Ibtihaj Muhammad
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Ibtihaj Muhammad (born December 4, 1985 in Maplewood , New Jersey ) is an American saber fencer and member of the national team. She became known as the first Muslim American woman who competed for the United States in an Olympic competition with a hijab . In the women's singles in saber fencing during the 2016 Summer Olympics , she was eliminated in the second round against the French Cécilia Berder . In the team competition she won the bronze medal with the US team . She became the first Muslim female athlete to win a medal in the Olympic Games for the United States.
Muhammad is a sports ambassador for a United States State Department campaign to promote girls and women. A Barbie doll in a fencing suit and with hijab, marketed by Mattel from 2018, is modeled on Ibtihaj Muhammad and was designed in collaboration with her.
Childhood and youth
Ibtihaj Muhammad was born and raised in Maplewood , a suburb in the state of New Jersey about 25 miles from Manhattan . She is of African American descent. Her parents were born in the United States and converted to Islam . Her father, Eugene Shamsiddin Muhammad, is a retired police officer from Newark , New Jersey. Her mother Denise was a special education teacher at a primary school. Muhammad has four siblings.
Because of her religious beliefs, Muhammad's parents chose a sport for her in which she could follow her ideas about the appropriate clothing for a Muslim woman and wear a hijab .
Ibtihaj Muhammad graduated from Columbia Public High School in her hometown of Maplewood in 2003. She then studied on a university scholarship at Duke University in North Carolina , where she obtained a double bachelor's degree in 2007 in international relations and African American studies .
Fencing sport
Muhammad began at the age of 13 years in the school team, the Columbia High School with the fencing . After a while, she changed her sports equipment from a sword to a saber .
In late 2002 she was accepted into the program of the prestigious Peter Westbrook Foundation . The foundation is committed to helping young people from low-income families in and around New York City and, in addition to training in fencing and athletic behavior, has set itself the goal of promoting critical thinking, self-confidence, a healthy lifestyle and academic performance. Muhammad was accepted into the Foundation's elite program and trained in New York City by Akhi Spencer-El , who is also supported by the Peter Westbrook Foundation and who competed in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney as a saber fencer.
Muhammad has been a member of the US national saber fencing team since 2010.
2016 Summer Olympics
During the 2016 Summer Olympics , Ibtihaj Muhammad became known as the first Muslim US woman to compete in an Olympic competition for the US and wear a hijab . In the women's singles of saber fencing during the 2016 Summer Olympics, she won in the first qualifying round, but was eliminated in the second round against the French Cécilia Berder . In the team competition , she lost with the US team in the semifinals against Russia, but won the bronze medal against Italy. This made Muhammad the first Muslim female athlete to win a medal at the Olympic Games for the United States.
Symbol against intolerance
The 2016 Summer Olympics took place during the United States' presidential campaign , which also featured the issue of Muslim integration and relationships with American-born Muslims. In its online edition the British newspaper called The Guardian Muhammad as "one of the best symbols against intolerance, can get the America" ( English : one of the best symbols against intolerance America can ever have ). In the run-up to the Games, Muhammad told the Daily Beast news website that as a Muslim she did not feel safe in her homeland. There is a climate of anti-Islamic sentiment in the United States that she sees as threatening.
Other activities
In 2014, Muhammad founded the fashion label Louella with her siblings in Los Angeles . The company's offer is aimed at Muslim women and includes fashionable clothing that conforms to religious dress codes.
As a sports ambassador, Muhammad supports a United States State Department campaign to promote girls and women. She has traveled to several countries and tries to convey the importance of sport and education.
In November 2017, the US toy manufacturer Mattel Inc. introduced a new Barbie doll in fencing clothing that wears a hijab . According to the company, the doll is modeled after Ibtihaj Muhammad, who was also involved in its design. The doll appears in the Sheroes series , a word formation from She and Heroes (German: "Sie" and "Helden"), with which Mattel claims "wants to show girls that they can become anything". The doll is slated to hit the market in 2018.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Heiko Oldbod: Fencer Muhammad Die Vorbild-Muslimimin, Spiegel Online, August 9, 2016, accessed on November 15, 2017.
- ↑ a b Results: Fencing (women) / Saber team, Spiegel Online, August 13, 2016, accessed on November 15, 2017.
- ↑ a b Meet Team USA - Ibtihaj Muhammad , website of USA Fencing, the fencing association of the United States, accessed November 15, 2017.
- ↑ a b c Aimee Berg: Fencer With Headscarf Is a Cut Above the Rest , Wall Street Journal , June 24, 2011, accessed November 15, 2017.
- ↑ Les Carpenter: Ibtihaj Muhammad stoic in defeat: 'I feel proud to represent Team USA' , The Guardian , August 8, 2016, accessed November 15, 2017.
- ↑ Nico Hines: Ibtihaj Muhammad, Hijab-Wearing Olympic Star: I'm Not safe in the US, The Daily Beast , April 8, 2016 accessed November 15, 2017th
- ↑ About us , Louella, accessed November 15, 2017.
- ↑ Barbie Gets Hijab , Spiegel Online, November 14, 2017, accessed November 15, 2017.
- ↑ Des Bieler: Hijab-wearing Barbie doll introduced in honor of Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad , The Washington Post , November 14, 2017, accessed November 15, 2017.
Web links
- Meet Team USA - Ibtihaj Muhammad , website of USA Fencing, the fencing association of the United States
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Muhammad, Ibtihaj |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American saber fencer and Olympian |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 4th December 1985 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Maplewood , New Jersey |