Ibtihaj Muhammad was the First Muslim American woman to wear a hijab while competing for the United States in the Olympics. She won a bronze medal in the fencing team event at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. But she didn’t get that medal without hardship. Muhammad was very athletic, playing a variety of sports throughout her career. But the one thing that made her stand out was her practice of hijab. She covered herself up, exposing only her face and her hands, unlike her teammates, who would be in shorts and t-shirts. She felt different and knew that she wouldn’t look like her teammates. In the summer of 1998, Ibtihaj’s mom saw fencers through a window of a school and saw that they were all covered up. She encouraged Ibtihaj to try fencing even though she knew nothing about the sport. After pursuing the sport for a while, Ibtihaj became a talented fencer and really enjoyed fencing. Also, she didn’t have to change the uniform to fit in with everyone else.
On Tuesday, September 18, 2018, KLRU-TV, Austin PBS' Judy Maggio interviewed U.S. Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad for an audience of area school children, who posed questions to the bronze medal winner afterwards. The event was tied to the LBJ Library’s special exhibition, Get in the Game: The Fight for Equality in American Sports; Jay Godwin; 18 September 2018
Aside from being a Sabre fencer, Muhammad uses her platform to send a message of tolerance and kindness. She has a company called Louella that sells clothes covering the entire body for all people. Ibtihaj also speaks at talks about diversity and inclusion, technology, leadership, activism, overcoming obstacles, entrepreneurship, and fashion and beauty. She partners with companies like Nike and Visa who share the same equality and diversity beliefs as her. Muhammad was also featured in Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential list.
Ibtihaj Muhammad of the United States in the team event of the 2014–15 Ibtihaj Muhammad with her new book, Jay Godwin,
Orléans World Cup in women's sabre, Marie-Lan Nguyen, 23 November 2014 LBJ Presidential Library, 18 September 2018