Wikipedia

Ibtihaj Muhammad

Ibtihaj Muhammad(born December 4, 1985) is an Americansabrefencer,author, entrepreneur and Olympic medalist. At the2016 Summer Olympics,she became the first American woman to compete in the Olympics in hijab, the first American Muslim woman to win an Olympic medal,[1]and the first Black woman to win an Olympic medal in the sabre event, when she won bronze in the women’s saber team event.[2][3]

Ibtihaj Muhammad
Born(1985-12-04)December 4, 1985(age 39)
Maplewood, New Jersey,US
ResidenceLos Angeles,California,US
Height1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Weight68 kg (150 lb)
Sport
CountryUnited States
WeaponSabre
HandRight
Years on national team8
National coachEd Korfanty
ClubPeter Westbrook Foundation
FIErankingCurrent ranking
Medal record
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 2016 Rio de Janeiro Team
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2014 Kazan Team
Bronze medal – third place 2011 Catania Team
Bronze medal – third place 2012 Kyiv Team
Bronze medal – third place 2013 Budapest Team
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Moscow Team

Muhammad is a five-time World medalist (2011, 2012, 2013, 2015)[4]and at the2014 World Fencing Championships,won gold with the United States women's sabre team.[5]

Muhammad was named one ofTime 100's Most Influential People in the World (2016),[6]is a sports ambassador for theUnited States Department of Stateand is a New York Times Bestselling author.[7]

Early life

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Muhammad was born on December 4, 1985, inNew Jerseyand raised inMaplewood, New Jersey.[8]She has two older siblings, Brandilyn and Qareeb, and two younger siblings, Asiya and Faizah.[9]Her parents are ofAfrican Americandescent. Muhammad began fencing at age 13 atColumbia High School (New Jersey).[10]

Career

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Fencing

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In 2002, Muhammad joined thePeter Westbrook Foundationin New York City.[11]After graduating fromColumbia High Schoolin 2003, Muhammad attendedDuke UniversityinDurham, North Carolina,where she was a three-time All-American.[12]She graduated in 2007 with an International Relations and African & African-American Studies double major.[13][14]

Muhammad in 2014

Muhammad qualified for her first United States National Fencing Team in 2010, becoming the first woman of color on the women's sabre team.[15]She was a member of the United States National Team from 2010-2017. As of 2017, she is a two-time National Champion (2009, 2017), a 19-time World Cup medalist, and has ranked as high as No. 7 in the World. She is a five-time Senior World medalist (2011, 2012, 2013, 2015)[16]and at the2014 Fencing World Championships,won gold with the United States sabre team.[17]

2016 Summer Olympics

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At the2016 Summer Olympics,she became the first American woman to compete in the Olympics in hijab, the first Muslim-American woman to win an Olympic medal,[18]and the first Black woman to win an Olympic medal in the sabre event, when she won bronze in the women’s saber team event.[19][20]The team defeated Italy 45–30 in the bronze medal match.

Visibly Muslim (due to her hijab), Muhammad became "one of the best symbols against intolerance America can ever have", according toThe Guardianin 2016.[21]

Other activities

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In 2014, Muhammad and her siblings launched a clothing company, Louella by Ibtihaj, which aims to bring modest fashionable clothing to the United States market.[22]Muhammad is also a sports ambassador, serving on theU.S. Department of State’s Empowering Women and Girls Through Sport Initiative.[23]She has traveled to various countries to engage in dialogue on the importance of sports and education. In 2019, Ibtihaj was recognized as a Special Olympics Global Ambassador for theSpecial Olympics.[24][25][26]

In 2017,Mattelhonored Muhammad as aBarbie“Shero,” a woman who has broken boundaries to inspire the next generation of girls, modeling the first hijabi and fencer Barbie in her likeness.[27][28]

Books

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Muhammad released her debut memoir in 2018 titledProud: My Fight for an Unlikely American Dream.[29]She is also the author of a series of children’s books— instant New York Times’ Best-seller The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab & Family (originally published in 2019), The Kindest Red: A Story of Hijab and Friendship (2023), and The Boldest White: A Story of Hijab & Community (2024). Her children's books have been finalists for theForest of Reading'sBlue Spruce Awardtwice, forThe Proudest Bluein 2021 andThe Kindest Redin 2024.[30][31]

  • Muhammad, Ibtihaj. (2018)Proud: My Fight for an Unlikely American Dream.[32]New York:Hachette Books.ISBN9780316518963
  • Muhammad, Ibtihaj. (2018) (Young Readers Edition)Proud: Living My American Dream.[32]New York:Little, Brown and Company.ISBN9780316477000
  • Muhammad, Ibtihaj. (2018)The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family.[32]New York: Little, Brown and Company.ISBN9780316519007
  • Muhammad, Ibtihaj. (2023)The Kindest Red: A Story of Hijab and Friendship.New York: Little, Brown and Company.ISBN9780759555709
  • Muhammad, Ibtihaj. (2024)The Boldest White: A Story of Hijab and Community.New York: Little, Brown and Company.ISBN9780759555716

