Druze women empowered through sports
A new generation of Israeli Druze girls and women are increasingly participating in sports, exhibiting independence and advocating for gender equality in their traditional society.
Drama punctuated the second game in the Oct. 28 match in the top women’s catchball league between the team from the Druze village of Daliyat al-Carmel and the Hod HaShahar team from Hod HaSharon. The women from Daliyat al-Carmel had handily won the first game, earning them the praise of their coach, Bian Nasraldeen, but the second game went into overtime. A play by Anaia Halabi, the captain of Daliyat al-Carmel, resulted in her team ultimately winning the game and the match.
The average sports fan in Israel isn’t too familiar with catchball — also known as Newcomb ball or Kadureshet in Hebrew — a game similiar to volleyball. The Israeli national league, which began about eight years ago, in 2006, consists of 12 teams. The team from Daliyat al-Carmel is the league's only non-Jewish team.
As far as the women on the Druze team are concerned, catchball is much more than a sporting competition. With their hands, they have torn through the traditional veil enveloping them to advance the cause of gender equality in the Druze community.
“We are the first team of adult women in the village,” Wiaam Daksa, 24, told Al-Monitor. A student of materials engineering and chemistry at Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Daksa skipped class to play in the game. “We have all sorts of sports for girls, but once they grow older and get married, it becomes harder.” Six months from now, once Daksa gets married, she will most likely get a better taste of how marriage can affect an athletic career.
