A positive story on sport playing a role in the inclusiveness of modern Ireland reaches us today via the Irish Times. Johnny Watterson has the story of Ruba Rosalina Bukhatwa, an 18-year-old from Rathfarnham with Libyan parents studying law at Griffith College. Bukhatwa was hoping to join Tallaght Rugby Club, but, as an orthodox Muslim with Libyan parents, she intended to play wearing a hijab. This is an unprecedented case in Ireland, and after reviewing the matter, the IRFU have allowed Bukhatwa to play with Tallaght while wearing a hijab.
The confirmation that it was okay to wear the hijab was dependent on it being securely fitted and tucked into and underneath her jersey.
The IRFU also advised that Rose should wear a scrum cap over it to ensure that any lose parts stay close to her head and secure for the duration of the game.
Bukhatwa would be the first woman to wear a hijab in an Irish rugby game. It's a progressive move by the IRFU, especially considering how slow they were to move on letting rugby players wear eyewear.
Female rugby players throughout the Muslim world wear a hijab. This Al Jazeera report from 2010 on an Tehran rugby team explains how Iranian women are forced to wear a hijab, even though it makes them easier to be tackled.
