Maplewood Olympic Hero Pens Letter to President Trump

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Maplewood's Olympic fencing champion, Ibtihaj Muhammad, says that she loves her country… and that’s why she’s reaching out to her president.

Muhammad – who is remembered for her political stances and her fencing prowess during the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro – wrote that representing the United States in the Olympic Games was the greatest honor of her life.

• Related Article: Essex County's Ibtihaj Muhammad Makes Olympic History: 1st To Wear Hijab
• Related Article: Maplewood Will Hold Parade For Its Olympic Fencing Hero

The letter, published on Time.com, can be read in full here.

Some brief excerpts follow below:

• “My story is a quintessential small-town-America story. In my hometown, Maplewood, the question was always which sport I would play, not whether I would play one. My point isn’t really about sport, it’s about opportunity — the opportunity to strive for and believe in one’s own destiny.”
• “The climate of fear and hatred fueled and perpetuated by your campaign is gaining momentum through your actions in office. Since your election, I have been profiled at the airport, accused of looking ‘suspicious’ and, on the streets of New York, I have been told to ‘go back to my country.’ This isn’t the America that I know and it isn’t the America that the world looks to for inspiration and leadership.”
• “Sport has always been an equalizer and a symbol of peace… Indeed, as much pride as I take in being one of America’s firsts, what I most love about my Olympic experience is that my success was born out of my opportunity, freedom and liberty as an American.”
• “Overcoming obstacles was my challenge as an athlete. It is now my challenge as a citizen. I once represented you. Now you represent me. I urge you to do so with the humility, thoughtfulness and kindness befitting your sacred office. As an African-American Muslim Woman patriot, my religion commands me to remain hopeful, to believe in our ability to fight bigotry with love and draw our strength from diversity. That is what makes America great. Time and again.”

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