PROSPECTS AND PROBLEMS IN GIRLS SPORTS PARTICIPATION AT UNIVERSITY LEVEL IN KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA, PAKISTAN

Purpose: Main objectives of this review paper were to examine the existing position regarding the religious perspectives in connection with female participation in sports, opportunities, and barriers affecting their entry into sporting activities. The focus of this article was to investigate the viewpoint of the female regarding the religious and socio-cultural factors influencing women’s participation in sports. Methodology: A self-made questionnaire consisting of twenty-four different items encircling religious and socio-cultural factors affecting women's participation in sports was used for the collection of data. Population for this study comprised of conveniently available 236 border girls students of Gomal University Dera Ismail Khan. Main Findings: Findings of the study has revealed that, in addition to dominant religious trend and sociocultural environment, lack of facilities, law and order situation, and transportation issues in reaching the facility, dress code, misconception of the masses in perspectives of the female participation in sports and financial problems were the main barriers in the way of female participation in sports. Implications: It is recommended that parents, teachers, religious leaders, experts in the field of health and sociology, and different sources of social media should play their role in clarifying the situation in paving the way for the female folk to bring positive change in the situation.


INTRODUCTION
About the Muslim community, the role of religious and socio-cultural factors has always been dominant in perspectives of female participation in sports, particularly at the local, regional and elite levels. Looking back at the near past, it had been the religious and socio-cultural factors that mostly decided the fate of the female folk with regards to participation in the sports competition. As a matter of fact, in Muslim society, despite female participation in sports is encouraged rather efforts have been put forth to keep it confined to a limited level (Ahmed, 2017). Participation statistics especially in the Olympic Games illustrate a poor picture on part of the females from Muslim countries (International Olympic Committee, 2019). The trend of Muslim female participation in sports demonstrates a meager number in comparison to the Muslim population in the world. It has also been a part of the history of the female sport that women participants were omitted from the Olympic Games in 1896. Over time this approach changed steadily and women began to appear in the Olympic arena. In Berlin Olympics in 1936, pioneer women from Turkey represented their country at the Olympic Games in the event of Fencing (China Daily, 22 August 2008). Later on, in 1964, Iranian women represented their nation in the Tokyo Olympics in athletics and gymnastic (Rizvi & Rio, 2016). Even though almost 20% of the world's population is Muslim but we see that in the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008, only 02% (98) of the female participants represented the Muslim nations from around the globe. In Los Angles Olympic Games in 1984, Nawel Moutawakel from Morocco became the ever first Muslim woman to win the gold medal at the elite-level sports competition. Only male teams from Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia participated in the Beijing Olympic Games and for the first time, female teams from the United Arab Emirates and Oman participated in the Olympic Games (MOENT, 2017). Similarly, fourteen Muslim women achieved different medals in the diverse fields in the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games (Harvard, 2016). Gradual improvement in the situation can be observed in this regard.
In views of Islamic teachings, "Healthy and fit Muslim is better than weak and ailing Muslim" (Sahih Muslim). Islam discourages idleness and promotes active and busy life, the ultimate product of which is sound health and overall fitness. In this regard, manual and practical work is always encouraged in Islam and, as endorsed by the Prophet Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬ "Manual Worker is dear to God".

LITERATURE REVIEW
Religion provides a complete code of ethics and a proper way of leading a healthy and successful life. It encircles diverse characters and different aspects of one's life. Betterment and all-round success is the ultimate objective of the religious

Religious Perspectives about Health and Fitness
In views of Islamic teachings, "Healthy and fit Muslim is better than weak and ailing Muslim" (Sahih Muslim). Islam discourages idleness and promotes active and busy life, the ultimate product of which is sound health and overall fitness. In this regard, manual and practical work is always encouraged in Islam and, as endorsed by the Prophet Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬ "Manual Worker is dear to God".
Health, working capacity, and fitness all are reflected and accommodated in the functioning of the human body. Tens of hundreds of tinny organs simultaneously remain at work inside the body. Regarding the vitality of the human body, Islamic teachings claim that "Your bodies have rights upon you". It signifies the vitality of the fit and energetic human body. Health is considered to be nothing less than a heavenly gift. "Health and prosperity are amongst the blessings of God" Islam claims. Islam has put stress upon the care and protection of the bodies and health. According to the saying of the Holy Prophet Muhammad ‫,ﷺ‬ "Serve your health before falling victim to any deformity or disease". In Islam, the sound health and fitness of the Muslims are always stressed for the personal as well as the collective benefit of the Muslim society. Islamic teachings advocate in favor of health and fitness and have declared for the Muslims to "Keep themselves healthy and fit to promptly combat the non-believers".

