Ibtihaj Muhammad Makes history in Rio

The fencer was the first American athlete to compete in the Olympics while wearing a hijab. The other members of Team USA nearly voted her to carry the opening ceremonies flag — she trailed only Michael Phelps.

In the individual sabre event, she was knocked out in the round of 16. But she went on to become the first American woman to earn a medal at the Olympics while wearing a hijab when her team took home the bronze.

Many feel politics and sport is a murky combination and should never mix, but Ibtihaj is more than happy to give her views on both subjects. She gave US First Lady Michelle Obama a fencing lesson, just two weeks after being asked in the street if she was going to blow something up.

“As a global community, we have to work harder to change our current situation.

It is an unhealthy one,” she says.

What is causing the “unhealthy situation” she refers to? “A lot of it is misunderstanding,” says Ibtihaj, who was born and raised in New Jersey.

“Misunderstanding of religion, of what different societies need in order to thrive.

“The problems have been going on for so long and it feels like it is coming to a head. In these moments, you become thankful that the sound of gunshots or bombs are not a normal part of your life.

“I see what sport has done for me as an American, growing up in middle-class America. When I consider other individuals who are not as fortunate as I am, whether that is access to clean drinking water, or access to education, I think that sport has the ability to change lives.

“If I can be a source of inspiration to not just Muslim youth, but to other kids who have been told they don’t belong because they were different...

if I can encourage women to be active, then that is a positive thing.” In the lead-up to the Olympics, there had been plenty of media attention on Ibtihaj for her historic feat. Such has been her impact that Time magazine included her in their 2016 list for 100 most in_ uential people, while credit card company Visa have put her at the forefront of their advertising.

But her sporting skills were almost overlooked.

From being ranked 113th in the world during the 2007-08 season, the 30-year-old climbed to a careerhigh position of eighth this season, winning the Pan American title in June after two-time Olympic gold medallist Mariel Zagunis withdrew because of injury.

Two years earlier, she had won gold for USA in their team sabre event at the World Fencing Championships in Russia.

“Competing at the Olympics was never a thought of mine. I never considered it or thought about it,” says Ibtihaj. “But this is a defining moment in my life, I am excited to represent not just myself, my family and my country - but also the greater Muslim community.

Ibtihaj’s uniqueness as an athlete extends to her wearing the hijab. In fact, she stumbled into the sport of fencing at the age of 12 as it was the easiest sport that allowed her to compete by covering her whole body, without having to make adjustments to the uniform.

In a country where only 1% of the total 324 million population are Muslim, Ibtihaj feels comfortable in being open with her beliefs and what the hijab means to her.

Prejudices come with this too. At a festival she was due to speak at in Texas, she was asked to remove her hijab, while in April a man in the street asked if she was going to blow something up as she looked suspicious.

“Anyone who has paid attention to the news would know the importance of having a Muslim woman on Team USA,” says Ibtihaj. “It’s challenging those misconceptions that people have about who the Muslim woman is.”

She rattles them off: she’s forced to wear a hijab, she’s oppressed, she must not have a voice. “I’m very vocal, very verbal, and very comfortable expressing myself,” says Ibtihaj. “I’ve always been like that. I remember being told that I shouldn’t fence as a kid because I was black. And it’s like why? I want to fence.”

“The hijab is very much a part of who I am and definitely helps me in my relationship with God and with my own spirituality,” she says. “It is a personal choice and a personal relationship you have with God.

“Wearing the hijab is a reminder to myself, in a society that is not predominantly Muslim, of being aware of your own religion. Being in sport, it is part of my journey and as an individual, the hijab has always felt right for me.

“It is not forced upon women, especially in the US, and is a conscious decision that I am making.”

Indeed, Ibtihaj hopes her story resonates with girls across the world. “How often do we tell our girls there are things they shouldn’t do?” she said after her loss. “You know, they can be whatever they put their minds to.”

The question is posed to her if she can be seen as the female Muhammad Ali: someone of African- American background, vocal in her political views and competing for the USA at the Olympics.

Regarded as one of the greatest sportsman of all time, Ali died earlier this year at the age of 74 and Ibtihaj says it has changed the way she feels about herself as an athlete.

“If I can be a fraction of who Muhammad Ali was, what he stood for as a pacifist, as an athlete and as an American, then I would be grateful and happy to do that,” she says.

“People did not want well for him not because he was an amazing boxer but because of his skin colour. He still found strength to speak up and was not afraid and truly believed in his journey.

“It reassured my sentiments and feelings that I owe it to my community to speak up against these things but I don’t feel I can for a second be compared to Muhammad Ali.”

In an interview on CNN’s Facebook page, Ibtihaj said she looked up to Venus and Serena Williams as a kid.

“People challenged them for the way that they looked, (for) them being different for their hair, for these really small things that we tend to challenge women on,” she said. “I love that they never changed who they were. They forced us as viewers, us as society to accept who they were.”

And that’s what Ibtihaj said she loves about sports: At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter about race, gender or religion, but how talented you are.

At the Olympics opening ceremonies, Ibtihaj took pictures with women from Saudi Arabia. “That was a beautiful experience to see women in hijab from all around the world be involved in sport and be present at this level of sport,” she says, calling that night in the stadium in Rio one of the best moments of her life.

(Courtesy bbc.com, time.com, cnn.com)