Capitals fly in Muslim phenom

WASHINGTON — It sounds like a fairytale: A young woman with remarkable hockey skills is discovered at an ice rink in Abu Dhabi and flown across the world for a practice session with her favorite team, the Washington Capitals.

But Fatima Al Ali’s dream trip involved a lot of baggage. The 27-year-old Emirati hockey phenom’s visit this week made clear the awkward position of Muslims in today’s United States. Her few hours at the Capitals rink were covered by at least six TV crews, their cameras trained on the spectacle of a headscarfwearing woman from a desert island looking so at home on the ice.

Beyond the exotification, Al Ali was an ambassador for the NHL’s “Hockey Is for Everyone” campaign at a time when that slogan is complicated. Had she been born in Syria or Iraq or Yemen, she might not have made the event because of President Donald Trump’s nowfrozen travel ban affecting seven Muslim-majority nations. That political backdrop — coupled with the irresistible visual of hijab and hockey stick — turned what might’ve been a small photo op into a media frenzy.

Put bluntly, the cameras were there because Al Ali is Muslim, but public relations managers handling her visit didn’t want her venturing into religious or political talk. And they really didn’t want any questions about Trump’s contested travel ban, as a TV reporter found out when she broached the issue and was later chastised by an organizer.

“I’m not happy about it,” Al Ali said of Trump’s executive order, before a handler quickly shut down the interview and whisked her away.

At the center of this maelstrom was an athlete who just wanted to do her thing.

“It’s overwhelming to be able to move your passion and love of the game to others,” Al Ali said.