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Ibtihaj Muhammad

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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
Country United States
WeaponSabre
HandRight
Years on national team8
National coachEd Korfanty
ClubPeter Westbrook Foundation
FIE rankingCurrent 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

Ibtihaj Muhammad (born December 4, 1985) is an American sabre fencer, author, entrepreneur and Olympic medalist. At the 2016 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, [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]

Muhammad is a five-time World medalist (2011, 2012, 2013, 2015)[4] and at the 2014 World Fencing Championships, won gold with the United States women's sabre team. [5]

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

Early life

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Muhammad was born on December 4, 1985, in New Jersey and raised in Maplewood , New Jersey.[8] She has two older siblings, Brandilyn and Qareeb, and two younger siblings, Asiya and Faizah.[9] Her parents are of African American descent. Muhammad began fencing at age 13 at Columbia High School (New Jersey).[10]

Career

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Fencing

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In 2002, Muhammad joined the Peter Westbrook Foundation in New York City.[11] After graduating from Columbia High School in 2003, Muhammad attended Duke University in Durham, 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 the 2014 Fencing World Championships, won gold with the United States sabre team.[17]

2016 Summer Olympics

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At the 2016 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 to The Guardian in 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 the U.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 the Special Olympics.[24][25][26]

In 2017, Mattel honored Muhammad as a Barbie “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 titled PROUD: 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 the Forest of Reading's Blue Spruce Award twice, for The Proudest Blue in 2021 and The Kindest Red in 2024.[30][31]

  • Muhammad, Ibtihaj. (2018) Proud: My Fight for an Unlikely American Dream.[32] New York: Hachette Books. ISBN 9780316518963
  • Muhammad, Ibtihaj. (2018) (Young Readers Edition) Proud: Living My American Dream.[32] New York: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 9780316477000
  • Muhammad, Ibtihaj. (2018) The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family.[32] New York: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 9780316519007
  • Muhammad, Ibtihaj. (2023) The Kindest Red: A Story of Hijab and Friendship. New York: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 9780759555709
  • Muhammad, Ibtihaj. (2024) The Boldest White: A Story of Hijab and Community. New York: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 9780759555716

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Storm, Hannah (August 12, 2011). "Muslim fencer has it all covered". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 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.com. The New York Times.
  9. ^ Berg, Aimee (June 24, 2011). "Fencer With Headscarf Is a Cut Above the Rest". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  10. ^ Courtney, Sara. "Fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad Wrote A Powerful Memoir About Her Experiences As A Black Muslim Olympian". Bustle.com. Bustle.
  11. ^ "Who is Ibtihaj Muhammad?". Retrieved August 11, 2016.
  12. ^ Carter, Barry. "Carter: Maplewood woman could be first American Muslim to wear hijab while competing at Olympics". NJ.com. NJ.com.
  13. ^ Brandman, Mariana. "Ibtihaj Muhammad". National Women's History Museum. National Women's History Museum.
  14. ^ "Ibtihaj Muhammad". Retrieved August 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. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  18. ^ Storm, Hannah (August 12, 2011). "Muslim fencer has it all covered". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  19. ^ Carpenter, Les. "Ibtihaj Muhammad's bronze: a vital US medal in this summer of Trump". theguardian.com. The Guardian. Retrieved January 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.com. Heavy. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
  23. ^ Martin, Jill. "Muslim fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad set to make U.S. Olympic history in Rio". Cnn.com. CNN.
  24. ^ "E:60 Ibtihaj Muhammad - E:60: Ibtihaj Muhammad's American Olympic dream - ESPN Video". YouTube. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  25. ^ "Ibtihaj Muhammad, Olympic trailblazer - ESPN Video". Retrieved August 5, 2016.[permanent dead link‍]
  26. ^ "Ibtihaj Muhammad Global Ambassador". Special Olympics. Special Olympics. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
  27. ^ "First US hijab-wearing Barbie to honour fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad". Retrieved August 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. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  29. ^ Courtney, Sara (August 29, 2018). "Fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad Wrote A Powerful Memoir About Her Experiences As A Black Muslim Olympian". Bustle. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
  30. ^ Team, Education Library. "Research Guides: Forest of Reading®, K to 6 Programs: Blue Spruce Nominees, 2021". guides.library.queensu.ca. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  31. ^ Team, Education Library. "Research Guides: Forest of Reading®, K to 6 Programs: Blue Spruce Nominees, 2024". guides.library.queensu.ca. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  32. ^ a b c Muhammad, Ibtihaj (July 24, 2018). Proud : living my American dream (Young readers ed.). New York. ISBN 9780316477000. OCLC 1039423626.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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