Muslim Youths Change Football Team Names

Gauracandra · January 5, 2004

IRVINE, Calif. - After objections to team names like "Soldiers of Allah" and "Moujahideen" overshadowed a football tournament organized by Muslim youths, the players sacked most of the offending names and took to the field to more cheers than protests.

Jewish leaders had objected to some of the planned names, and Muslim leaders asked the teams to reconsider. One member of a team called Intifada said a few of his friends quit because their parents were worried for their safety.

Organizers said none of the names were meant to offend, and players refused to change some of them, including Intifada.

"We're just playing football," said Sabih Khan, 18, a tournament organizer. "It's just sport. There's no politics involved."

About 120 mostly Muslim men in their teens and early 20s played under clear skies at a suburban park as friends and family cheered from the sidelines.

Five protesters waved placards at the park entrance, far removed from the football field. Their signs said, "Murder is not a game," and "When these guys throw the bomb, they really throw a bomb."

"To me, these names glorify terrorism," said Barry Spatz, a Jewish psychologist from Laguna Niguel. He carried a sign showing pictures of victims killed by suicide bombers in Israel.

"If Muslim youth want to get together and do something positive, that's fine. But this is an insult to me," Spatz said.

Intifada means "uprising" in Arabic and is used by some Palestinians to describe revolts against Israeli occupation. "Moujahideen" translates as "holy warrior" and is associated with Islamic groups the United States characterizes as terrorist organizations.

The protests had little effect on the competition. Fourteen squads battled for a first place trophy during the one-day tournament.

Rather than threatening, some of the team names — including Fantizzle Fizzle — were just silly. The team name Muslim Rangers was replaced on a tournament list with Irvine Alumni.

Warming up for his first game, Oomar Patel, 23, waved off the controversy.

"To each his own," said Patel, a police officer in Garden Grove. "I'm just here to play football and have some fun."