A matter of faithJake Niall
August 7, 2011Despite being a player with limitations, Tiger Bachar Houli is a true role model.EARLIER this season, Bachar Houli stood before his Tiger teammates and gave them a brief crash course in Islam. He told them about Ramadan, which began last Monday and which typically involves fasting until the sun goes down.
He fielded questions and, in response to a query about Osama bin Laden - who was then still alive - Houli made clear to the players that violent bin Ladenism wasn't what his faith was about. Islam, he said, was about love.
The players were told how Houli's faith lacked the hierarchical structure of some religions. It had no papal authority or bishop at the top and the local mosque had a large degree of autonomy. Hence, Houli can gain some dispensation for Ramadan, drinking sufficient water and eating enough food to allow him to play football. It is inconceivable how any athletes could function at an elite level without imbibing or eating anything before dusk.
The players were impressed by the presentation and asked plenty of questions. Houli is open about his faith, rather than private. He isn't the first Muslim to play in the VFL/AFL - Melbourne's Adem Yze and Bulldog Sedat Sir are among a small number to precede him - but he is considered the most observant Muslim to have played footy at the highest level.
Houli is married, doesn't drink and has the discipline of a young man who prays several times a day. He is one of the last players the Tigers will have to worry about finding in the back of a divvy van at 3.30am. His religion, indeed, could be seen as an advantage in today's AFL, which almost demands a monastic lifestyle of its players, given the rigours of training and the new puritanism.
When Richmond recruited him from Essendon, he went straight to the club's shop and bought about 40 memberships for family and friends. As a Richmond official noted, ''when you get Bachar, you get the whole clan''.
Although he is not as well known as Chris Judd, Gary Ablett or even rugby league convert Karmichael Hunt, it's arguable that Houli may be the most important contemporary role model in the AFL, given the vexed politics surrounding his faith. To Richmond fans and a good number of supporters of other teams - especially the shrewd judges who've picked him in dream teams - he may be the most recognisable and well-regarded Muslim; in some cases, he would be the only Muslim they feel any connection with.
It hardly needs to be pointed out that Islam has been the subject of considerable fear and loathing in this country for the past decade, the religion's image battered by the September 11, Bali and London atrocities and the fear of Lebanese gangs in Sydney's west. For the AFL, Houli's crossover role is somewhat comparable to the Lebanese surf lifesavers who were introduced to Cronulla in the wake of the beach riot - a figure, who by melding into an iconic Aussie pastime/game, brings his minority group into the mainstream in two ways.
First, he becomes a model for Muslims, who hitherto have had less affinity with football. Waleed Aly, the politics academic, Muslim and devout Tigers fan (he is on the board of the Tigers Community Foundation), said of Houli: ''His impact on the Muslim community has been enormous.'' Aly, who knew Houli as a Western Jet before he was drafted by Essendon in 2006, said the running defender had shown local Lebanese Muslims that ''they had a stake here [in football] and it was possible'' to be a Muslim footballer at the top level. Kids from his background in Melbourne would take a greater interest in the game.
Aly noted that whereas the late ''Crazy John'' Illhan, the highly successful and visible Turkish-Muslim businessman, had traded his exotic first name ''Mustafa'' for ''John'', Houli had remained identifiably Muslim. ''He hasn't had to trade in being a Muslim for success.''
The second, more crucial way that Houli changes perceptions is by normalising, or Australianising, a Muslim in the eyes of the multitudes who have negative views of the religion. It is a function that test cricketer Usman Khawaja performs on the national stage. In Sydney's west, rugby league champion Hazem El Masri, also a devout Lebanese Muslim, became the highest points scorer in NRL history and was a prominent voice of moderation in the wake of the Cronulla riot.
But Houli isn't a superstar of his sport like El Masri or Khawaja (simply to play test cricket defines a player as elite). His limitations as a footballer - despite a pretty good season - also place some limits on his potency as a role model. While Michael Long's historic importance rests more on his role in changing attitudes to indigenous footballers (and people) than what he did on the field, his stature as an elite, exciting player gave him the platform to be a spokesman. The Long reach was greater because he was a great player. Houli is no champion of the game, but, as his teammates discovered, he is a champion of his people.
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/a-matter-of-faith-20110806-1igvu.html#ixzz1UH9G30pg