See also

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References

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  1. ^Storm, Hannah (August 12, 2011)."Muslim fencer has it all covered".ESPN.RetrievedMarch 10,2016.
  2. ^"Ibtihaj Muhammad becomes the first Muslim American woman to win Olympic medal".The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum.The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum.
  3. ^"Ibtihaj Muhammad becomes the first Muslim American woman to win Olympic medal".United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum.
  4. ^"Athlete Bio".Team USA.
  5. ^"United States women win sabre gold at World Fencing Championships".Sports Illustrated.
  6. ^"The 100 Most Influential People".Time.Keith Ellison.
  7. ^"Best Sellers - Children's Picture Books".NY Times.The New York Times.
  8. ^"Olympic Fencer, a Muslim, Settled on a 'Sport Without Alteration'".NYtimes.The New York Times.
  9. ^Berg, Aimee (June 24, 2011)."Fencer With Headscarf Is a Cut Above the Rest".The Wall Street Journal.RetrievedMarch 10,2016.
  10. ^Courtney, Sara."Fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad Wrote A Powerful Memoir About Her Experiences As A Black Muslim Olympian".Bustle.Bustle.
  11. ^"Who is Ibtihaj Muhammad?".RetrievedAugust 11,2016.
  12. ^Carter, Barry."Carter: Maplewood woman could be first American Muslim to wear hijab while competing at Olympics".NJ.NJ.
  13. ^Brandman, Mariana."Ibtihaj Muhammad".National Women's History Museum.National Women's History Museum.
  14. ^"Ibtihaj Muhammad".RetrievedAugust 20,2016.
  15. ^Matthew Hall (July 27, 2018)."Ibtihaj Muhammad: 'Being made to feel different is what makes it all the more difficult',"The Guardian.
  16. ^"Athlete Bio - Ibtihaj Muhammad".USAFencing.org.USA Fencing.
  17. ^Hafez, Shamoon (August 8, 2016)."Rio Olympics 2016: Ibtihaj Muhammad on hijab, Donald Trump & Muhammad Ali".BBC Sport.RetrievedAugust 8,2016.
  18. ^Storm, Hannah (August 12, 2011)."Muslim fencer has it all covered".ESPN.RetrievedMarch 10,2016.
  19. ^Carpenter, Les."Ibtihaj Muhammad's bronze: a vital US medal in this summer of Trump".theguardian.The Guardian.RetrievedJanuary 2,2025.
  20. ^"The Nike pro hijab goes global".Middle East North Africa Financial Network.December 2, 2017.
  21. ^Carpenter, Les (August 8, 2016)."Ibtihaj Muhammad stoic in defeat: 'I feel proud to represent Team USA'".The Guardian.
  22. ^Adams, Johnathan."Ibtihaj Muhammad: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know".Heavy.Heavy.RetrievedJanuary 2,2025.
  23. ^Martin, Jill."Muslim fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad set to make U.S. Olympic history in Rio".Cnn.CNN.
  24. ^"E:60 Ibtihaj Muhammad - E:60: Ibtihaj Muhammad's American Olympic dream - ESPN Video".YouTube.RetrievedAugust 5,2016.
  25. ^"Ibtihaj Muhammad, Olympic trailblazer - ESPN Video".RetrievedAugust 5,2016.[permanent dead link‍]
  26. ^"Ibtihaj Muhammad Global Ambassador".Special Olympics.Special Olympics.RetrievedJanuary 2,2025.
  27. ^"First US hijab-wearing Barbie to honour fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad".RetrievedAugust 5,2016.
  28. ^Gonzales, Erica (March 28, 2018)."Iris Apfel Just Became the Oldest Person to Have a Barbie Made After Her".Harper's BAZAAR.RetrievedMarch 3,2020.
  29. ^Courtney, Sara (August 29, 2018)."Fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad Wrote A Powerful Memoir About Her Experiences As A Black Muslim Olympian".Bustle.RetrievedDecember 6,2018.
  30. ^Team, Education Library."Research Guides: Forest of Reading®, K to 6 Programs: Blue Spruce Nominees, 2021".guides.library.queensu.ca.RetrievedNovember 8,2024.
  31. ^Team, Education Library."Research Guides: Forest of Reading®, K to 6 Programs: Blue Spruce Nominees, 2024".guides.library.queensu.ca.RetrievedNovember 8,2024.
  32. ^abcMuhammad, Ibtihaj (July 24, 2018).Proud: living my American dream(Young readers ed.). New York.ISBN9780316477000.OCLC1039423626.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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