[Music]
today I come to share an experience that
happened in the past it’s happening in
the present it’s coming from the east
from the west and I’m sure it has
happened with you with you and you but
with different people in different
places and different locations and I
want to share with you the form this
experience have shown itself to me but
it all starts in the 1960s with a
gorgeously strong lady that is my mother
when she was 13 years old she was this
active and energetic girl and she found
her love for sports but unfortunately
she grew up in a community like many
other communities in the past do not
allow women to play sports so for my
mother to go and share that passion with
her parents the answer was but you want
people to say about us do you want to
bring shame to our family for my mom she
did not understand why was a shame and
she wanted to continue with her passion
so she did that but for every game she
had to go to she had to make up an
excuse for every practice every meeting
until she pulled a tower of excuses she
made it professionally with handball
shot pot and volleyball but it all had
to be done under cover and hush-hush
hearing about her stories and growing up
around my mother in Canada I can see
that scar in her but listening about her
passion and sports and I went to my
athletic genes I also developed an
interest in sports in my early teens
so I wanted to do something and I go
ahead and I join my cross-country team
in my high school but that was also
around the time when I choose to put on
my hijab
that is my Islamic cut cover for me that
was my choice
it was identity it meant integrity and
honesty for me but oh boy
little did I know how much trouble I was
gonna pull me in our high school
practices took place outside and my high
school name was sir Johnny McDonald so
we had McDonald on our shirt so every
time we had a practice outside people
would just shout at us and say run for a
free burger and we all had our comments
from strangers but out of the whole team
I would get the most comments some of
them we’re encouraging like keep going
you’re doing great and some of them
we’re confused like aren’t you hot in
beer and some of them we’re plane racist
like girls like you shouldn’t be outside
and go back home and I could not
understand why I was getting all these
comments that was suffocating not
because of the scarf on my head but
because of all the comments I was doing
all the time regardless of all these
comments from my experience I realized
how important it was for me to live a
healthy lifestyle and continue with
health and physical education and
fitness so that’s what I did in my
university journey throughout that
journey I was still running on campus
until one day my professor calls me into
the office and says Nora we see you
doing all of these activities around
campus but we really do not understand
much about Muslim women in sports
that was it at that moment I understood
the crux of the problem it was lack of
awareness I saw there’s that’s it there
is a chance for me to better connect and
better communicate and you see media has
done it’s damages its influences is
everywhere it tells us what to do what
to think how to think and for female
athletes to be represented in media they
have their struggles for Muslim females
to be represented in media for the most
part they’re always under the wrong
lights for Muslim female athletes to be
represented in media they have to fight
for other voices to be heard and
amplified so I ended up writing a paper
with Nancy Francis at Brock University
and from that paper I was able to see
that there is a community over here that
is scared to ask and there is a
community over here there being victims
of stereotypes and I said I refuse to be
a victim of anything so I wanted to step
in and say hey it’s not as hard as it
seems there is something that we can do
and I wanted to both bridges and connect
people together so I was thinking about
ideas and what can I do so I run to my
professor amazing professor Peter Wright
Kent from Brock University – and he
gives me the best advice ever and
connects me to the education board and
from there my paper was being presented
in conferences it was being taken out
for physical education teachers to use
and the paper was doing something it was
helping people and from there I was
volunteering in my community spreading
the message of health and helping youth
and
it was I was able to see that my dreams
are unfolding and I was able to see
there was some sort of change but it was
never roses and sunshine
I had my struggles I got to work later
as a physical education teacher and
comments from parents like I do not want
my children to play physical education
it’s just playtime or I do not want my
girl to play this game because it’s only
for boys and comments like that just
wanted me to shake the world Intelli for
everyone
your health comes first yes we do play
in PE but we play with purpose and we
learn through movement
so I wanted to go morons but the message
of health life throws a challenge on my
face and I say challenge accepted that
challenge was moving the different part
of the world and that is the Middle East
I said all right bring her on what can I
do
where can I take the message of health
what else what else is there for me and
so I packed my luggage and I packed my
message of health inside and I pick it
up and I moved I thought okay I’m moving
someplace where I should fit in I was
wrong
my first week meeting colleagues from
the same profession was not really what
I expected my table turning moment was
when a colleague came to my face and
said an Arab should never be a PE
teacher because Arabs are lazy I was
like what excuse me
and the comments didn’t stop there so
I just dove into myself and I said
you’re being told all of these names
