She was standing straight. She stood up for her country and her culture. And against a country where female footballers wearing the Islamic hijab headscarf are outlawed, Nouhaila Benzina stood up for her religion.
Dressed in a Moroccan red headscarf, Benzina may have had to contend with his teammates in the 4-0 defeat against France. But the symbolism of his dress may have had a greater impact than any on-the-field result.
The 25-year-old is the first woman to wear a hijab at the World Cup. Morocco is the first Arab nation to participate in the World Cup. And they took on their historical colonizer, France, to represent their people in the best possible way.
“It’s huge, it’s going to inspire a lot of girls, not only in Morocco, but in the world, showing them that they can and should be whatever they want,” Rosella Ayane told DW.
