Media-darling Ibtihaj Muhammad has made headlines as the first female Muslim-American wearing a hijab to enter the Olympics on behalf of Team USA, but despite her support of tolerance and diversity, she seems to have a serious anti-Israel bent.
Muhammad, who is ranked 8 in the world for sabre fencing, wears the hijab in accordance with her Muslim faith. This move has caused a major stir in the media since the presidential election has raised questions about the role Muslims play in American society.
“A lot of people don’t believe that Muslim women have voices or that we participate in sport,” Muhammad told USA Today. “And it’s not just to challenge misconceptions outside the Muslim community but within the Muslim community. I want to break cultural norms.”
And she certainly has broken cultural norms, but perhaps not the ones she had in mind.
For starters, Muhammad has a history of anti-Israel posts on Twitter, a large number of them from July 2014. Many are links to news articles.
In another tweet, Muhammad noted that #Israel gets more U.S. aid than all of Africa. She also pointed out that Israel doesn’t have the right to defend itself because it’s “militarily occupying someone else’s land. #GazaUnderAttack.”
