My letter to editor today's paper

 Faith and sports share big stage

Editor,

Thank you to The HP for the article titled “World Cup squads showcase faith and unity amid deep social divisions at home” (June 19). In this World Cup year, I appreciate coverage of soccer as billions of people worldwide are engaged with the athletes and their national teams. It is fun to see the obvious passion of fans for their home teams whether those teams are from Africa, Asia, Europe, Australasia or the Americas.

In America, we have freedom of religion, and I find it important that some of the most prominent athletes in the world freely share, or not share for personal reasons, their religious practices. I also find it somewhat coincidental that the Christian Revised Common Lectionary on June 21 would have us reading the Genesis story of Abraham, Ishmael and Isaac. While I cannot pretend to be an expert on the Quran, it is my understanding that our religious traditions agree the two half-brothers were important in the development of three of the world’s major religions.

The article did not mention the Korean or Japanese players who likely grew up in a Buddhist tradition. And while India and Nepal, majority Hindu nations, are not represented as countries in the World Cup, there are players of South Asian background representing other countries on the pitch.

Perhaps only the Olympics can compare to the World Cup in terms of fan passion for sport. May these two great international competitions continue to bring us together and showcase our ethnic and religious diversity in athletic accomplishment.

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ...” And neither does FIFA.

Robert Burgess Stevensville