During this summer’s Olympics, fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad — a self-described “proud Muslim — will make history as the first American woman to compete wearing a hijab.
In this interview for People magazine, the athlete, who’s a member of the U.S. fencing team, comments “for me, this is just who I am. Growing up a Muslim and a girl, I always had to change my uniform [for athletics]… My parents were in search of a sport for me where the athletes wore long pants and long jackets – that’s how we stumbled upon fencing.”
She continues, “I want people to see Muslims in a positive light. I want people to see Muslim women in a way that they’re not used to seeing us. If I can change the thought process of just one little girl, for me, I feel accomplished. On a larger scale if I can reach a lot of people, that’s a beautiful thing.”
