Pride jumper a step too far for AFLW’s first Muslim player Haneen Zreika

The AFLW’s first Muslim player will not play in an LGBT pride match after deciding the jumper does not align with her religious beliefs.

AFLW GWS player Haneen Zreika. Picture: AAP

The AFLW’s first Muslim player will not play in an LGBT pride match after deciding she cannot wear the pride jumper because it does not align with her religious beliefs.

Greater Western Sydney ­Giants player Haneen Zreika has told the club she will not play in Friday’s match against the Western Bulldogs.

The 22-year-old, who played in a pride match last week and the 2021 pride round when the club did not have a pride jumper, has several weeks been grappling with whether to play.

Many of Zreika’s teammates are gay. She gets along with them and regularly travels with them to play matches.

But wearing the GWS pride jumper, rainbow blocks against the Giants’ orange, is a step too far for her.

It is understood the issue with wearing the jumper is not about her personal feelings towards LGBT people but concerns about whether wearing it aligns with the expectations and religious beliefs of her community. Zreika is a role model in her community and wants to encourage more Muslim women to play sport. She is concerned wearing the pride jumper will compromise that effort.

She has been discussing the issue with her team and the club, and sought guidance from ­community leaders, GWS sources said.

When the GWS Giants pride jumper was released on January 19, Zreika’s teammate Rebecca Privitelli said the rainbow guernsey was an important step for the club and its supporters.

“I know our girls are really ­excited to pull on the jumper, it’s a big part of all our lives and I hope our fans feel the same way,” she said.

“There’s a lot of young boys and girls out there that need role models to look up to and I think the AFLW are doing an incredible thing to give young women and men that opportunity.”

The establishment of the AFLW competition has seen an increase in lesbian visibility, with several high-profile players bringing their partners and families to events.

When Adelaide Crows player Erin Phillips kissed wife Tracy Gahan after winning the best and fairest award at the inaugural AFLW event in 2017, it was considered a watershed moment of acceptance for gay women. Zreika made history as the first Muslim player to play AFLW when she ran out against the Lions in Brisbane in February 2019.

The 22-year-old grew up throwing a ball around with her older brothers in the park across from her family’s home in western Sydney.

She credits her mother with pushing her into playing sport competitively and said in a 2019 profile that at the age of her six her mum signed her up to a mix-gender junior rugby league com­petition.

“My mum’s pretty easy going for a Muslim and my culture,” she told Nine.

“Some girls won’t be allowed to play sport, so I have amazing support from her and my family.”

Zreika is likely to attend the game at Henson Park in the inner-west Sydney suburb of Marrickville on Friday.

GWS is understood to be fully committed to the pride match and its LGBT players, but is also supporting Zreika in her decision not to play or wear the jumper.

The Australian approached GWS and the AFL for comment.