In this episode of the Texan Recap, Senior Audio Producer, Elijah Carll discusses new guidelines for the Travis County Sheriff’s office surrounding Muslim female detainees and their right to religious head coverings, plus a new women-led skate club, and whether Texas soccer will be able to recover from the injury of a star player.
Reported by Maryam Ahmed, Ana Taveira, and Alistair Manliguez. Hosted and edited by Elijah Carl. Cover art by Emma Berke. Music by Top Flow Productions.
Elijah Carll: New guidelines have been announced by Travis County Sheriff’s Office surrounding Muslim female detainees and their right to religious head coverings. Plus, a new women-led skate club, and will UT Soccer be able to recover with the injury of their star player? I’m your host, Elijah Carll, and this is The Texan Recap.
*Intro Music*
The Travis County Sheriff’s Office has changed its policy on religious articles following multiple reports of female Muslim detainees who were arrested during the pro Palestine protests in April on campus, having their hijabs removed by officers during detention.
The revised policy will allow female Muslim detainees to keep their hijabs and will require jail staff to fulfill requests for modest clothing during booking process. Here with the story and more is Senior News Reporter Maryam Ahmed.
Maryam, thanks for joining us.
Ahmed: So great to be here. Thank you for having me.
Carll: The reports that came from these detainees, some of whom I understand were UT students themselves, were made to the Council on American Islamic Relations. Can you tell me a little bit more about that organization?
Ahmed: So the Council on American Islamic Relations, usually known as just CAIR, is a legal advocacy group centered around Muslims and Muslim centered issues. They don’t just advocate for Muslims and their organization isn’t made entirely of Muslims.
But especially when it comes to pro-Palestinian activism, which has been considered to be a very high profile Muslim issue, CAIR has definitely stepped to the front of the legal battleground. So they didn’t do anything in the court specifically for this issue. They were definitely in constant communication with the Travis County Sheriff’s office to express their concerns and express how they can be more understanding and compassionate towards Muslim women. And just religious differences in general too, you know, to get that policy changed.
Carll: On May 2, CAIR released a statement detailing these testimonies in full. Can you describe what sort of pressure this put on the Sheriff’s Office?
Ahmed: The Sheriff’s Office was already under a lot of pressure, and I mean, so was the University, just for how protesters were treated. It wasn’t just CAIR making these allegations.
There were a lot of reports published in the media about how people were treated in the jail. I myself talked to a lot of those protesters and it went so far beyond just like having their hijabs removed. I feel like removing the hijab and not respecting Muslim women’s right to have modest clothing was just one of the many issues that TCSO was under a lot of fire for.
Carll: And in that same report, I believe, CAIR said that these women had been denied access to menstrual products.
Ahmed: I myself talked to one student. She’s now graduated and now out of the state, but she reported being denied menstrual products for over two hours, and she was denied like multiple requests for them throughout the night when she was staying in the jail.
Carll: You spoke with an anonymous Hijabi student who was arrested during the April 24th protests on campus. Can you describe what she went through?
Ahmed: She had her hijab removed twice. Once by law enforcement while she was actually getting arrested. I didn’t put this part in the article because I wanted to keep the story focused on the jail system. What she described to me was that four to five officers essentially tackled her and they were patting her down very aggressively, and in that process, her hijab was removed.
There was no ask for consent or anything like that. But once she was zip tied, put into some kind of vehicle. When she was in the vehicle, she told me that an officer put her hijab back on her head. She had it for a while, until she got to the jail. In the jail, there was this central booking room where pretty much all of the arrested protesters, male and female, were gathered.
And, it was there that she got a second pat down in front of everyone. And her hijab was removed again, and this time she got her hijab back after the pat down. But she wasn’t able to put it on for over two to two-and-a-half hours, because her hands were zip tied. She told me it was very dehumanizing and demoralizing for her.
Carll: I mean, it doesn’t sound like this was a unique experience. CAIR reported on multiple women, some students, some not, having these experiences.
You also mentioned, on Instagram, that you have an emotional connection to this story. I was wondering if you could talk a little bit more about that connection.
