Ibtihaj Muhammad

Early life

Muhammad was born and raised in Maplewood, New Jersey, a suburb 25 miles (40 km) from Manhattan, and is of African-American descent. Her parents were born in the United States, and converted to Islam. Her father, Eugene Muhammad, is a retired Newark, New Jersey police officer, and her mother, Denise, was an elementary school special education teacher. She has four siblings.

In accordance with their belief in what was proper dress for a Muslim woman, Muhammad’s parents sought out a sport for her to participate in in which she could be fully covered and wear a hijab.

Muhammad attended Columbia High School, a public high school in Maplewood, graduating in 2003.

In 2007, Muhammad graduated from Duke University with dual bachelor's degrees in international relations and African and African-American studies.

Fencing career

At Columbia High School, she joined the school fencing team at age 13, fencing under coach Frank Mustilli, now the head and owner of the New Jersey Fencing Alliance. Mustilli had her switch weapons, from épée to sabre.

In late 2002, Muhammad joined the prestigious Peter Westbrook Foundation, a program which utilizes the sport of fencing as a vehicle to develop life skills in young people from underserved communities. She was invited to train under the Westbrook Foundation's Elite Athlete Program in New York City. She is coached by former PWF student and 2000 Sydney Olympian Akhi Spencer-El.

Muhammad attended Duke University, where she received a scholarship. She was a 3-time All-American and the 2005 Junior Olympic Champion. Muhammad graduated from Duke University in 2007 with an International Relations and African American Studies double major.

Muhammad has been a member of the United States National Fencing Team since 2010. She as of 2016 ranks No. 2 in the United States and No. 8 in the world. She is a 5-time Senior World medalist, including 2014 World Champion in the team event.

2016 Summer Olympics

Muhammad was defeated by Cécilia Berder of France in the second round in the Women’s Individual Sabre in the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Summer Olympics. Despite the loss, she attracted significant media attention.

She is best known for being the first woman to wear a hijab while competing for the United States in the Olympics. American-born and raised Sarah Attar had run in the 2012 Olympics with her hair covered, in keeping with a request that she do so to respect Islamic law by Saudi Arabia, for whom she ran on the basis of her father having been born in Saudi Arabia.

Muhammad became the first female Muslim-American athlete to earn a medal at the Olympics. She earned a bronze medal in the Team Sabre, along with Monica Aksamit, Dagmara Wozniak, and Mariel Zagunis, by defeating Italy 45-30 in the medal match. This came after defeating Poland 45-43, and losing to Russia 42-45.

As symbol of America's diversity and tolerance

The 2016 Summer Olympics occurred during the U.S. Presidential campaign in which questions of Muslim assimilation were being discussed, including with respect to U.S.-born Muslims. Muhammad as visibly Muslim (due to her hijab) became "one of the best symbols against intolerance America can ever have", according to The Guardian. However, Ibtihaj drew some criticism during the Olympics by describing the United States as a dangerous place for Muslims, saying that she did "not feel safe" as a Muslim living in America.

Detainment

In December 2016, Muhammad was detained by U.S. customs.

Other activities

In 2014, Muhammad and her siblings launched their own clothing company, Louella, which aims to bring modest fashionable clothing to the United States market. She is also a sports ambassador, serving on the U.S. Department of State’s Empowering Women and Girls Through Sport Initiative. She has traveled to various countries to engage in dialogue on the importance of sports and education.