Islam and Physical Activity: Implications for American Sport and Physical Educators

Predicting Physical Activity in Arab American School Children

“…For instance, in his review of Islam and physical activity, Kahan (2003) suggested that parental concern over girls having contact with boys, immodest clothing, unacceptable facilities, and commitments to family (e.g., keeping house and watching siblings) were plausible reasons for the lack of physical activity participation by girls. Muslim girls living in Western Europe tended to spend their spare leisure time in sedentary activities (e.g., reading, watching television, needlework), whereas boys were more active (e.g., played sports) (De Knop, Theeboom, Wittock, & De Martelaer, 1996).…”

“…Researchers have used the TPB to study physical activity with minority children before (e.g., Martin et al, 2005Martin et al, , 2007 but we, and Kahan (2003), could find no physical activity research with Arab American children. In their study of African American children, Martin et al (2005) found that subjective norm and control were both significant predictors of intention.…”

AAA Roadmap for Navigating Religion in Physical Education

“…Curriculum that is sport-oriented may intensify student antisocial behavior toward minorities. Kahan (2003) noted instances of Asian Muslim students bein g excluded or subjected to ethnic slurs in sport settings, which caused them to disengage. While it is common sense to enact a zero-tolerance policy regarding teasi ng and bullying toward any student, proactive fin e-tuning of ex isting curriculum may eliminate these probl ems.…”

Jewish Day-Schooled Adolescents' Perceptions of Parental and Environmental Support of Physical Activity

“…Far fewer studies have focused on associations between PA and religion/religiosity. In a review of literature, Kahan (2003) summarized that Muslim youth living in non-Islamic countries might engage in less sport and leisure PA due to social-religious incongruence between home and activity environments. High school seniors affiliated with liberal and moderate religious denominations were found to engage in more PA than nonaffiliated and conservative peers (Wallace & Forman, 1998).…”