Ibtihaj Muhammad is a 30 year old fencer on the United States fencing team, and arguably the most important athlete in the Olympics. A Duke University graduate with a degree in International Relations and African Studies on an academic scholarship, Muhammad is a 3-time All-American and the 2005 Junior Olympic Champion, a 5-time Senior World medalist and was the 2014 World Champion in the team event.
Furthermore, she has been a member of the U.S. National Fencing Team since 2010, and currently ranks No. 2 in the U.S. She made Olympic history by being the first American athlete to compete in the Hijab. And this is why she is the most important athlete in the Games: Muhammad has a platform far more prominent than that of most Olympians, and was nearly voted to be the carrier of the opening ceremonies flag by members of Team USA. In my opinion, she should have been the one marching through the tunnel on Friday night, holding the flag as more than 500 Americans were following her to the opening ceremonies of the Rio Olympics. This image alone would have made such a statement in times when the U.S. is perhaps the most visible country in the Games, and when the world needs to know where our country stands. Are we with Trump, validating his bigotry and terrifying rhetoric? Or with the founding ideals of a free land, where the chances of a dream coming true are not based on religion, race or class but rather hard work and perseverance? While the rest of the world might be wondering if the U.S. has gone mad for letting certain candidates run for the election, putting Muhammad at the front of the Games would have been one hell of a message. The world would have remembered this image forever.
Although Muhammad’s dream of winning an individual medal at her first Olympics has just ended, what she hasn’t done is failed to be an outstanding role model for women, especially African-American and Muslim, everywhere. “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,” Muhammad said in the days before the competition.
The New Jersey native is a self-made success; a model in today’s America where someone growing up with an Olympic dream can turn it into reality despite whoever is against it and her competing in a Hijab. In a tough political environment, this is a great victory for Team USA and for Muhammad herself, as she is actively challenging those misconceptions that people have about who the ‘Muslim woman’ is.
