Swedish basketball federation allows basketball player to wear hijab

The Swedish basketball federation has allowed 17-year-old female Muslim basketball player Noha Berhan to wear hijab during her team's matches.

Swedish Basketball Federation announced Thursday that it had submitted a written permit to Berhan's team Huddinge for her to be allowed to play in games with her hijab.

Berhan received quite a lot of support from social media, namely Instagram and Facebook with #BackNoha and #FIBAAllowHijab.

Before the decision Berhan, who plays in Stockholm-based amateur league team Huddinge, had stated that as under 18's were not allowed to wear hijabs during play in Sweden, she wasn't able to participate in her team's games.

She also had said that while she loved the game, if the federation did not approve of her playing with a hijab then she would have to return back to training and coach instead.

Berhan has been playing basketball since she was seven.

Up until September 2014, FIBA had banned basketball players from wearing hijabs during games. FIBA had stated that hijabs worn during play posed a safety issue and took away from team uniformity.

Currently, the ban has been suspended, not fully lifted. The decision is expected to be fully reviewed this year.

Bosnian professional basketball player Indira Kaljo, 27, had also gone through difficult times in 2015 when FIBA had imposed a ban on wearing headscarves during play. In August, the ban was lifted and the Muslim player went onto play for Saudi Arabia's female basketball team, Jeddah United.