ABSTRACT
Background In Denmark, as in many other countries, global migration processes mean that we must take leave of notions of a ‘uniform population’. Although toleration is preached, the degree of our acceptance of ‘alien’ values and behaviour rises and falls depending on how similar they are to, or how different they are from, the mainstream culture. Problems of living side-by-side and questions of interacting with each other, however, must not only be addressed by the majority population but equally by immigrants, who come from a great number of different countries and cultures and have varying opportunities, options and problems in their dealings with mainstream society. A major role here is played by religious orientations and views of the world, with orthodox Muslims, for example, finding it relatively difficult to reconcile the norms, values and practices anchored in their religion and culture with Western ways of life. Frequently they prefer segregation, a life in and with their own group. In coming to terms with the respective ‘other culture’, Muslim women, for instance, play a significant role since they demonstrate sameness or otherness even by the way they dress. The role allocated to them in some traditional Islamic cultures prescribes them a specific position, and assigns to them tasks in
the family, which have a special and often negative impact on their integration into mainstream society. The aim of my contribution is to explore the participation of Muslim girls and women in sport and physical activity (PA), as well as the opportunities and challenges that they encounter in these areas.1 In addition, I will focus on possible causes and cultural and economic factors that contribute to an (in)active lifestyle among immigrant women. Important issues that will be dealt with in this chapter are: Danish immigration and sports policies, the ‘immigrant discourses’ in the Danish media and society, the requirements of Islam, concepts of the body and sport in traditional cultures and, finally, gender relations in immigrant communities. All these issues have a large influence on the body and movement cultures of Muslim women. The situation of female immigrants in Denmark, and the degree to which they participate in sport, may be used as a case study that provides useful insights that are applicable for cross-cultural comparisons of Muslim women’s roles both in Denmark and in other Western countries. Many different terms are used in Western countries for the members of ethnic and religious minorities.
