AUSTIN – For 30 years, the SXSW festival and its host city have been known for a come-one, come-all vibe.
But that reputation was tarnished Saturday when Ibtihaj Muhammad, an elite Olympic fencer and the first Muslim woman to compete for the U.S., was asked to take off her head covering, or hijab, in order to take a festival credential photograph. The hijab is traditionally worn as a symbol of modesty when a Muslim woman is not among close relatives.
“I was just asked to remove my hijab at SXSW Registration for my ID badge. I can’t make this stuff up,” Muhammad tweeted after the incident, which happened as she prepared to be part of a panel called “The New Church: Sport as Currency of American Life.”
The fencer did not give ground. Muhammad went on to tweet a photo showing her badge, which featured her head covered, but pointed out that her first name had inexplicably been changed to Tamir and her company affiliation was, strangely, Time Warner.
SXSW organizers apologized for the incident and the registration booth volunteer – of which there are dozens – was dismissed.
Click here to read more about SXSW ’embarrassment over insensitivity directed to a muslin female athlete.
