Robina Muqimyar
Encyclopedia
Robina Jalali, also known as Robina Muqimyar (born July 3, 1986 in Kabul, Afghanistan) is a former Olympic athlete who represented Afghanistan at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics and in 30 international events competing in the 100 meter sprint.
She competed athletically under the name Muqimyar and is now running for a seat in the lower house of Afghanistan's parliament, the Wolesi Jirga, using her family name of Jalali.
She attracted international attention for running while wearing the hijab
, the traditional Muslim woman's headcovering. and because she was one of the first two women ever to represent Afghanistan at the Olympic Games
, by competing along with judo
ka Friba Razayee
at the 2004 Summer Olympics
in Athens
.
Jalali is one of nine children (seven girls and two boys). Her father was a businessman in the computer industry who now runs a non-profit company that teaches Afghan women how to sew. Jalali was home schooled during the era of the Taliban when schooling for girls was forbidden. She attended school after 2001. Describing life under the Taliban, she has said: "There was nothing for us girls to do under the Taliban
. You couldn't go to school. You couldn't play, you couldn't do anything. You were just at home all the time."
's Fartun Abukar Omar
. The race was won by Jamaica
's Veronica Campbell
, with a time of 11.17 seconds. Muqimyar was 17 at the time of the event. She ran in "a T-shirt and long green track pants" rather than more aerodynamic competition clothing.
in Beijing
, but joined Afghanistan's delegation
after female sprinter Mehboba Ahdyar
left her training camp in June to seek political asylum in Norway
. At the 2008 Summer Olympics
she took part at the 100 metres
sprint. In her first round heat she placed eighth and last in a time of 14.80 which was not enough to advance to the second round.
The Guardian
described her as a true embodiment of the Olympic spirit:
She competed athletically under the name Muqimyar and is now running for a seat in the lower house of Afghanistan's parliament, the Wolesi Jirga, using her family name of Jalali.
She attracted international attention for running while wearing the hijab
Hijab
The word "hijab" or "'" refers to both the head covering traditionally worn by Muslim women and modest Muslim styles of dress in general....
, the traditional Muslim woman's headcovering. and because she was one of the first two women ever to represent Afghanistan at the Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
, by competing along with judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
ka Friba Razayee
Friba Razayee
Friba Rezayee is an Afghan judoka. In 2004, along with Robina Muqimyar, she was the first Afghan woman to participate in the Olympic Games....
at the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
.
Jalali is one of nine children (seven girls and two boys). Her father was a businessman in the computer industry who now runs a non-profit company that teaches Afghan women how to sew. Jalali was home schooled during the era of the Taliban when schooling for girls was forbidden. She attended school after 2001. Describing life under the Taliban, she has said: "There was nothing for us girls to do under the Taliban
Taliban treatment of women
While in power in Afghanistan, the Taliban became notorious internationally for their treatment of women. Their stated aim was to create "secure environments where the chasteness and dignity of women may once again be sacrosanct," reportedly based on Pashtunwali beliefs about living in purdah.Women...
. You couldn't go to school. You couldn't play, you couldn't do anything. You were just at home all the time."
2004 Olympics
Muqimyar took part in the women's 100m sprint. She finished seventh out of eight in her heat, with a time of 14.14 seconds, 0.15 seconds ahead of SomaliaSomalia at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Despite having no functioning central government, Somalia sent two athletes to the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. Since the civil war that broke out in the early 1990s, the Somali Olympic Committee has been supported by various factions centered on the capital of Mogadishu...
's Fartun Abukar Omar
Fartun Abukar Omar
Fartun Abukar Omar is a Somali athlete. She represented Somalia at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, despite her country having been without a government for thirteen years at that time. She took part in the women's 100 metres race, and finished last in her heat, nonetheless achieving a personal...
. The race was won by Jamaica
Jamaica at the 2004 Summer Olympics
- Gold:* Veronica Campbell — Athletics, Women's 200 metres* Sherone Simpson, Aleen Bailey, Veronica Campbell, Tanya Lawrence, and Beverly McDonald — Athletics, Women's 4x100 metres Relay- Silver:...
's Veronica Campbell
Veronica Campbell
Veronica Campbell-Brown C.D is a track and field sprint athlete, competing internationally for Jamaica. A five-time Olympic medallist, she is the reigning World and Olympic 200 metres champion...
, with a time of 11.17 seconds. Muqimyar was 17 at the time of the event. She ran in "a T-shirt and long green track pants" rather than more aerodynamic competition clothing.
2008 Olympics
She was not initially due to compete in the 2008 Olympics2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, but joined Afghanistan's delegation
Afghanistan at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Afghanistan sent a team to compete at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. The team consisted of three men and one woman. Initially, Mehboba Ahdyar prepared to run the 800 metres and 1500 metres, but left her training camp on June 4 to seek political asylum in Norway.The country was...
after female sprinter Mehboba Ahdyar
Mehboba Ahdyar
Mehboba Ahdyar, born in 1988 or 1989, is an Afghan athlete. She was scheduled to be the only woman representing Afghanistan at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, where she planned to compete in athletics in the women's 1,500 metres and 3,000 metres events....
left her training camp in June to seek political asylum in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. At the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
she took part at the 100 metres
100 metres
The 100 metres, or 100-metre dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, it is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896...
sprint. In her first round heat she placed eighth and last in a time of 14.80 which was not enough to advance to the second round.
The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
described her as a true embodiment of the Olympic spirit:
- "The Olympic rings are the most recognised symbol on the planet and every corporate player wants to turn the Games into an advert for soft drinks and credit cards. Yet despite the drug scandals and excess there are still athletes who embody the Olympic spirit. So meet the Afghan sprinter who had to hide from the Taliban, the Brazilian gymnast from the ghetto and the Ecuadorean walker who made a 459km pilgrimage after his first gold medalJefferson PérezJefferson Leonardo Pérez Quezada is a retired Ecuadorian race walker. He specializes in the 20 km event, in which he has won the only two medals his country has ever achieved in the Olympic Games....
. They may not all win, but they all deserve our admiration."
Political career
She is running for office as an independent, on a platform of equal rights for women and youth. She intends to promote school athletics in Afghanistan if she wins a seat in the September 2010 election.External links
- Official website
- Facebook Robina Jalali
- Afghan woman runs for parliament (Slide show)
- Afghanistan Online
- "A Run to The Future", TimeTime (magazine)Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
, April 11, 2004 - "Athlete Biography", Beijing 2008 official website