sport news Muslim GWS Giants AFLW star Haneen Zreika sparks controversy after pulling out ... trends now
The AFLW's first-ever Muslim player, Haneen Zreika, has pulled out of the league's pride round due to religious beliefs - the second time she has done so.
The 23-year-old GWS Giants player will not be playing in the club's fixture against Hawthorn on October 16 in Sydney, where the side will be wearing specially-designed pride jumpers.
The round celebrates and honours the LGBTQI+ community, which is heavily interlaced with the league given the amount of gay players.
Zreika sparked backlash in January when she made the same decision pull out of the Giants fixture - and that outrage appears to have reared its ugly head again.
Haneen Zreika, pictured with her long-term boyfriend, is pulling out of the club's game in the AFLW pride round due to her Muslim beliefs
It comes after Essendon CEO Andrew Thorburn was forced to step down from his role after just one day due to his links to a controversial church that condemns homosexuality and compared abortion to the Holocaust.
Islam, the second largest religion in the world, is clear in its teachings that homosexuality is a sin, and Zreika said she felt she had a 'responsibility to represent her faith' during pride round.
For her, this means not wearing the rainbow jersey GWS designed for the round - and she revealed she felt like an 'outsider' when the AFL rejected her proposal to just wear the normal strip.
Haneen Zreika, who plays for the Giants, is refusing to wear the club's specially-designed rainbow jersey that promotes the LGBTQI+ community
'I didn't want to make a big deal of it, until the AFL rejected me from wearing a normal jersey. That was a shock to me,' the speedy midfielder said in the Disney+ AFLW documentary 'Fearless', which was released at the start of the season.
'I love what the AFL do and the way they include everyone, but you can't have a round where you include people but exclude someone that it impacts their faith.
'I really feel like an outsider, like, 'no mate, you're not part of us',' Zreika said.
Zreika has a number of gay teammates, including captain Alicia Eva, Katherine Smith and Pepa Randall; and insists she does not 'judge the girls' despite differing beliefs.
GWS Giants AFLW players model the side's pride jersey last season. Rebecca Privitelli (right) and Katherine Smith (centre) are both gay
'They can be whatever they want,' she said in the documentary series.
'I still love and respect them and they're still my mates. But for me to wear a jersey, and represent our faith … there's just … (I can't do it).'
Zreika and the club have indicated they won't be commenting on the situation, and instead focusing on their upcoming match against Collingwood on Sunday, and their pride round clash on October 16.
But that hasn't stopped a storm of controversy on social media - particularly in the wake of the Thorburn debacle and seven Christian Manly players refusing to wear the club's rainbow jersey during the NRL season.
Haneen Zreika and her boyfriend, who's identity is not known, celebrating Eid Mubarak earlier this year
'If the Essendon CEO was asked to resign or stand down because of his religious beliefs, then why wasn’t Haneen Zreika made to resign or stand down for voicing her religious beliefs against homosexuality?' one fan asked on Twitter.