you’re being judged you’re lazy you’re
unfit it’s your first week here and they
don’t even know you or know or have seen
your work all right girl you’re not here
to fight you’re not here to retaliate
you’re here to spread the message of
health focus so that’s what I did I
started seeking for ideas and ways how
can I spread that message of health I’m
working as a physical education teacher
but what else can I do
I started writing articles they started
getting published I was volunteering in
my community with every chance I was
able to take I’m still working as a
physical education teacher and trying to
spread the message of health trying to
connect and communicate until life puts
in my way an amazing person that Saif
Ali most inspirational person ever he
allows me to hijack his show with my
healthy tips and now I have a message on
health fitness and nutrition every day
on the radio and as a result of all of
that I was classified as a game changer
and a change maker and as you see in the
fitness and health field life didn’t
stop there that wasn’t enough for me I
wanted to go for more I want to spread
the message more what else can I do
so still connecting communicating with
people until I hear about this event
where someone big in the sports field is
gonna be there and they say all right
girl that’s her a chance go and learn
and that’s what I do and I get a chance
to talk to that person he’s a known
presenter on a known sports Channel and
I was like all right that’s your chance
let’s go let’s learn so I meet
and I asked what do you think of female
athletes representation in media and he
said well it’s unfair they don’t got
much representation in media but you
know it’s all explained their nervous
system connection to their muscle is
different than that of men so that
explains at all and I was like what did
I just hear I do not remember sleeping
in my anatomy class in University and I
was startled from that comment what that
woman I saw my mom right in front of my
face and all the amazing females that
have made it big in the sports field
have you not heard about Serena Williams
and Ronda Rousey and their achievements
in sports have he not heated about Bala
Jean King and how she changed the status
quo of women in sports have you not
heard about it has Muhammad and her
amazing achievements in the Olympics and
how she also not only represented her
country but represents her faith openly
and and the amazing you strimer Dini who
swam the sea for those whose homes were
torn away all of these amazing women had
different weirdly connected nervous
system to their muscles that moment I
realized how different we are how the
world is different and that’s amazing
that’s beautiful but that scares some
individuals and for them to understand
and make sense of the world they start
putting and classifying and making boxes
of others so they can make sense of this
complexity and we call those boxes
stereotypes for the most part the
inaccurate each and every one of you
have had some level put to them in their
lives religion race gender different
faces of the same coin
at one point we pay homage to them we
are identified with them and we respect
them as we practice them in our daily
lives on a different hand people will
take those I take advantage of time to
put us in boxes so they can make sense
of who we are and if we choose to jump
out of those boxes were ridiculed and
were mocked for me I was put in boxes
that had definition according to my
gender according to my religion
according to my race and I do not belong
to any of those definitions to those
boxes you see as long as you’re doing
something that represents you and true
to your identity people would question
and if they can understand it you’ll be
ridiculed and mocked I remember
listening to an amazing interview by
rahama Heydrich the first arab female
the first muslim female to climb Mount
Everest and the interviewer asked her
how do you feel about being the first to
climb Mount Everest and she said I am
proud to be the first but as long as I
inspire someone to be the next I am
happy and for you to be the next they
will tell you that all of those amazing
females have made it big because of
their willpower
that’s something you should have but I
believe in the magic of why power why do
you want to do something a certain way
not the other way why have you chosen
this path that a different path
why you want to do something not the
other thing why ask yourself the
miniatur are clear under why nothing
will stop you
it will also drive the hideous judgment
of the other people when they start
questioning your motives and their
question their beliefs and that will
drive the hideous judgment out of their
ignorance when they see you that you are
clear on your message and you’re going
and you are true to who you are so you
want to be the next beatboxer why you
want to be the next PhD astrophysicists
ask yourself why and once you’re clear
on drew why that’s when nothing can stop
you and that’s when all the naysayers
and their comments will be just Nori’s
in the background and that’s when the
universe in no time will be on your side
back in your message up and you’re
flying
it’s a beautiful journey once you’re
clear and you’re accountable of your
message
it’s a beautiful journey enjoy it
big furious keep moving forward and
along the way learn and educate and help
people out to find their journey a lot
of amazing things haven’t been figured
out yet because people do not have the
right awareness about embarking on to
their expeditions for me I will keep
doing my best to uplift the status of
physical education spread the message of
health healthy habits and fitness and
unity because I know why
at the end of the day beyond all hate
all politics all labels the field fits
for everyone thank you
[Applause]
