DESPITE constant references to his religion, the Bombers’ Bachar Houli has said he won’t tire of having his beliefs discussed in the public domain. In fact he’s happy for the commentary to continue.

“Religion is part of me. I know it’s been mentioned many times but I don’t care how many times it’s mentioned because it just makes more people out there clear about who I am and where I come from. I’m proud to be a practicing Muslim,” Houli told afl.com.au.

“I know a lot of kids now who want to get into football because all of a sudden there’s a Muslim footballer and now they think, ‘why can’t I do that?’ And that’s the message we’re trying to get across. To tell young kids to open their eyes up and set themselves goals. If you put your head down and work hard, the results will show. So I never get offended when people ask me about my religion, I use it positively.”

As role models go, you don’t get much better than Houli. Having picked up a Rising Star nomination in round one, he’s played every game so far this year except for round nine when he was ruled out with a virus.

“My aim was just to play as many games in 2008 as I could. To get the Rising Star nomination is just a bonus. It’s a great individual award. I could sit here and say ‘no, it doesn’t mean much’ but at the end of the day I’m young and it’s a great honour. But there’s so much of the season left and I have to concentrate on my footy.”

The 20-year-old admitted that the more match time he gets, the more his confidence grows.

“At the beginning of the year I was a bit nervous, now I’m starting to relax a bit. The coaches have been so supportive. I’ve been told to get out there and just enjoy myself and to make it a good year.”