A recent study by Australia’s Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission has warned that 9 out of 10 Muslim women in Australia have suffered some sort of discrimination, abuse, or other mistreatment on the basis of their religion. Women are particularly vulnerable, the study emphasizes, because of the visibility of their religious identity evident in their choice to wear the Muslim headscarf. The incidents described by female Muslim respondents to the survey included verbal abuse; thrown objects, including rocks and objects from moving cars; and one incident in which a man set three dogs upon a woman who had to defend herself with an umbrella. Australia does not currently have a law making discrimination or vilification illegal on the basis of religion. However, it appears that steps toward greater tolerance are taking place in the athletic arena. An Australian soccer referee was suspended in June 2004 for asking a 14-year-old female player to remover her headscarf before a match. One regional Australian soccer federation has adopted a rule guaranteeing Muslim women the right to wear headscarves on the playing field. The rule’s proponents hope to have it enacted by the national association, and beyond that, the International Football Federation.