Muslim Women Wrestlers Say They Face Discrimination

Zainab Ibrahim was excited to compete in the World Team Trials wrestling tournament. At stake was the opportunity to represent Team USA at the World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, this fall.

But shortly before she was set to wrestle at the 2023 Women’s National Championships in Spokane, Washington, last weekend, her coach called with some news: Ibrahim, who is Muslim and wears a hijab and modest clothing for religious reasons, would be allowed to cover her hair ― but she’d have to compete in a singlet without any clothing underneath, leaving her arms and legs exposed.

Ibrahim withdrew from the competition.

Ibrahim prays in her dorm room before wrestling practice, April 16. “I want other Muslim women who want to compete in wrestling, or anything else, to know they’re able to do it without compromising their religion,” she said.

Maranie R. Staab for HuffPost

“I was angry,” said Ibrahim, who is 18 and a first-year political science major at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon. “I can’t help but feel it’s targeted by not letting Muslim women compete.”

Wrestling is one of the fastest-growing sports among girls in the United States. Young Muslim women from a range of ethnic backgrounds and experience levels have taken to the sport, competing across the country while adhering to their Islamic faith.

But many Muslim women wrestlers have hit obstacles due to their need to dress modestly. They’ve been prohibited from participating in competitions and even forced to forfeit their wins. They’re pushing back on what they say are arbitrary dress codes that keep women like them from advancing in the sport.