Muslim American Olympic Medalist Says She was Detained by Customs

Ibtihaj Muhammad won a bronze medal in the 2016 Olympics in fencing for Team USA, but apparently that wasn’t enough for officers with Immigration and Customs Enforcement who she says held her for two hours.
 
The first Muslim American to medal for the United States and the first to compete in a Hijab told Pop Sugar she was left “disheartened” and in tears.
 
“I don’t know why,” she said. “I can’t tell you why it happened to me, but I know that I’m Muslim. I have an Arabic name. And even though I represent Team USA and I have that Olympic hardware, it doesn’t change how you look and how people perceive you. Unfortunately, I know that people talk about this having a lot to do with these seven countries in particular, but I think the net is cast a little bit wider than we know. And I’m included in that as a Muslim woman who wears a hijab.”
 
Muhammad released few details about the incident other than it took place a couple of weeks ago.
 
The Olympic medalist has been outspoken against the President’s Muslim ban. A federal appeals court in San Francisco yesterday refused to lift a stay on the order.
 
“For those people who fail to see the injustices that are occurring, in particular with the Muslim community, I think it’s because you’ve sat in a seat of privilege for a long time, and you kind of choose to be myopic and not think of those people around you. This is a moment where we choose the moral high ground and we think of each other as brothers and sisters and speak up for those who may not be able to.”
 
AsAmNews has Asian America in its heart. We’re an all-volunteer effort of dedicated staff and interns. You can show your support by liking our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/asamnews, following us on Twitter, sharing our stories, interning or joining our staff.