Religious Perspectives about Women Participation in Sports
The role and status of religion, particularly in the Muslim community, is very much significant. Justification, values, and worth of all actions and activities of the Muslims are evaluated, approved, and determined by the religious perspectives. The same is the case with female participation in sports in Muslim society. Islam has very scholarly addressed various issues related to the everyday life of the Muslims and workable guidance is given for the solution and coping with the problems. Since in Islam special code of life activities and social status exists for women, therefore, their participation in sports has been one of the hot debating topics amongst Muslim scholars. The issue of whether women should take part in sports activities or otherwise has been severally been discussed from different angles. Islamic teachings and sayings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬ have framed a few guiding principles for female participation in sports and the female who comply with these Islamic principles may participate in sports. Concerning participation in sports, a common understanding among the Muslim communities is that females are required to be protected from being sighted by their male counterparts (Patrick Johnston, 2016). However, one thing is clear that, on account of having a special place in Islam, females have to obey several additional restrictions in the perspective of taking part in the sports competition (Ashraf et al, 2016).
The first and foremost Islamic principle related to the social life of Muslim women is the covering of the hair, face, and other parts of the body known as the "Hijaab". Muslim women use loose clothes and veils for this purpose so that their body parts are not exposed. Obedience to this principle begins with the start of puberty among Muslim girls. Following the principle of "Hijaab" is particularly meant for interaction with the male who is allowed to marry her (Non-Mehram). During sports activities when all the participants, viewers, and organizers are female, the competitors may carry on without "Hijaab" (Harvey, 2019).
The dress code is the next principle for Muslim women, which is required to be followed during the course of playing. The dress covering all parts of the body should be used during sports activities. Loose clothing is required to be used during sports competitions (Ahmed, 2017). Similarly, gambling is a prohibited activity in Islam and the next Islamic principle guides us about obeying this principle by avoiding the act of gambling in sports. As discussed earlier, the female has got a very honorable status in Islam therefore they are not allowed to openly interact with the male (Non-Mehram) counterpart. This principle refrains the Muslim women to hold joint playing sessions with the male participants and also play before the male (Non-Mehram). The last and final principle is associated with paying due attention to the basic responsibility of timely discharging the religious duty "Fard" by offering the obligatory five times Prayers.
Regarding participation in sports, the sound health and physical fitness level of the participant matter a lot. Participation in sports is an activity full of action requiring a healthy and energetic physique on part of the person taking part in the activity. Similarly, Islam asserts firmly in favor of health and physical fitness. Islam affirms that "Good health and prosperity are amongst the blessings of Almighty Allah". The same stance has been endorsed by Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬ "I seek your protection from powerlessness (A-Z), laziness (KASL), cowardice (jubn), miserliness (BUKHL), and weakness (harem)" have been His common prayers; Sayyiduna Zayd ibn Arqam (RA) has reported. Abu Dawood has reported quoting Ayesha that two trials running competition were held between Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬ and his wife Ayesha, the first trial was won by Ayesha and the second was won by him (Muhammad ‫.)ﷺ‬ Involvement of the Muslim female in sports is confirmed by Muhammad's ‫ﷺ‬ races with his wife Aisha (MOENT. 2017). Complying the basic Islamic codes, participation in sports for enhancing the different capabilities of the body is supported by Islamic teachings (MOENT. 2017). There exist several socio-cultural, financial, and religious difficulties which dominantly affect Muslim women's participation in sports. Different schools of thought and different types of approaches are found in the masses of society concerning female participation in sports. The most common perception in the conservative segment of the society declares that participation in sports is Haram (Prohibited) for Muslim women. The nature and intensity of the problem regarding female participation in sports differ from time to time and locality to locality. However, research has concluded that Family, time, and financial constraints alongside scarcity of the playing infrastructure have been the most frequent hurdles in the way of female participation in sports (Lubans, & Sylva, 2019). Muthuri, Wachira, Onywera & Tremblay, (2019) have confirmed that personal security, gender discrimination, and the high cost of the facilities also affect female participation in sports.

Hurdles faced by the Muslim Women in their way to Participation in Sport
Literature has concluded that the overall volume of female participation in sports is quite poorer in comparison to their male counterparts. The lower trend of participation in sports prevails among the female. Another aspect of concern in this regard is the household responsibilities on part of the female in the Muslim societies which refrain them from participation in sports (

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Prejudice, biased, injustice, discrimination, inequality, and intolerance are the different forms of human behavior and one can observe them in one way or the other in everyday life. Discrimination and inequality are the two main points of concern concerning women's participation in sports. The low level of female participation in sports is not because they are not interested in sports but they have always been subjected to different forms of socio-cultural and other issues in their way to participate in sports. History of the women participation in sports reflects the picture showing a very low level of participation in sports as compared to their male counterparts on account of several reasons including religious, socio-cultural, economic, gender and family factors. In addition to that, on account of the low rate of literacy, a general misconception also exists among the female folk concerning the utility of participation in sports for females. They generally consider sports as not useful for their wellbeing and future life. Available literature has confirmed the scarcity of research work focusing upon the religious and socio-cultural aspects regarding girls' participation in sports at the university level. This research study examined the aforementioned factors influencing women's participation in sports.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
1. To examine religious factors that affect the participation of girls in sports activities at the university level.
2. To determine socio-cultural factors affecting the participation of girls in sports activities at the university level.

HYPOTHESES
The following three hypotheses were formulated for this study: The religious factor will have a significant influence on girls' participation in sports among Gomal University students.

