Teammates in faith

Muslim youths come to Tampa to compete, connect and learn.

By Kevin Graham, Times Staff Writer
Published March 10, 2008

The FAYM Athletics team from Miami pumps up before a flag football match Sunday outside the USF Sun Dome. The growing appeal of the Muslim athletic competitions drew players from as far as North Carolina over the weekend.
	[Brian Cassella | Times]

TAMPA - Religion joined sports this weekend to bring hundreds of Muslim athletes to Hillsborough County for team competitions.

The 6th Annual Myathlon, presented by the Muslim American Society of Tampa, took place Saturday and Sunday at the University of South Florida and the Temple Terrace recreation complex. Teams participated in soccer, basketball, volleyball and flag football.

Organizer Omar Aref, 36, of Tampa said about 1,850 boys and girls - as young as 9 - participated in this year's games. Demand from teams wanting to compete had increased so much this year that Aref said he had to turn players away.

Tampa area mosques began hosting the sporting events six years ago as a way to attract local youths to teach them about Islam.

"One of the biggest attractions to youth is sports," Aref said. "We wanted to bring the kids together to learn about their religion instead of letting the media or other things tell them."

Word spread to nearby mosques. Then participants from Orlando started attending. Interest continued to grow, and this year teams participated from as far south as Miami and as far north as North Carolina.

Aref said a similar event has begun in Chicago, and he has gotten calls from New York and San Francisco, where others want to do the same.

The male athletes competed at USF, while the female events were held at the Temple Terrace recreation complex, where Mehnaz Ismail, 24, of Tampa said developing the bond of sisterhood was just as important as winning.

"Everybody puts their heart into this. That's the beautiful thing," said Ismail, who played for the Red Kryptonite.teams take part in several sports.

She can remember when the games first began, and fewer than 10 female teams participated. This weekend, there were 20 teams for the "sisters" sports.

"When you're on the field, it builds a really positive interaction," Ismail said. "It definitely brings that sisterhood together. We're creating a connection with each other."

Michael Dean and Sam Almahdi, both 18, played for the Islamic School of Miami Dragons. They spent the past six months preparing for the weekend's games, playing friendly scrimmages against a rival team from Broward County.

"There's a lot of competition out there," Almahdi said. "Everybody comes. It's like a tradition."

The Dragons headed into their final football game Sunday 2-0. A third win would mean they would clinch the championship for their division, a feat Dean said the team fell short of last year.

"We're hoping we don't have a repeat of that again," he said.

Kevin Graham can be reached at kgraham@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3433.

[Last modified March 9, 2008, 20:21:44]