today I come to share an experience that
happened in the past it’s happening in
the present it’s coming from the east
from the west and I’m sure it has
happened with you with you and you but
with different people in different
places and different locations and I
want to share with you the form this
experience have shown itself to me but
it all starts in the 1960s with a
gorgeously strong lady that is my mother
when she was 13 years old she was this
active and energetic girl and she found
her love for sports but unfortunately
she grew up in a community like many
other communities in the past do not
allow women to play sports so for my
mother to go and share that passion with
her parents the answer was but you want
people to say about us do you want to
bring shame to our family for my mom she
did not understand why was a shame and
she wanted to continue with her passion
so she did that but for every game she
had to go to she had to make up an
excuse for every practice every meeting
until she pulled a tower of excuses she
made it professionally with handball
shot pot and volleyball but it all had
to be done under cover and hush-hush
hearing about her stories and growing up
around my mother in Canada I can see
that scar in her but listening about her
passion and sports and I went to my
athletic genes I also developed an
interest in sports in my early teens
so I wanted to do something and I go
ahead and I join my cross-country team
in my high school but that was also
around the time when I choose to put on
my hijab
that is my Islamic cut cover for me that
was my choice
it was identity it meant integrity and
honesty for me but oh boy
little did I know how much trouble I was
gonna pull me in our high school
practices took place outside and my high
school name was sir Johnny McDonald so
we had McDonald on our shirt so every
time we had a practice outside people
would just shout at us and say run for a
free burger and we all had our comments
from strangers but out of the whole team
I would get the most comments some of
them we’re encouraging like keep going
you’re doing great and some of them
we’re confused like aren’t you hot in
beer and some of them we’re plane racist
like girls like you shouldn’t be outside
and go back home and I could not
understand why I was getting all these
comments that was suffocating not
because of the scarf on my head but
because of all the comments I was doing
all the time regardless of all these
comments from my experience I realized
how important it was for me to live a
healthy lifestyle and continue with
health and physical education and
fitness so that’s what I did in my
university journey throughout that
journey I was still running on campus
until one day my professor calls me into
the office and says Nora we see you
doing all of these activities around
campus but we really do not understand
much about Muslim women in sports
that was it at that moment I understood
the crux of the problem it was lack of
awareness I saw there’s that’s it there
is a chance for me to better connect and
better communicate and you see media has
done it’s damages its influences is
everywhere it tells us what to do what
to think how to think and for female
athletes to be represented in media they
have their struggles for Muslim females
to be represented in media for the most
part they’re always under the wrong
lights for Muslim female athletes to be
represented in media they have to fight
for other voices to be heard and
amplified so I ended up writing a paper
with Nancy Francis at Brock University
and from that paper I was able to see
that there is a community over here that
is scared to ask and there is a
community over here there being victims
of stereotypes and I said I refuse to be
a victim of anything so I wanted to step
in and say hey it’s not as hard as it
seems there is something that we can do
and I wanted to both bridges and connect
people together so I was thinking about
ideas and what can I do so I run to my
professor amazing professor Peter Wright
Kent from Brock University – and he
gives me the best advice ever and
connects me to the education board and
from there my paper was being presented
in conferences it was being taken out
for physical education teachers to use
and the paper was doing something it was
helping people and from there I was
volunteering in my community spreading
the message of health and helping youth
and
it was I was able to see that my dreams
are unfolding and I was able to see
there was some sort of change but it was
never roses and sunshine
I had my struggles I got to work later
as a physical education teacher and
comments from parents like I do not want
my children to play physical education
it’s just playtime or I do not want my
girl to play this game because it’s only
for boys and comments like that just
wanted me to shake the world Intelli for
everyone
your health comes first yes we do play
in PE but we play with purpose and we
learn through movement
so I wanted to go morons but the message
of health life throws a challenge on my
face and I say challenge accepted that
challenge was moving the different part
of the world and that is the Middle East
I said all right bring her on what can I
do
where can I take the message of health
what else what else is there for me and
so I packed my luggage and I packed my
message of health inside and I pick it
up and I moved I thought okay I’m moving
someplace where I should fit in I was
wrong
my first week meeting colleagues from
the same profession was not really what
I expected my table turning moment was
when a colleague came to my face and
said an Arab should never be a PE
teacher because Arabs are lazy I was
like what excuse me
and the comments didn’t stop there so
I just dove into myself and I said
you’re being told all of these names
