US Olympian Ibtihaj Muhammad Reveals She Was Detained by US Customs

United States Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad revealed Tuesday afternoon that she was recently detained at the airport by U.S. Customs for undisclosed reasons. 

Speaking to Popsugar's Lindsay Miller at the Makers Conference in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, Muhammad explained why she believes she was briefly detained. 

"Well, I personally was held at Customs for two hours just a few weeks ago," she said. "I don't know why. I can't tell you why it happened to me, but I know that I'm Muslim. I have an Arabic name. And even though I represent Team USA and I have that Olympic hardware, it doesn't change how you look and how people perceive you."

As the New York Daily News' Peter Botte pointed out, it's unclear whether Muhammad was detained before or after President Donald Trump issued an executive order banning people from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Yemen and Somalia from entering the United States.

"Unfortunately, I know that people talk about this having a lot to do with these seven countries in particular, but I think the net is cast a little bit wider than we know," Muhammad added, per Miller. "And I'm included in that as a Muslim woman who wears a hijab."

In August, Muhammad made history, becoming the first Muslim-American woman to medal at the Olympics when the U.S. took home bronze in the team saber fencing competition, per Botte. 

Muhammad was also the first American woman to ever wear a hijab at the Olympics in accordance with her faith, according to the Wall Street Journal's Ben Cohen.