Ibtihaj Muhammad to be First US Athlete Wearing Hijab at Olympics

Ibtihaj Muhammad will be the first US Muslim to compete in the Olympics in a hijab

Washington, 11 Jumadal Awwal 1437/21 February 2016 (MINA) – Ibtihaj Muhammad will make history at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro when she becomes the first US athlete to compete wearing a hijab, revealed US reports on Saturday.

The 30-year-old will don the headscarf at the global games, scheduled for August 5, having qualified for fencing at an event in Athens, Greece, according to news channel CNN.

Muhammad was quoted as saying that “it’s a struggle to be a Muslim woman right now. For all Muslims in our country.”

She also said that she was honoured to be fulfilling her dreams and the dreams of the American people, adding that she hopes to be a role model for other athletes, American Muslims in particular.

“We are at an interesting crossroads I think. It could get bad here,” she said in reference to her conviction that the negative view on Muslims needed to change, particularly after the death of three Muslim students amid a shooting in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) reported, quoting KUNA.

The incident sparked an angry reaction from Muslims across social media worldwide, who claimed that not enough was done by Western media to shed light on the incident.

Earlier on Wednesday, the New Jersey native received a round of applause after being encouraged by President Barack Obama to “bring home the gold” as he met American Muslims at a mosque in Baltimore. (T/R07/R01)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)