H 2 :
The socio-Cultural factor will have a significant influence on girls' participation in sports among Gomal University students.

METHODOLOGY Population
The population for the study consisted of 750 border girls students residing in three different hostels of Gomal University Dera Ismail Khan (KP) Pakistan. These hostels were easily accessible for the researcher in connection with the collection of real and timely responses from the respondents. Out of the total population, the researcher took conveniently available 236 girls as the study sample population for this research work.

Sample
The researcher took conveniently available 236 respondents as the study sample for this research work.

Sampling Technique
A purposive sampling technique was employed for the selection of the sample.

Data Collection
A descriptive research design was adopted for this study. Before the collection of data, consent and favor of the Deputy Provost Girls were obtained. The purpose and objective of the collection of data were briefed to the respondents and a self-made questionnaire was distributed among the respondents. The primary portion of the questionnaire consisted of the demographic information of the respondents whereas the second portion of the questionnaire was loaded with the different variables of the study including religious, socio-cultural, and family-related factors. Twenty-four different items encircling various aspects of the problem were used for the collection of data. The validity of the questionnaire was determined by the concerned experts in the field of sports sciences and reliability was confirmed according to a pilot study on 30 students obtained 0.83 as it is considered as the acceptable level of internal consistency of the measuring tool. The collected data were tabulated and analyzed accordingly using SPSS.   Females' participation in sports Pearson Correlation .513 ** 1 Sig. (2-tailed) .000 N 206 206 **. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).

ANALYSIS OF DATA
Hypothesis # 2 was about the correlation between Religious factors and Females' participation in sports at the university level. The results show that the predictor is closely related to the main variable. Religious factors are also closely H 1 : Socio-Cultural factors are significantly associated with girls' participation in sports.  (2-tailed) .000 N 206 206 Females' participation in sports Pearson Correlation .448 ** 1 Sig. (2-tailed) .000 N 206 206 **. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).
Hypothesis # 01 was also about the correlation between Socio-Cultural factors and Females' participation in sports at the university level. The results show that the predictor is significantly associated with the criterion variable. A Socio-Cultural factor is highly correlated with Females' participation in sports (.448). Therefore, results confirmed the existence of an association between Socio-Cultural factors and Females' participation in sports. Therefore, the H1 is substantiated and accepted as true. H 1 .The religious factor will have a significant influence upon girls' participation in sports among Gomal University students.

DISCUSSION
Findings of the present study have revealed that girls' students of the university are confronted mainly to socio-cultural, economic, religious as well as family factors. Islamic teachings do not allow the female to expose objectionable (sensitive) parts of their bodies in front of others concerning their participation in sports (Lenneis and Pfister, 2017). The non-availability and cost of the proper facilities and infrastructure also hinder their way to participation in sports. The findings of the present study corroborate with the findings of the studies conducted by Dinham (2017), who has confirmed the correlation between the cultural influence and its negative impact upon girls' participation in sports activities. The author has argued that, culturally, female involvement in sports activities is assumed to threaten the future wifehood of the girls.
In addition to that, the overall trend in the society, religious as well as traditional limitations also prevent girls' participation in sports (Dinham 2017). Another common notion of the masses is that as stated earlier, the non-availability of proper enclosed playing spaces and qualified female officials for organizing the girls' sports competition has also been one of the main issues in this regard. The majority of the Muslim parents are deeply concerned with the factor of covered and enclosed playing space and they avoid allowing their daughter to play in an environment that doesn't fall in conformity with their religious faith (Lenneis and Pfister, 2017). In traditional Muslim communities, there exists a common understanding among the masses that female involvement in sports fall outside the norms and values of the society (MOENT. 2017). The question of the association between participation in sports and its influence upon the femininity of participants has also been a point of concern for the male folk. It is presumed that participation in sports lessens female's attraction and it is most likely to turn their appearance and features like that of males. However, this type of male contention is turned down by McCormack, Nettel-Aguirre, Hawe, & Doyle-Baker (2017) who have confirmed that the effect upon female features has directly been associated with the hormonal changes in the body of females, not by participation in sports or anything else. The present study has affirmed that the parental role plays a very positive and encouraging role particularly in connection with girls' participation in sports and this finding is endorsed by Ashraf (2019) who claims that parental attitude has a very positive influence on girls' participation in sports.

CONCLUSIONS
The findings of the study have revealed that religious, socio-cultural, and economic factors, as well as family issues, pose main barriers concerning participation in sports for the girl students' of Gomal University. Keeping in view findings of the present study it is concluded that religious restrictions, socio-cultural factors such as the tradition of the family, parental attitude, and so on are the prominent compelling factors affecting girls' participation in sports. Given the foregoing, it is recommended that religious leaders and parents and nobles of the society should show positive attitudes towards female participation in sports by paying to favor attention in connection with addressing the hazards occurring or likely to hinder the female participation in sports including religion, social restrictions, customs of the society, cultural beliefs and misunderstanding of the masses in the society. Educational institutions should highlight the actual state of affairs and educate the parents and common masses to support female participation in sports.