you’re being judged you’re lazy you’re
unfit it’s your first week here and they
don’t even know you or know or have seen
your work all right girl you’re not here
to fight you’re not here to retaliate
you’re here to spread the message of
health focus so that’s what I did I
started seeking for ideas and ways how
can I spread that message of health I’m
working as a physical education teacher
but what else can I do
I started writing articles they started
getting published I was volunteering in
my community with every chance I was
able to take I’m still working as a
physical education teacher and trying to
spread the message of health trying to
connect and communicate until life puts
in my way an amazing person that Saif
Ali most inspirational person ever he
allows me to hijack his show with my
healthy tips and now I have a message on
health fitness and nutrition every day
on the radio and as a result of all of
that I was classified as a game changer
and a change maker and as you see in the
fitness and health field life didn’t
stop there that wasn’t enough for me I
wanted to go for more I want to spread
the message more what else can I do
so still connecting communicating with
people until I hear about this event
where someone big in the sports field is
gonna be there and they say all right
girl that’s her a chance go and learn
and that’s what I do and I get a chance
to talk to that person he’s a known
presenter on a known sports Channel and
I was like all right that’s your chance
let’s go let’s learn so I meet
and I asked what do you think of female
athletes representation in media and he
said well it’s unfair they don’t got
much representation in media but you
know it’s all explained their nervous
system connection to their muscle is
different than that of men so that
explains at all and I was like what did
I just hear I do not remember sleeping
in my anatomy class in University and I
was startled from that comment what that
woman I saw my mom right in front of my
face and all the amazing females that
have made it big in the sports field
have you not heard about Serena Williams
and Ronda Rousey and their achievements
in sports have he not heated about Bala
Jean King and how she changed the status
quo of women in sports have you not
heard about it has Muhammad and her
amazing achievements in the Olympics and
how she also not only represented her
country but represents her faith openly
and and the amazing you strimer Dini who
swam the sea for those whose homes were
torn away all of these amazing women had
different weirdly connected nervous
system to their muscles that moment I
realized how different we are how the
world is different and that’s amazing
that’s beautiful but that scares some
individuals and for them to understand
and make sense of the world they start
putting and classifying and making boxes
of others so they can make sense of this
complexity and we call those boxes
stereotypes for the most part the
inaccurate each and every one of you
have had some level put to them in their
lives religion race gender different
faces of the same coin
at one point we pay homage to them we
are identified with them and we respect
them as we practice them in our daily
lives on a different hand people will
take those I take advantage of time to
put us in boxes so they can make sense
of who we are and if we choose to jump
out of those boxes were ridiculed and
were mocked for me I was put in boxes
that had definition according to my
gender according to my religion
according to my race and I do not belong
to any of those definitions to those
boxes you see as long as you’re doing
something that represents you and true
to your identity people would question
and if they can understand it you’ll be
ridiculed and mocked I remember
listening to an amazing interview by
rahama Heydrich the first arab female
the first muslim female to climb Mount
Everest and the interviewer asked her
how do you feel about being the first to
climb Mount Everest and she said I am
proud to be the first but as long as I
inspire someone to be the next I am
happy and for you to be the next they
will tell you that all of those amazing
females have made it big because of
their willpower
that’s something you should have but I
believe in the magic of why power why do
you want to do something a certain way
not the other way why have you chosen
this path that a different path
why you want to do something not the
other thing why ask yourself the
miniatur are clear under why nothing
will stop you
it will also drive the hideous judgment
of the other people when they start
questioning your motives and their
question their beliefs and that will
drive the hideous judgment out of their
ignorance when they see you that you are
clear on your message and you’re going
and you are true to who you are so you
want to be the next beatboxer why you
want to be the next PhD astrophysicists
ask yourself why and once you’re clear
on drew why that’s when nothing can stop
you and that’s when all the naysayers
and their comments will be just Nori’s
in the background and that’s when the
universe in no time will be on your side
back in your message up and you’re
flying
it’s a beautiful journey once you’re
clear and you’re accountable of your
message
it’s a beautiful journey enjoy it
big furious keep moving forward and
along the way learn and educate and help
people out to find their journey a lot
of amazing things haven’t been figured
out yet because people do not have the
right awareness about embarking on to
their expeditions for me I will keep
doing my best to uplift the status of
physical education spread the message of
health healthy habits and fitness and
unity because I know why
at the end of the day beyond all hate
all politics all labels the field fits
for everyone thank you
[Applause]
Please follow and like us: