Ibtihaj Muhammad — Breaking through the stereotypes

Ibtihaj Muhammad — Breaking through the stereotypes

August 12, 2016
Ibtihaj Muhammad
Ibtihaj Muhammad

[caption id="attachment_75960" align="alignleft" width="200"]Ibtihaj Muhammad Ibtihaj Muhammad [/caption]By Amal Al-Sibai


Fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad is making history this summer in Rio, as the first woman to play for an American team at the Olympics wearing the hijab.  

Shattering a number of stereotypes, Ibtihaj Muhammad has risen to become an icon, a sports hero. She has been a member of the United States National Fencing Team since 2010, ranking number 2 in the United States and number 8 in the world.  

Growing up as a Muslim teenager, she loved playing sports and she wore the hijab. Ibtihaj Muhammad’s parents were seeking a sport for her to play where she could be fully covered. Fencing provided an ideal opportunity where she could fulfill her desire to participate in sport and compete, but still adhere to the tenants of her faith to cover her body. A fencer’s body is fully covered and Ibtihaj could wear her headscarf under the mask.

She began fencing at the age of 13, and she joined the fencing team at her high school in Maplewood, New Jersey. She trained at Peter Westbrook Foundation, which utilizes the sport of fencing as a vehicle to develop life skills in young people from underserved communities in New York City. It was a one hour train ride from her home in New Jersey to New York City, and she recalls doing homework on the train, but she persevered and it paid off.   

She received an academic scholarship at Duke University where she completed her Bachelor’s degree with a double major in international relations and African-American studies.

Ibtihaj Muhammad is breaking through the stereotypes of the anti-Muslim rhetoric in the US, especially for Muslim women. Although there have been a number of great Muslim athletes in the US, the majority of them were men, namely Muhammad Ali, Kareem Abdul-Jabaar, and Hakeem Olajuwon. Now Ibtihaj Muhammad is changing that and she has become the role model for Muslim girls in sports that she wished she had when she was a kid.

On qualifying for the Olympics, Ibtihaj Muhammad said to the USA Today, “I felt like it’s been this dream that developed amongst my family, my friends, my community, and I think that helped me to get where I am. It seemed really important to everyone. Just to shatter those stereotypes that Muslim women couldn’t achieve certain things.”   

Success doesn’t come easy; she has a grueling schedule. She trains for three hours every night, in addition to fitness training during the day. 
Adding to her already busy lifestyle, Ibtihaj Muhammad is also an entrepreneur. In 2014, she launched her own clothing company, Louella, which aims to bring modest, fashionable, and affordable clothing to Muslim women and conservative women in the US.

Ibtihaj Muhammad has become well-known within the American Muslim community. She has been asked to speak at mosques, universities, and community centers. She also traveled widely to various countries to engage in dialogue on the importance of sports and education for girls.

On Monday, August 8th , Ibtihaj Muhammad defeated Olena Kravatska of Ukraine, 15-13, in the round of 32. In the round of 16, Ibtihaj Muhammad lost 15-12 against Cecilia Berder of France. Ibtihaj Muhammad will continue to take part in the team competition later in the Games on August 13th.

Although she will not bring home the gold, she made her country and the Muslim community proud.


August 12, 2016
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