America's First Muslim Athlete To Compete At The Olympics
🎞️ · 08.08.2016 · 21:43:33 ··· Montag ⭐ 0 🎬 0
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🎬 · 08.08.2016 · 21:43:33 ··· Montag
😎 · 03.07.2024 · 15:40:29 ··· MiTTwoch
As Ibtihaj Mohammad stepped on to the strip at Carioca Arena 3, she made Olympic history.
The 30-year-old New Jersey native became the first American athlete to compete at the Games in a hijab, the traditional headscarf worn by Muslim women.
Days before the competition she stated :
“I feel like this is a great moment for Team USA to be even more diverse than we have in the past and I'm just looking forward to representing myself, my community and my country.”
She told BBC Sport :
"In this particular political climate in the history of this country, it is groundbreaking to have a Muslim woman on the US team.
I am excited to challenge the stereotypes and misconceptions people have about Muslim women. I want to show people that we can not only be on any Olympic team, but on the US Olympic team which is the strongest of the world's teams.
As a global community, we have to work harder to change our current situation. It is an unhealthy one,"
What is causing the "unhealthy situation" she refers to?
"A lot of it is misunderstanding. 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."
Such has been her impact that Time magazine included her in their 2016 list for 100 most influential people, while credit card company Visa have put her at the forefront of their advertising.
From being ranked 113 in the world during the 2007-08 season, the 30-year-old has climbed to a career-high 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.
She says :
"Competing at the Olympics was never a thought of mine. I never considered it or thought about it.
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. "
She has faced prejudice.
At a fencing event 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.
However, such is her popularity, she was invited to a function at the White House for the festival of Eid, which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. President Barack Obama jested there was "no pressure" on her shoulders in competing at the Olympics with a hijab.
Muhammad also gave Obama's wife Michelle a fencing lesson in New York, when marking 100 days to the start of the Olympics.
"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. 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."
She had strong words for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump about his immigration plans for Muslims. She told CNN last week :
“I think his words are very dangerous.
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?”
She then later commented :
“I’m hopeful that, in my efforts to represent our country well as an athlete ― that they change the rhetoric around how people think and perceive the Muslim community,”
The eighth-ranked saber fencer made the most of her moment on Monday, defeating 33rd-ranked Olena Kravatska of Ukraine, 15-13, in the round of 32.
In the round of 16, Muhammad took an early lead against ninth-ranked Cecilia Berder of France but surrendered a string of touches mid-bout and ended up losing, 15-12. She will take part in the team competition later in the Games.
Facts :
Born: 4 December 1985 in Maplewood, New Jersey
Sport: Women's sabre fencing, individual and team
World ranking: 8
USA ranking: 2
We wish her all the very best !
· 08.08.2016 · 21:43:33 ··· Montag
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