Masjid Ball: The Influence of Mosque-based Physical Activity Programs on the Physical Cultural Practices of Young Muslim Women

The values mediating exclusionary practices in Western sporting environments posit religiosity and physical activity as opposite principles, forcing many Muslim women to choose between faith or play (Knez et al., 2012). Religious institutions like mosques are essential structures that link Muslims to their communities, making them valuable when designing lifestyle interventions (Banerjee et al., 2017). The study used a space-based racial analysis to explore how six young Muslim women experienced mosque-based women’s-only sports programs, the relationships that form in such settings, and the physical cultures being practiced. The results demonstrate the significance of studying faith as a racializing identity within sport science, and gendered Islamophobia’s role in influencing Muslim women’s sporting participation. The findings also highlight how sporting exclusion is mediated through agentic processes of creating and negotiating safe sporting spaces by transforming faith spaces, and the relationships Muslim women develop with themselves, and their communities through faith-focused physical activity.M.Sc