Olympic-bound fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad speaks out about wearing a hijab while competing

Olympic controversy?
(Image credit: Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

Come August, fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad will head to Rio de Janeiro and become the first U.S. Olympian to represent the nation while wearing a hijab.

The Muslim-American athlete told a story Monday on The Players' Tribune about being asked to remove her hijab — or "hat," as the volunteer called it — at South by Southwest. Muhammad said she tries to shrug off those moments, rather than letting them stand in the way of her goals.

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Julie Kliegman

Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.