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Controversy
The short tennis clothes she has to wear in the court has drawn some criticism by Muslim religious groups, Mirza being a practicing Muslim who prays five times a day, and fasts during Ramzan. According to one report published September 8, 2005, an unnamed Muslim scholar had issued a ruling, saying that the women's tennis attire is not suited to Islam. The All-India Shia Muslim Personal Law Board disapproved the edict issued by the anonymous cleric(s) and asked them not to meddle in the sports arena. Jamiat-ulema-e-Hind rejected rumors about disrupting her game saying that they don't stop anyone from playing, although they found female tennis players' dress code objectionable. Nevertheless, the Calcutta police tightened security measures to protect her. In 2006, some newspapers reported that Mirza declined from playing with an Israeli tennis player Shahar Pe'er for fear of protests from India's Muslim community. However, when she teamed up with Pe'er for the 2007 WTA Tour of Stanford, California, there was no reaction. Mirza was pictured resting her feet and showing her bare soles during a press conference at the 2008 Hopman Cup, with an Indian flag in front. She faced possible prosecution under the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act after a private citizen complained. Mirza protested that, "I love my country, I wouldn't be playing Hopman Cup otherwise." On February 4, 2008, Mirza said that she would stop appearing in tennis tournaments held in India, starting with the 2008 Bangalore Open the following month, citing the series of controversies and upon advice by her manager.
The short tennis clothes she has to wear in the court has drawn some criticism by Muslim religious groups, Mirza being a practicing Muslim who prays five times a day, and fasts during Ramzan. According to one report published September 8, 2005, an unnamed Muslim scholar had issued a ruling, saying that the women's tennis attire is not suited to Islam. The All-India Shia Muslim Personal Law Board disapproved the edict issued by the anonymous cleric(s) and asked them not to meddle in the sports arena. Jamiat-ulema-e-Hind rejected rumors about disrupting her game saying that they don't stop anyone from playing, although they found female tennis players' dress code objectionable. Nevertheless, the Calcutta police tightened security measures to protect her. In 2006, some newspapers reported that Mirza declined from playing with an Israeli tennis player Shahar Pe'er for fear of protests from India's Muslim community. However, when she teamed up with Pe'er for the 2007 WTA Tour of Stanford, California, there was no reaction. Mirza was pictured resting her feet and showing her bare soles during a press conference at the 2008 Hopman Cup, with an Indian flag in front. She faced possible prosecution under the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act after a private citizen complained. Mirza protested that, "I love my country, I wouldn't be playing Hopman Cup otherwise." On February 4, 2008, Mirza said that she would stop appearing in tennis tournaments held in India, starting with the 2008 Bangalore Open the following month, citing the series of controversies and upon advice by her manager.
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