FOOTBALL4GOOD MAGAZINE - DECEMBER 2019

BELONGING ONTHE PITCH MAHDIYAHAYUB SARI, IRELAND If you were to just look at me, without hearing my thick Dublin accent, you might not think I am from the Emerald Isle, but I’m as Irish as they come. Once upon a time, I might’ve even agreed with you. As a football coach I travel across the country, but I couldn’t tell you what a ‘typical’ Irish person looks like. Firstly, because I don’t see colour, I see players. And secondly, because of how diverse Ireland has become. When I was younger, I was made to think that being “Irish” was reserved for people with fair skin. My name is Mahdiyah Ayub and I was born and raised in Dublin. Growing up, my parents taught me and my sib- lings that we are all equal despite our differences. When we started school, we realised that other people would, however, use these differences to define us. Being the only kids of colour, whether at school or where I lived, the other children would point it out or call us nasty names, making us feel excluded. I began believing that, in this world, a person’s appearance or creed is enough of a reason for them to be physically and verbally abused. At that time, football was another reminder of how I didn’t fit in. To play meant removing my headscarf. I don’t think people quite understood that I wore it by choice and that it wasn’t necessary to take it off to be able to play. I think it looked like I was the one excluding myself from them. One day, I refused to continue going to school. I told my mam that the reason I didn’t want to go was because my skin was a different colour to everyone else’s. “I want to be white!” I said to her. My mam took my hands and poured baby powder into them, telling me to rub it all over my face. For a moment, I felt happy because I looked the same as my classmates. Then my mam wiped my face down, explaining that our beauty is not defined by our colour. One Friday night it went beyond the teasing I endured in the classroom. I was on the bus with my brother, when a man started shouting abuse at us. “You don’t belong in Ireland!” he called out, and told me that I should “go home”. I started panicking, fearing for our safety, when another gentleman stood up, walked over and told the man that racial and religious intolerance had no place in Irish society. He said that I belonged in Ireland and that I was just as Irish as everyone else on the bus. I personally put intolerance and prej- udice down to fear. I think people are afraid of losing what they know and of things changing. Especially in a country like Ireland, so institutionally entwined with religious beliefs. At secondary school I was having a tough time because I didn’t wear the standard school uniform jumper, which had a cross stitched onto it. I also declined to participate in the Christmas concert as it, too, reflected a religion I didn’t follow. It’s not that I wanted to change all that went before just to suit myself, I just didn’t feel comfortable. I was accused of not tolerating the Christian faith and threatened with suspension for not participating. One of my classmates took the time to hear my reasons behind these actions and stood in solidarity with me, also refus- ing to take part. Being able to speak about personal ex- periences, share stories and create safe spaces for open dialogue is why my time with Sport Against Racism Ireland (SARI) is so rewarding. Football breaks down misconceptions or prejudices and helps us to swap our differences for our similarities. Football also elimi- nates fears of the unknown. When FIFA lifted the ban on religious headgear in 2014, two young people at SARI started the ‘Hijabs and Hat-tricks’ programme and asked me to join. Initially, I was just playing for fun. It also gave me a sense of purpose. Leaving my house to join my teammates gave me a feeling of belonging and identity. With SARI I could be myself, wear my hijab and be part of a team, playing the game freely that I have grown to absolutely love. Quickly we realised we were a strong team and decided to branch out, competing in leagues, with our own kit, all while breaking down barriers and stigma towards Muslim women playing football. With SARI’s help, we formed the team Diverse City, helping Muslim women integrate into main- stream Irish society. Through football I’ve felt the respect and attitudes of fair play at their purest, which is why I decided to become a coach. I now deliver Anti- Discrimination Workshops across Ireland using the sport to teach chil- dren the impact our words and actions have on others. The most rewarding part is, after sharing my experiences and telling my story, when children turn around and say: “I am going to try include everyone.” No matter where I coach, I always see somebody who feels that they don’t quite belong. With my story, I want to spread the message that being Irish isn’t about the colour of your skin or the way you dress. Through SARI, football was the positive influence for me to overcome that, and it can be for them, too. “FOOTBALL BREAKS DOWN MISCONCEPTIONS OR PREJUDICES AND HELPS US TO SWAP OUR DIFFERENCES FOR OUR SIMILARITIES.” 32 FOOTBALL4GOODMAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2019 33 STORIES FROMTHE FIELD