Muslim Football Team Names Raise Some Eyebrows

[LuCkY]

'Soldiers of Allah' on the Gridiron?

 

IRVINE, Calif. (Dec. 28) - The idea was innocent enough: A group of young men organize a holiday football tournament and give their teams such innocuous names as "4th and Goal" and "1988'ers." It was some of the other team names that raised eyebrows: Intifada, Soldiers of Allah and Mujahideen.

 

CLick Here For FuLL ArticLe

[QUANTUM LEAP]

Hi Lucky ....Link not available ...

[Intel]

sister they want password

[Bachelor]

Link worked for me....About the name, it nothing but phobia of ISLAM....What about TX christian...the well known fooball team..Isnt that scary for us? :confused:

[LuCkY]

Shaqsii and Rokko sorry guyz maybe u are having probLems because the Link is working just fine...anywayz i wiLL save u the troubLe here is the fuLL articLe:

 

'Soldiers of Allah' on the Gridiron?

Muslim Football Team Names Raise Some Eyebrows

By CHELSEA J. CARTER, AP

 

AP

Sabih Kahn, founder of a Muslim football league, readies a throw.

 

IRVINE, Calif. (Dec. 28) - The idea was innocent enough: A group of young men organize a holiday football tournament and give their teams such innocuous names as "4th and Goal" and "1988'ers." It was some of the other team names that raised eyebrows: Intifada, Soldiers of Allah and Mujahideen.

 

The furor that followed has forced some teams to change their names and a handful of players to quit. It also sparked a debate that threatens to overshadow the tournament, which was planned primarily for young Muslims and scheduled for Jan. 4.

 

"This was really just supposed to be about the youth playing football. Now it's become so political that a part of me thinks we shouldn't even play," said Tarek Shawky, 29, one of the tournament's organizers.

 

Those involved in the league said they never set out to upset or offend anyone. But critics say such names as Intifada and Mujahideen glorify terrorism.

 

Intifada, "uprising" in Arabic, is a term used by Palestinians for their revolts against Israeli occupation from 1987 to 1993 and over the past three years. Mujahideen, which means "holy warrior," is associated with several Islamic groups that are on the U.S. list of terrorist organizations.

 

"The issue is these are words that are linked to real terrorists, real threats, real murders today," said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

 

"There shouldn't be young Americans chanting the name Mujahideen as American soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq are put in danger and attacked daily," Cooper said. "As for Intifada, it has been a disaster for the Palestinians and the nearly 1,000 Israeli children and parents murdered by suicide bombers."

 

 

Muslim leaders have asked the teams to reconsider the names.

 

"Sensitizing our youths is our role as adults," said Hussam Ayloush, the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Southern California.

 

But he also said he believed the players were not being malicious when they decided the names.

 

"In this case, the choices were totally innocent and meant for a small intra-Muslim tournament whose members all knew what the terms stand for," Ayloush said. "Unfortunately, we are aware that a few of those terms are being tainted by the abominable actions of a few Muslims."

 

Ayloush and others believe the incident can be used to teach youths about freedom of speech and sensitivity to others.

 

One member of the Intifada team said a few of his friends were forced to quit because their parents were worried for their safety.

 

"It's kind of annoying me how big it's gotten," said 16-year-old Mohamad, whose family asked his last name be withheld.

 

Mohamad, whose family is Palestinian, said little discussion went into selecting the team name.

 

 

Mohamad's mother, Nuha, said she wants her son to play despite the controversy but said her sister is considering withdrawing her own son from the tournament.

 

The uproar began about a month ago after 18-year-old Sabih Khan, who attends community college, began organizing a football tournament for the New Year's holiday weekend. Khan had played football in high school.

 

"I've been missing it all these years," he said.

 

Although the league was named "Muslim Football," Khan said it was not limited to Muslims.

 

He passed out fliers at an Orange County mosque and set up a Web site, inviting teams to register and submit names. Although most submitted names such as "4th and Goal" and "Muslim Football Allstars," three came under fire.

 

Since then, the tournament's founder has received numerous hate e-mails. The team names also prompted a war of words in local newspapers and on talk radio.

 

"I don't understand it all. They are just words," Khan said, pointing to professional teams such as the Washington Redskins, a nickname deemed offensive by some American Indian groups.

 

But Khan said he also has asked the teams to change their names.

 

While two teams - Soldiers of Allah and Mujahideen - agreed, Intifada has not. Shawky said the team was considering a name change before the tournament.

 

The league also posted an open letter on the Internet, apologizing "if anyone took offense to what was intended to simply be a positive outlet for Muslim youth."

 

The letter also defended the use of the word Intifada, citing the Palestinian movement.

 

Khan and others said they intend to continue with the tournament.

 

"Controversy comes and goes," he said. "Today it's about the tournament; tomorrow it will be something else."

 

BacheLor i agree everytime they hear anything that has to do with IsLam boom...theyre ready to pee-scared that is.

[N.O.R.F]

Interesting article, thanx Naseeb (Lucky)

 

I think the organiser should have adviced on team names to be non-offensive as they are not in a Muslim majority country and such names were bound to cause controversy and put Islam in a bad light. We are constantly trying not offend and knowing that these names (however innocent the intentions)will cause friction between communities living amongs each other, then the blame lies with the organisor i'm afraid. We are careful not use offensive names when entering tournaments whether they are against others or against Somalis, so this should be the same elsewhere,,,,,,,,,

[LuCkY]

Ur WeLcome Northerner,

 

So are U Now gonna stick with ur name?Or do i See More Name Changes coming from Ur End?LoL

 

True i agree with some of the things u said but u know these kuffars wiLL aLways find a way...But Like BacheLor Said...Wont that Scare uS too?

 

Anywhooo...I see ur point and Yeah they shouLd be more carefuL when choosing the names since this is anti-IsLam country...Linking everything to Terrorists and Giving IsLam a bad Name.

[Conscious Manipulation]

asalaam alaykum,

Lucky thanks for posting the full article, I couldn't access the link

 

I'm disappointed the two teams, SOA and

Mujahideen, changed their names.

 

But critics say such names as Intifada and Mujahideen glorify terrorism.

Jihad/intifada = terrorism, Mujahid = terrorist, they want to re-define the language of our faith and expect us to comply.

[rudy-Diiriye]

yo! i saw them bro on tv! aigt! they were nothing but just bunch of rich mofo pakis(paskistianese) homies! aigt! so what is all de fuss! hello!! they dont give a hoot about u africans ok! so dont even go there aight lemme bring break down this 4 u down! aigt! check this out! aigt!

 

all u nomads feeling it 4 them ppl, lemme ask a q's? how come u aint in paki country nowadays! instead of slaving 4 uncle sam (me included)! or 4 the queen/w de diaper rash! u tell me ppl!!

[N.O.R.F]

^^^ver good point, only wish i had a clue what u was saying, u mean these brothers wouldnt make a fuss about somalis in the same situation?