Zainab Alema, veiled pioneer of English rugby, shakes up lines and looks

A year after having marked the story by becoming the first black woman, Muslim and veiled to register a test in the English women’s rugby championship, Zainab Alema continues his incredible trajectory. At 31, this mother of three children and former neonatology nurse embodies a new generation of athletes: committed, visible, inspiring. On October 6, 2024, in the jersey of the Leicester Tigers against Gloucester-Hartpury, she entered the lawn without her helmet, voluntarily revealing her hijab. “I wanted to see it. Visibility is essential. We cannot become what we do not see ”she confides in an interview with National.

Coming from a Ghanaian family, Alema had never dreamed of rugby. It is by chance, at school, that she discovers this sport that she immediately finds “brutal, intense, magnificent”. Since then, she has continued to challenge stereotypes. On the ground, she faces tackles as much as the heavy looks of misunderstanding. “My father did not understand what his Muslim daughter was going to do in such a male sport. He didn’t stop me, but he didn’t say anything. Today, he talks about it with pride around him. »»

His commitment exceeds the lines of the field. With his initiative Studs in the mudit gives the floor to minorities in rugby, intervenes in schools and guides young sportsmen, especially Muslim. Its objective: to create a space where all can feel legitimate. “I received a message from a Muslim father who was looking for a sports hijab for his 11 -year -old daughter. He said to me, ‘I want Hicha to do great things in rugby’. That’s why I play. »»

Now registered in two clubs, Alema Dream of Red Roses, the English national team. Not for personal glory, but to make an impression and show that a Muslim woman can find her place, even where it is not expected. “I play for myself, but also for all those who have never felt in their place in this sport. »» In a British society still crossed by social divisions and a lack of representation of Muslim women in high -level sport, Zainab Alema embodies much more than a hope on the ground: it has become a symbol of audacity, perseverance and emancipation. A voice that carries – on lawns as in hearts.