Secular‐religious self‐improvement

In the Netherlands young Muslim women have increasingly begun to join women-only kickboxing gyms. Dutch public discourse has taken notice, treating this phenomenon as a surprising development. The general assumption, in and western Europe more broadly, is that women's sport form of secular, feminist empowerment; participation thus exemplifies incongruence Islam with modern, secular nation-state. Contesting view, I show who kickbox establish agentive selves by playing gender norms, challenging expectations, living out their religious subjectivities. Moreover, they disrupt European parameters secularity religiosity. Their cloistered athletic activity liberating, but not expected understood mainstream opinion. They approach quest for cultural integration or emancipation from communities, way intertwining forms self-improvement. [sport, embodiment, grouping, secularism, Islam, Netherlands]