Muhammad takes hijab to world stage
First U.S. woman wearing Muslim headscarf to Games hopes to demystify her faith
Reporters crowd around Ibtihaj Muhammad for the better part of an hour, standing two and three deep, pushing close, a jostling mass of cameras, lights and microphones.
Her smile remains steady, her voice measured as she faces question after question.
“I have a very short window as an athlete,” she says. “And I’m going to try to take advantage.”
Muhammad ranks among the top fencers in the world, but that isn’t what the media ask her about.
When the 2016 Summer Olympics begin in Rio de Janeiro, the 30-year-old Muslim will become the first American woman to compete in the Games wearing the traditional headscarf known as a hijab.
At a time of terrorist attacks worldwide and calls for a ban on Muslim immigration, Muhammad’s religion has made her a lightning rod. Television news crews have followed her through training and President Barack Obama singled her out at a recent event in Baltimore.
Normally a private person, Muhammad has made a point of speaking openly about her life in ways that reach beyond sport.
“It’s a tough political environment we’re in right now,” she told the media at a U.S. Olympic Committee summit in Los Angeles. “Muslims are under the microscope.”
Across the room, Alexander Massialas — the top foil fencer in the world — looks at all the reporters surrounding his teammate and shakes his head.
“It has to be tough, but she’s handling it extremely well,” he says. “She’s never been one to shy away from a fight.”
Growing up in New Jersey, one of five kids raised by a father who was a narcotics detective and a mother who taught school, Muhammad learned early that appearances make a difference.
Her competitive nature led her to sports, but she often felt awkward playing volleyball or running track with her head covered, a uniform pulled over top of sweatpants and long sleeves.
“I would get stares,” she says. “My skin color, my religion, made other people uncomfortable.”
Riding in the car one day, stopped at a red light, she and her mother glanced at a school building and could see kids inside practicing an unfamiliar sport in jackets, pants and masks.
“Fencing found me,” Muhammad says. “I wanted a sport where I could be fully covered and I didn’t have to look different.”
An initial try at epee — which can be slower-paced — proved less than satisfying. She switched to the explosive, clanging action of saber.
Quickness and determination fueled her climb up the ranks. Muhammad was on her way to winning state championships in high school and competing for Duke, where she became a three-time All-American.
After graduation, she continued fencing with the national program.
Qualifying for the games can be nervewracking under the best of circumstances.
As Muhammad chased a spot on the U.S. Opening ceremony: Games end: team, the attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, Calif., made nightly news and Donald Trump proposed “a total and complete shutdown” of Muslims entering the country. American mosques were being vandalized and Muslim passengers kicked off commercial flights.
Sensing an opportunity to inform the national debate, Muhammad took to social media and appeared on network news, the “Today” show and “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” to tell her story.
Obama invited her to the Baltimore meeting with Muslims, where he challenged her to win gold , adding: “Not to put any pressure on you.” Her public comments were straightforward. Still, she drew heat.
Invited to speak at the South by Southwest festival in March, she was told to remove her hijab for an accreditation photo. Festival officials later apologized. A month later, Muhammad tweeted about a man who followed her down the street, asking if she was going to blow something up.
Muhammad has kept herself in the public eye for two reasons.
First, she wants to set an example for a Muslim community that she believes could do more to encourage girls in sport. Second, she says, “I’m hoping to change the image that people may have of Muslim women.”
The holy month of Ramadan began in early June this year. Days of fasting and intense prayer forced Muhammad to adjust her training regimen at a critical juncture.
Getting up before sunrise gave her time to eat a full meal and have an early workout. Drinking extra water and shortening her midday fencing sessions kept her from becoming dehydrated. After breaking her fast at sunset, she practiced five or six hours into the night.
Talking about Ramadan is another part of her effort to demystify Islam.
“Can I influence the debate?” she asks. “I don’t know.”
There will be one more chance for her to reshape opinions, when she steps onto the strip for the women’s saber competition in Rio. She says: “I’m just trying to do well. … That’s my plan.”
An Olympic medal might be her most convincing argument.