Ibtihaj Muhammad; First American Athlete with Hijab at the Olympics

For the first time, an American athlete is participating in the Olympics wearing an Islamic hijab. According to National Public Radio, Ibtihaj Muhammad, a successful American fencer, is the only Muslim athlete in the U.S. sports delegation at this year's Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Ibtihaj Muhammad says that she did not find fencing, but fencing found her. She recounts that when she first witnessed a fencing competition in her neighborhood high school, she was only 12 years old and thought that fencing, which requires players to wear pants, a long-sleeved jacket, and a hat that completely covers their heads, resembled the attire she wore as a Muslim girl. Ibtihaj began practicing volleyball in high school, but with her Muslim attire, she never felt like a full member of the team. However, 'fencing solved that problem.' According to the Wall Street Journal, in this year's World Fencing Championships held in January, Muhammad brought home a bronze medal for the U.S., which qualified her for the Olympics. She is currently ranked second among the best female fencers in the U.S. and eighth in the world rankings. After graduating from Duke University, Muhammad began designing clothing for Muslim women. Spencer El, Ibtihaj Muhammad's coach, discusses the limitations that her Islamic hijab has imposed on her, stating that it has become normal for her to be taken to a separate area for questioning at the airport or for her security checks to take longer solely because of her hijab. El says, 'Ibtihaj tells me that being Black is not easy. Being Muslim is not easy. Now combine those two and see what challenges I have to endure when, for example, I walk down the street.' Ibtihaj Muhammad tells National Public Radio that she wishes she were not the first American Muslim woman with a hijab at the Olympics, but she hopes she will not be the last. Ibtihaj Muhammad lost to French fencer Cecilia Berder on Monday.