Muslim athletes make history
Groundbreaking Olympic athletes defy stereotypes
Nobody saw Ibtihaj Muhammad’s black hijab Monday when she became the first American wearing the Islamic head-covering to compete at the Olympic Games, because it was hidden beneath her fencing helmet and an outsized mask covered with the Stars and Stripes.
But in a year in which a serious candidate for president of the United States has declared that Muslims should not be allowed to immigrate to that country, all eyes were on Muhammad as she competed in the sabre event — though you had to be quick to spot her. After squandering a lead, the 30-year-old New Jersey native was eliminated from the Olympic tournament by France’s Cecilia Berder after a first-match win against Ukraine’s Olena Kravatska.
Hijabs will again draw attention Tuesday, when Egypt’s Doaa El-Ghobashy and Nada Meawad will wear them, as well as modest long-sleeved shirts and pants, when they play their second beach volleyball match of the Games. They will compete on the sands of Copacabana Beach against two Italians who will be wearing the bikinis that have long been de rigueur for women since the fastpaced sport, which requires lots of jumping and diving, was first played at the 1996 Games in Atlanta.
It was only four years ago that the International Volleyball Federation modified its rules to accommodate the religious and cultural requirements of societies where western bathing attire is considered unacceptable.
El-Ghobashy told the Ahram website last year that she had been stared at when she took part at the 2015 Mediterranean Beach Games in Italy. But that had not dissuaded her from wearing what she called her “Islamic outfit.”
“I have worn the hijab for 10 years,” El-Ghobashy said to The Associated Press. “It doesn’t keep me away from the things I love to do, and beach volleyball is one of them.”
The International Olympic Committee hasn’t always been a model of sensitivity, but it has been progressive on some matters. Only three days ago the IOC officially welcomed 10 refugees from Syria, South Sudan and Ethiopia to compete under the Olympic flag rather than the flags of the countries from which they escaped. It had already pledged $2 million to help refugees train for the Games.
Muhammad had strong support from her family, which was looking for a sport that would allow her to compete without compromising her religious principles. Fencing, where competitors are covered from head to foot, seemed like the most obvious choice.
Suddenly a poster girl of sorts for a sport that has almost no profile in North America — except, perhaps, in Quebec — Muhammad has not been shy about celebrating her faith.
Time Magazine has chosen her as one of the 100 most influential young persons in America.
Visa has promoted her heavily in Olympic advertising.
She has appeared on Stephen Colbert’s show, was invited to the White House to celebrate Eid with the Obamas (where she gave the First Lady impromptu lessons in how to parry and thrust with a sabre) and is an ambassador for the State Department’s Empowering Women and Girls Through Sport initiative. She has a master’s degree in international relations, and her own fashion line.
Inevitably, Muhammad was asked about Donald Trump at a news conference here. “Who?” she said. Asked again, she replied, “Sorry, what did you say?”
To a chorus of journalists shouting Trump’s name over and over again she repeated her answer — “Who?” — to a crescendo of laughs.
She was more forthcoming last week. “I think (Trump’s) words are very dangerous,” she told CNN. “When these types of comments are made, no one thinks about how they really affect people. I’m African-American. I don’t have another home to go to. My family was born here. I was born here. I’ve grown up in Jersey. All my family’s from Jersey. It’s like, well, where do we go?”
And another interview, with the BBC: “In this particular political climate in the history of this country, it is groundbreaking to have a Muslim woman on the U.S. team. I am excited to challenge the stereotypes and misconceptions people have about Muslim women. I want to show people that we cannot only be on any Olympic team, but on the U.S. Olympic team, which is the strongest of the world’s teams.”
The Egyptians, El-Ghobashy and Meawad, will likely play their last match of the Olympic beach volleyball tournament in a match against Canada on Friday.
Muhammad will get another chance to win an Olympic medal on Saturday when she competes for the U.S. in the team sabre event.
I THINK (TRUMP’S) WORDS ARE VERY DANGEROUS.