BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE Appeals Board appointed by the St. Kitts Amateur Basketball Association (SKABA) to rule whether or not Ghetto Roots player Dale Rochester should be allowed to play league games with his religious headgear has yet to reach a decision days ahead of the team’s first fixtured game.
The conflict between the returning Premier Division champion Ghetto Roots and SKABA executive members spilled over into the media at the league’s opening on May 11 when SKABA President James ‘Barman’ Hanley announced that Ghetto Roots had opted not to participate in the league until a decision was made regarding Rochester’s right to play with his head wrap.
Rochester is a practicing member of the Bobo Shanti religion and as a part of his religious practices he is required at all times in public to have his dreadlocks covered with a wrapping.
The SKABA executive ruled, however, that Rochester’s head wear is in direct violation of FIBA rules, which is the international governing body for amateur basketball and whose rules act as a guideline for all associations to derive their guidelines from.
Hanley specifically cited rule section 4.4.2 as the one Rochester is violating, which states that “players shall not wear equipment (objects) that may cause injury to other players” and cites “headgear, hair accessories and jewelry” as prohibited items.
Meanwhile, members of the Ghetto Roots administrative and coaching staff have railed against SKABA’s decision as a violation of Rochester’s freedom to practice his religion.
“The intent of the FIBA rules was not to discriminate when it was drafted. It was formulated to protect players and/or officials from physical injury. Our society has changed, Rastafarians no longer exclude themselves or are excluded from society, they wish and can (and have that right by law) to participate just like every other member of society,” Ghetto Roots Head Coach Dr. Garfield Alexander stated in a commentary on the matter this week.
“The rule has now become DISCRIMINATORY because our society has evolved to become more inclusive yet this rule still exists without changes/amendment to mirror thus changes in society,” he added.
An Appeals Board comprised of Table Tennis Association President Lester Ible, former basketballer Garfield Jeffers and St. Kitts-Nevis Olympic Committee Treasurer Glenn Quinlan was put in place on Monday (Apr. 12) to hear the matter.
Speaking to SKNVibes on Friday (Apr. 16), Hanley said that the board had met and held deliberations on the matter, but had not reached a decision as yet.
Additionally, he indicated that the SKABA executive would be citing a similar case over headwear in Switzerland as precedence for the ban on Rochester.
In that case, a Muslim female basketball player in the North East Switzerland Basketball Association was said to be in violation of the same FIBA section 4.4.2 for a religious headscarf that she insisted on wearing during games.
The woman’s attorney in the matter cited similar violations of religious rights as Rochester. The lawyer opined that the headscarf was not a threat to any player and did not give her an unfair advantage over her opponents.
However, the District Court of Lucerne-Land ultimately ruled the head wear was in violation of FIBA rules and that the young woman would not be allowed to play as long as she chose to wear the head scarf.
After quoting the FIBA rules, the judgment of that Court states: “The ban on headgear can, in this wording, not be interpreted in any other way than to mean that thereby headscarves are also not permitted....The Plaintiff must, therefore, decide whether she will dispense with compliance with religious stipulation - which she regards as binding, during official games or whether she will decide not to take part in official club games.
“Hence a discrimination of Muslim women is not deemed to be perceptible since it embraces a ban on headgear of all kinds whether this is worn for religious or other reasons. Adherents to other religions are bound by this just as much as Muslim women,” the court ruling adds.
Ghetto Roots’ first fixtured game of the season is scheduled to take place tomorrow (Apr. 18) against Rams Hitters, of which is Hanley is the Head Coach.
The question remains whether or not Ghetto Roots will take to the court or follow through with their decision to boycott the Premier Division until an official ruling on Rochester has been made, but Alexander remained hopeful that a compromise could be reached.
“Rules can be amended for the benefit of all parties involved. A simple amendment can prevent the rules from being broken and stop any perceived discrimination or violation of constitutional and/or human right,” he stated in his commentary.
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