Annysa Johnson

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

It’s not unusual for first-time opponents to underestimate the lady Salam Stars.

The girls can see it — in an opponent’s glance, maybe the way she drops her shoulders — when the Stars take the court looking demure in their traditional Muslim headscarves.

Then, without fail, Captain Safiya Schaub or one of her teammates will hustle for the basket, quickly post up and nail the layup.

“It's so cool every time that happens," said lady Stars Coach Kassidi Macak, in her third year coaching what may be the state's only all-Muslim girls varsity basketball team at Salam School on Milwaukee's south side. "A lot of people think Muslim girls don't know how to play."

At 6-1, their best start ever, the Salam Stars are proving they most certainly do.

The Stars blew the St. Francis Mariners out of the water, 69-38, last week in a much-anticipated match against Macak's alma mater, a team known for its rapid-fire style of play. The Stars dominated the first half, 31-8, and the Mariners never had a chance, falling for the first time in the years-long rivalry between the teams.

The Stars were led by senior guard Heba Badwan, who scored a career-high 22 points and had 13 steals, a new record for the team. Her cousin, junior forward Jumana Badwan, followed with 16 points.

"It was such a great feeling to bring a W home. They're a competitive team. And it was really hard. But this season, we came out strong," said senior guard Rula Sarsour, who scored 12 points against the Mariners. "When we went to the locker room, we were screaming and very excited. It was really nice."

Muslim women defying barriers

Around the world, Muslim women are defying cultural barriers and stereotypes to compete and excel at the highest levels of sports — in football, fencing, weightlifting, basketball, ice hockey and more.

In 2016, 14 Muslim women medaled in the Rio Olympics, including American fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad who earned a bronze medal, the first Muslim woman to represent the United States on the podium. And in recent years, a number of sports governing bodies have lifted their bans on the hijab, or headscarf, including the international football and basketball associations — eliminating a barrier that forced many women to choose between their sports and their faith.

Salam, meaning "Peace" in Arabic, is an Islamic school that draws students and families from around the globe to its campus at South 13th Street and West Layton Avenue. The school has been expanding its athletic opportunities for girls over the last decade and now fields teams in soccer, volleyball, track and cross country, in addition to basketball.

Not all of the lady Stars wear the hijab outside school — it is a choice — but it's part of the uniform at Salam, in classes as well as athletics. And the school has had a waiver from the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association for years for girls to compete in the headscarf, sweats and long-sleeved tees.

Bonded under 'Coach Kass'

Many of the girls compete in multiple sports. But they say playing basketball under "Coach Kass" has drawn them together as friends and a team and helped them hone life and leadership skills like hard work, time management and the ability to work together toward a goal.

"It's about more than the score," said Sarsour, quoting one of the team's mottos — along with "Build each other up" and "Go hard or go home," among others — that Macak had printed on small tags that hang on their gym bags.

"That means no matter if we win or lose, we were committed and we played our best," said Schaub, a center.

Macak is clearly proud of her girls.

"Their basketball IQ is higher than ever," she said as the girls practiced their passing skills in the gym, the rapper NF keeping the beat. "And they're just so much better at playing together as a team."

The girls' families are for the most part supportive. But it can still be a hard sell for some in more traditional segments of the community where women are expected to be modest, not competitive or aggressive.

"My dad was kind of against it at first — it was more of a cultural thing than religious," said senior center Nadira Ali, whose parents emigrated from Somalia before she was born. "I eventually convinced him that when you go to college, it's more than just about grades. They're interested in the leadership you bring to the table."

Still, they have a strong fan base, particularly among classmates and siblings — boys and girls — teachers and a few parents.

"They're amazing. We respect them a lot," said Noah Oweisi, junior captain of the boys' varsity basketball team, who cheered the girls on Wednesday night with his teammates.

Salam algebra teacher Ream Bahhur attends every game of every Salam team, at home and away. As a mother of three daughters, two of whom compete in sports, she's especially happy to see the lady Stars' success.

"I think, nowadays, it's important to show our own kids that this shouldn't restrict us. Who we are, where we come from, what we believe in should not be a limitation for how far we can go," Bahhur said. "We've got such great examples now, people in the Olympics, people in Congress. .. We're breaking through a lot of stereotypes."

Despite that progress, the lady Stars have faced some hostility on the road, not so much from opponents but spectators, usually in far-flung communities where, the girls suspect, residents don't interact with many Muslims. The incidents are fewer, but they did experience one this year when a spectator cursed at one of the girls from the stands.

'Representing a whole group of people'

The girls are careful about how they respond, on and off the court, because they know some people will judge all Muslims by their actions.

"You have to be extra cautious because you feel like you're representing a whole group of people," Schaub said.

Midhat Farrah, who played on the first Salam boys basketball team in 2003 and now coaches the seventh-grade boys, sees them as "spreading peace through basketball."

"They're behaving in an Islamic way and showing people that Islam is a peaceful religion."

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Macak, who is not Muslim, said their poise in those situations has taught her so much about patience and that working with the girls has expanded her worldview.

"And it's not just me. It's my family, my friends, my boyfriend," many of whom turn out regularly for the games, she said. "It's no different than coaching any other teenager. The only difference is what they wear on the court and what they have to deal with."