SXSW Austin Officials Apologize To Athlete Asked To Remove Hijab For Entry Badge Photo

SXSW officials have apologized to a Muslim world fencing champion forced by a volunteer earlier this week to remove her hijab before getting a photo ID.

World-class fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad described the incident on social media.

“I was just asked to remove my hijab at SXSW Registration for my badge,” she wrote in a March 12 Twitter post. “I can’t make this stuff up #SXSW2016.”

Making matters worse, the volunteer then mistakenly printed another woman’s name on Muhammad’s attendance badge for entry into events at SXSW, the 10-day technology, music and film showcase under way in Austin.

She tweeted about that too, posting an image of the wrong badge on her Twitter account: “Thennnnn I was given the wrong ID! From now on my name is Tamir & I work for Time Warner Inc #SXSW2016.”

Ironically, the athlete was there as an invited guest for a panel discussion titled "The New Church: Sport as Currency of American Life.”

SXSW officials issued a public apology in the wake of the incident.

"It is not our policy that a hijab or any religious head covering be removed in order to pick up a SXSW badge," they said in a public stateement. “This was one volunteer who made an insensitive request and that person has been removed for the duration of the event. We are embarrassed by this and have apologized to Ibtihaj in person, and sincerely regret this incident."

Muhammad is poised to make history in a few months as the first Muslim American to compete at the Summer Games in a hijab. The 30-year-old athlete secured her spot on the Olympic team by earning enough qualifying points during competition in Athens.

A hijab is no mere aesthetic garment or wardrobe accessory, but a religious headdress woven into the fabric of the Muslim faith.

The athlete has long worn the religious headdress with pride, and runs her own fashion business catering to Muslim women in inspiring them to do the same.

In a previous interview with USA Today, she described being a role model for Muslim Americans.

"People are just appreciative that there is someone that they can show their kids,” she said. “It's OK for you to wear hijab and participate in sport.”

At a February appearance in a Baltimore mosque, President Barack Obama praised Muhammad’s achievements as well as her commitment to wear hijab in competition.

“Muslim Americans are some of the most resilient and patriotic Americans you’ll ever meet,” Obama said.

The U.S. State Department makes allowances for hijab in issuing passports, given First Amendment safeguards in the U.S. Constitution that allow for the freedom of religion. In issuing driver’s licenses and IDs, each state maintains its own rules related to headdresses.

However, a religious face veil, called Niqab, is not allowed to be worn for official photos, although women are given the option to have the photo takein privately.

The local hijab controversy is surely an embarrassment for SXSW organizers, who have made recent attempts to showcase greater diversity in its festival offerings.

At last year’s SXSW version, organizers featured its first full Pakistani showcase featuring six music acts invited to perform at the historic Driskill Hotel in downtown Austin on 6th Street.

>>> Photo of Muhammad via WikiMedia Commons; image of the wrongly issued badge via Facebook