendars when planning, and training teachers to understand diverse faith backgrounds. Most importantly, we need to listen to students about what they actually need, not what we think they need.
When we understand that students have multiple identities that work together, we can build better learning environments for everyone.
References: [1] UAL Student Stories. “Using Quiet Spaces at UAL.” University of the Arts London, 19 October 2023. https://www.arts.ac.uk/students/stories/using-quiet-spaces-at-ual2