Ahmed: Yeah, of course. I mean, for listeners who don’t know me, or haven’t seen me, I myself am a hijabi. So, this issue was definitely very personal for me. This was a fear that I myself had when covering protests. I had just as good a likelihood of getting arrested as anyone else. And for me, that was a really big fear.
My biggest fear wasn’t getting arrested. It wasn’t being charged with anything. It wasn’t being beat up. It was: “What if they take off my hijab?” And I know that that’s a fear that the hijabi I spoke to for this article, and a lot of other hijabis, can relate to. It was very personal for me in the sense that, when I was talking to this hijabi that I platformed in my story, it was so heartbreaking to hear how this fear that I so deeply hold came to pass for her and not for me.
And I just felt, one, incredibly sad, but two, incredibly grateful for myself. That I was able to get away. Because when you’ve been hijabi for a while, I personally have been hijabi for several years, it becomes a whole lot more than just like an extra piece of cloth on your head.It becomes a part of your dignity. For that to be removed in such a demeaning and forceful way, I can only imagine how it must feel. I know it can feel ten times worse than whatever I built up in my head.
Carll: This has been Maryam Ahmed, a Senior News Reporter who covers protests and the campus administration, talking with us now on the Daily Texan Recap.
Maryam, thanks for coming in.
Ahmed: Thank you so much for having me.
Carll: A group of female skaters are creating the first skating club at UT. Here with the story of the all-girls skate club and more is life and arts general reporter, Ana Taveira. Ana, thanks for joining us.
Taveira: Of course, thanks for having me.
Carll: Advertising Junior Adriana Garris and Microbiology Junior Olivia Snellgrove are the founders of this club. You mentioned in your article that these two are, were very surprised to find out that UT didn’t have a single skating club. What efforts did it take to initially create and organize the AGCS club? these two.
Taveira: I think they started as just wanting to hang out the two of them and skate together. And then they kind of realized that other people might be interested in doing that. They’re currently going through the process of trying to apply through UT to get officially recognized. But I think for now, they’re just trying to garner interest in the event and see who else would be interested in joining.
Carll: Were you there for that first meeting between the AFC and UT Tower?
Taveira: Yes, I was there.
Carll: Tell me what that was like.
Taveira: It was really cool! I think the turnout was maybe a little lower than anticipated, and there were some issues with where it was going to be held because of the football game. But I think despite that, everyone was really pleased with the turnout, the event itself and how excited everybody was to be involved.
They were talking a lot about what they wanted to do moving forward, what people would be interested in seeing from them in terms of, did they want to go to like a skate park or maybe a skating rink, something like that? So it was very cool.
Carll: And Garris and Snellgrove really emphasize the importance of inclusivity within their organization as they have felt that skating has been a traditionally male dominated space. Talk to me a little bit more about the work that these org leaders have done to create a space that’s not intimidating for new members.
Taveira: I think definitely they were trying to emphasize the female element, but at the event, they spoke a lot about how it doesn’t matter who you are or what you identify as. Even if you roller skate or if you have a skateboard, they’re just more so interested in finding a community through the activities and the hobbies that they enjoy. Making sure that people know it’s not necessarily about identity, but more about just having fun.
I think there is a lot of common ground for women who do skate. They have experienced some scenarios of feeling unwelcome, I guess, in certain spaces, because they are women. And also because, a lot of the time, they would go to these places alone. I think it was more so just about finding a group to go with and that being the focus.
Carll: Besides wanting to create this inclusive org that’s open for a variety of people and a variety of skaters, did they mention or discuss any like larger goals? Are they trying to get to championships?
Taveira: I asked ’em about potentially if they were interested in roller derby specifically. I know in Austin that’s like a huge thing, and Adriana, she was part of a roller derby team back in her hometown. They, despite liking that idea, were unsure if there would be enough interest in that. so I think for now they’re just trying to find something more casual, but maybe if this is successful moving forward, I think that might be something that they’re interested in doing.
Carll: This has been Anna Taveira, a Life and Arts General Reporter talking with us, The Daily Texan Recap. Ana, thanks for coming.
Taveira: Yep.
Carll: The UT soccer team has had to make some big adjustments since Trinity Byers, a star player, was put out of commission due to a knee injury sustained on the field. Here with the story and more is sports reporter Alistair Manliguez.
Manliguez: Thank you for having me.
