Ask Farkhunda Muhtaj how big of a moment it will be and she won’t mince words.
In six weeks, the Calgary Wild FC midfielder will become part of history as one of the players lining up for the inaugural season of the Northern Super League — Canada’s first women’s professional soccer league.
“I see it as an opportunity to impact change,” the Afghan Canadian midfielder said. “To influence young women and girls who feel that this opportunity is so distant.”
But the accomplishment represents something much bigger for Muhtaj. Preseason preparations intersect with Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, when Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset and dedicate themselves to the faith.
As a practising Muslim woman, it’s something she’ll observe — and the 27-year-old is not taking the occasion for granted.
“What makes this experience extremely meaningful to me is not only being a Muslim competing in the Northern Super League or an Afghan in this league, but being one that’s proud of her culture and her faith,” Muhtaj said.
“A lot of my achievements have come through my academics and athletics, because my parents were aware of the gender equitable foundation that our faith is based on.”
According to the Qur’an — Islam’s holy text that was revealed during Ramadan and which the Muslim faith’s teachings are based on — education is a fundamental right. Several verses within the book highlight the role of education for both personal and societal development.
The text also emphasizes gender equality for men and women and states they have equal rights.
Muhtaj was born in Pakistan after her family fled their Muslim-majority home country of Afghanistan during that country’s second civil war.
Fifteen years after the move, she would go on to play soccer for York University, where she became a star and began her trajectory toward the semi-professional — and eventually professional — ranks of soccer, both in Canada and abroad.
But she’s always had a foot in her home country, advocating for women and human rights while developing her game and her career.
“She’s an excellent representation of the community and someone that’s been an ambassador,” said Calgary Wild FC CEO Lara Murphy.
“Part of our movement is that we can celebrate everyone’s perspective, religion, beliefs and value base. And I think the value base for the team and the Calgary Wild is a huge part of the ethos that we want to represent as we move forward in the community.”
In 2021, Muhtaj played a role in evacuating hundreds of Afghan soccer players and their families when the Taliban again took over the country in August that year. Women became prohibited from participating in sport in the country and banned from being educated beyond Grade 6.
“We talk about progress in women’s sport, we always talk about advancements in gender equity and what that means. But we forget to remind ourselves of the regression around the world,” she said.
“Afghanistan is a prime example. I see myself reflected in all of those young girls in the nation right now.”