Word: peers
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...Shahar Peer, ranked 17th on the women's tennis tour, requested a berth in the Qatar Open, which runs from Feb. 18-24 in the capital city, Doha, and offers a $2.5 million purse. To her surprise, Peer found she was pushing against an open door; both the Qatar tournament organizers and the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) agreed that she could compete. "They all welcomed me warmly," she told TIME at the end of a grueling practice session in Tel Aviv with her part-time coach, Conchita Mart ínez, a 1994 Wimbledon champion. Tennis officials assured the young...
...Israel and Qatar do not have diplomatic ties, and no matter how hard Peer battles on the Doha hard courts, or how many Arab fans she wins over, she doesn't expect to ease hostilities overnight. "I'm here to play tennis," she says. "But if this opens up a window for the younger generation, with Arabs and Israelis working together for peace, I'd be happy." If Peer is treated well in Qatar, other top Israeli players may apply to compete in Dubai's prestigious championship, which follows Doha...
...Peer wanted to compete in the Qatar Open in previous years, but she was doing her obligatory military service, and Israel bans its soldiers from visiting Arab countries. "Believe me, basic army training was nowhere near as hard as my tennis workout," says Peer, who, even at age 6, would roll out of bed at 5 a.m. to hit the courts. At 5 ft. 7 in. (1.74 m) and 132 lbs. (60 kg), she admits she isn't "physically huge," but she makes up for it in speed. Off court, she paces restlessly, as if she can't wait...
...Qatar, Peer will be one of the few players on the women's circuit who speaks some words of Arabic, which she studied briefly in school. Religious prejudices are never an issue for her; in previous years, she teamed up in doubles with Sania Mirza, a Muslim from India. There was little complaint in Israel, but in India, extremist Muslim clerics were outraged at Mirza...
...swayed by social norms: They must be free to accept or reject a given practice without harsh social repercussions. But in Turkey, a country with a population that is 99 percent Muslim, the immense societal pressure to be a devout and practicing Muslim goes beyond mere “peer pressure” to deeply influence the range of lifestyles women can conceive for themselves; moreover, once the practice wearing a headscarf becomes “normalized” by society, refusal to do so becomes a criterion for exclusion and harassment—something which women should never face...