Carll: Byers has been a big performer for this team. Could you describe what sort of impact she’s had on the team’s performance historically?
Manliguez: Trinity Byers is actually the leading goal scorer in Texas soccer program history with 52 goals on the field. She’s one of the star forwards for the team, usually playing low and up top. She can receive the ball and hold off defenders, allowing other players to get involved in play, or she can turn with the ball and attack the defenders and create her own opportunities.
Manliguez: But regardless, when she’s on the field playing in that forward position, she’ll create goals by either making opportunities for her teammates or making them herself.
Carll: How did this injury occur, and how long is it expected to keep her on the bench and out of action?
Manliguez: It happened when Hannah Waesch, a midfielder for Texas Soccer, shot a ball on goal, and Trinity Byers was trying to get her foot on the loose ball. It collided into a Central Michigan defender, and she was left on the ground where the medical staff had to help her.
Carll: You mentioned in your article that two players specifically have filled in for Byers since her injury. Can you tell me a little bit more about them and more specifically the sort of key differences between the two?
Manliguez: Holly Ward is one of the two players. She’s a senior forward for Texas soccer and she’s kind of different from sophomore forward Avery Clark, because of their physical capabilities and what they like to do on the ball. First with Holly Ward: She’s a little more shifty and she’s a bit smaller in frame than Avery Clark, and because of that, she likes to make runs in behind.
Manliguez: Having talked to her in the past, she has a good knowledge of where to run. Whether that’s behind the defense or coming in towards the midfield space to get the ball. Regardless, she likes to have the ball at her feet so she can either take on a defender or be in a position where she can win a foul, or just take on the defender in a 1v1 or even a 2v1 situation.
On the other hand, Avery Clark, because of her larger frame, likes to receive the ball and shield it off from other defenders, kind of like as bait. And once the defenders take that bait, she’s able to play the ball to another midfielder, like Jilly Shimkin or star midfielder Lexi Missimo, who are both seniors and experienced.
And, once they get that ball from Avery Clark, they’re able to combine with other players, creating other scoring opportunities. The main difference that comes with those two is just their physical capabilities, with one being much taller and stronger, she’s able to withstand defenders pushing on her, trying to get that ball, causing that bait reaction. While Holly Ward is smaller, she likes to take on her defenders and involve others in play.
Carll: What impact did you notice, or get a sense of, that Byers injury had on these individual players and on the team in terms of morale and performance?
Manliguez: Originally when Trinity Byers went down with an injury, there was a very mixed reactions within the team. A lot of them decided to just huddle with each other and talk amongst themselves, while others looked distraught, kind of just standing amongst themselves, trying to gather their thoughts. But after having some weeks and games go by where they’re without Trinity Byers, I think the team has recovered morale wise, and they’ve been able to figure out ways to play without her.
Missimo has said that she’s been able to be a good role player on the bench, providing support for her teammates, and that Missimo has been able to find ways to adjust with it, this being her year playing without Trinity Byers. But amongst the team, head coach Angela Kelly has also mentioned how, having played with Trinity Byers in practice before her injury, a lot of the players were able to adjust and learn from her.
Carll: What predictions can you make right now about the team’s performance moving forward in the future? Do you think they can adapt to this new challenge?
Manliguez: Even though they’ve had a slow start to conference play in the new SEC conference they’re in, they have still been able to score goals and produce and create those attacking opportunities. While it may be hard for the Longhorns to adjust without Trinity Byers, they still have been able to find those opportunities, which is what makes me believe that they can still find ways to win games in conference play.
Carll: This has been Alistair Manliguez, a sports reporter for the Daily Texan. Alistair, thanks for joining us.
Manliguez: Thank you for having me.
Carll: The Texan Recap is a production of the Daily Texan Audio Department. If you liked this episode, make sure you subscribe to the Daily Texan on your streaming platform of choice and follow us on Twitter at @texasaudio. This episode was hosted and edited by me, Elijah Carll. Special thanks to Maryam Ahmed, Ana Taveira, and Alastair Manliguez for their reporting. Cover art is by Emma Burke, and music is by Top Flow Productions. To read the stories in this episode, or see more from the Texan, head over to www.thedailytexan.com. Thanks for listening, and I’ll see you next week.
