Philotimo Jujitsu took 10th place out of 180 clubs from all over the world, scoring 10 Gold, five Silver and five Bronze medals in individual and team events at the October 2023 tournament.
They also won titles in all divisions at the National Championships in December.
Starting in 2019 over the need to develop self-defence skills after someone attempted to rip off a teenager’s hijab, the classes (based on Japanese Jujitsu) for girls launched in Lakemba through the Lebanese Muslim Association before moving to bigger premises in Ashbury.
The dojo or class, comprising about 25, is a fantastic opportunity to empower young Islamic females with self defence skills, according to instructor Rose Smith.
“Learning self defence might not eliminate violence against women,” she said.
“But what it can do, is give girls a sense of mastery over their own bodies and a realisation that men’s bodies are not unstoppable.
“In a male saturated-sport like martial arts, women are underrepresented and women from refugee and immigrant backgrounds even more so.
“To have young Muslim women break barriers in this way and become world champions, has already had profound results with the group contacted by many women’s groups now wishing to learn self defence – something we could not have imagined before the World Cup.”
Classes return to Ashbury Seniors Citizens Centre on Thursday, February 1, 4.30-5.30pm (primary school aged), 5.30-7.30pm (teens) and 7.30-8.30pm (young women), and cost $170 a term.
For more info or booking, call Rose on 0444 577 608.
Girls beat world in martial arts
A GROUP of Islamic girls, including from Lakemba, Greenacre, Bankstown and Yagoona, have defied expectations at the Martial Arts World Cup Titles and come away as world champions.
