First the team and school have rules in order to compete.
Some kids sign an agreement to those rules in order to compete.
Secondly - if it would go past the team, conference/league, and state level of rules then it may go to the National rules committee or organization. If it becomes a legal battle - money is involved and lots of it. Many things could happen if the rules are not followed. The school administration could drop the program. The league may not let that team in the league. The state might not let the individual participate in the regional, sectional and state tournament. Does one vistor want to compromise the entire TEAMs' season. Or will the Team want to compromise its' season for a vistors beliefs. It could be a tough way to start a season with a distraction that may only be one or 2 years. I would tell your cousin that Abdul should think of others (teammates, coaches, admininstrators, etc.) as well as his own beliefs.

In Iraq it will.

I'm just waiting for someone to blast me here...but Mike, I'm not aware of any other HS sport where an advantage could be gained by grinding stubble into your opponent's shoulder or back, like you can in wrestling.

The rule's a rule. There's no other rules in the rule book that are overlooked for religious reasons. If an athlete wants to wear a religious medalian, they just can't where it on a chian, it must be taped to the body.

This rule has nothing to do with religion, but for an advantage gained by one opponent over another.

I hate to say, but if I was working this duel/tourney, he's going to shave or produce a letter from Bowden/KSHSAA telling me that he is exempt from this rule and allowing me to overlook it.

As always, history will tell us what to do and what will happen. Several years ago a student from Haskell Indian School wanted to wrestle but could not cut his hair due to his heritage. A letter was written to KSHSAA and an exception was made for this student. Then, a student from NW Kansas (Colby I think) would not cut his hair because of his job (he played in a rock band)so he protested and wrote a letter to KSHSAA and and exception was granted. Now several years later you only have to cover the long hair with an approved hair cover to wrestle. Has this hurt wrestling? In my opinion NO.

Now comes to the wrestling community a student from the Middle East and because of his religion he wants to wrestle with a beard. This situation is different than the one discussed above because a beard can be abrasive to the opponent. The same as a weeks growth on a shaved head can be abrasive. This situation is not a religious issue, or a political issue, it is a fairness issue where one wrestler with a beard can take advantage of another wrestler using the beard to gain advantage.

One can look at many reasons to side step the rules but in this case a clean shaven wrestler is what is required by the rules and no exception should be granted. Having said that, what might happen would be for the bearded wrestler to wear a full face mash similar to those protecting a injured nose. Those of you who want to make this a Supreme Court issue are reading too much into the situation. If we have a student from a foreign land wrestle they are to obey the rules. What if this student can not understand English (our official language) are we required to have a multi language offical on the mat?

We must not let issues like this take away from the sport, obey the rules as they are written, if you take exception to the rules, take it up with the KSHSAA rules committee and change if merited will occur.

Good Luck and God Bless

I would of responded sooner, but I was having a little trouble remembering how to spell my password! I did not know History Teachers took off points for spelling as long as it was close? But I could be wrong. Or maybe I could of apologized, or put in a entry about my "Bad Typing" or my "Poor Generalization" to cover up my mistake or oversight.

Coach Neil not for one minute would I even consider to quote you anything on history, I'm pretty sure that you are a scholar in your field. And I meant nothing toward you in my breif statement on how America was acquired.

You mentioned something about the attack in the name of Allah? I'm going out on a limb here, and someone will correct me if I'm wrong but isn't Allah the Arabic word for GOD? And is it so that even the Christian Arabs have no other word except Allah for God? And as a history teacher wasn't one of the bloodiest, and longest wars fought in the name of God "Holy Wars" known as the Crusades? And don't it remain an indisputable fact that the Crusades were a brutal and petty act carried out by the greedy religious leadres and temporal leaders of the West. However, one must never forget that, had the Eurocentralism of Dark Age Europe neeer lead to the Crusades, it is highly likely the Europe would never had emerged from that ignorant age?

Maybe everyone else is somewhat slowly coming out of their dark age.

Wooops! I done it again. I meant Leaders where I put leadres and I meant Never where I have neeer on my last post.

I just asked a question Shane, a simple answer would have been fine. The original question did have to do with religion and for religious reasons.

I would still lke an answer to the question which I have not had. As one who has a beard, well sort of, I agree on the stubble, maybe even on the beard, but I also know anyone with a full beard that uses it to grind or anything of that nature, runs the risk of doing more harm to themselves than someone else as it is not comfortable to have hair pulled on your beard which would occur. Also, if doing a chin or grind to gain an advantage, or to do harm, seems the rules in place to prevent doing that now with other body parts would suffice.

Managed to pull up an old quote from rassler....

Quite an amazing concept isnt it rassler...

Read it carefully.