According to today's Age 18-year-ol Bachar Houli is the first devout Muslim to sign up for an AFL club (Essendon). It is an interesting and hopeful sign of how Australia is changing. As a 12 year old, Houli didn't tell his parents he was playing football till he'd won three trophies, in his first season. The AFL draft camp happened during Ramadan and Houli after consulting his sheik broke his fast for a few days. Maybe one day the camp will be deliberately scheduled outside Ramadan.
I did wonder seeing the Ages careful use of the words "devout Muslim" if there were any Muslims who had played or were playing for the AFL who were not devout
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My son played a couple of seasons in the same team as Bachar and his talent was evident then (as his awards reflect). I seem to recall his teammates were aware of, and accepting of, some of the challenges he had getting to training. Our local community has many muslim families yet it's hard to comprehend how many obstacles he faced to persist.
i am an essendon born and breed supporter, it is great to have a player that i hear and would think will be a great asset to the essendon football, hopefully the club will give lots of opportunity to prove himself and become a great player. go jetta,davey,houli,gumbleton,hislop and remier do the club proud good luck
i am an essendon born and breed supporter, it is great to have a player that i hear and would think will be a great asset to the essendon football, hopefully the club will give lots of opportunity to prove himself and become a great player. go jetta,davey,houli,gumbleton,hislop and remier do the club proud good luck
cya
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