Ibtihaj Muhammad, the U.S. sabre fencer who became the first Muslim American to compete at the Olympics in Rio while wearing a hijab, said she feels “unsafe” in Trump’s America.
“I had someone follow me … accusing me of carrying a bomb,” Muhammad said on Thursday at TheWrap’s Women Power Breakfast in New York City.
Muhammad also said that a hijab is part of her wardrobe — and compared not wearing it to someone going out without pants on. She feels comfortable in the Muslim head covering, but thinks that times are changing because of the current political climate.
She went on to say that people get uncomfortable when she says she feels unsafe, and Muslim parents will have to reconsider if their children should wear a hijab these days.
“I feel unsafe … when we say we feel unsafe, when we say we’re afraid, I feel like you should believe us,” she stressed.
Muhammad said one thing she can appreciate about the Trump administration is that it has unearthed some negative realities about America.
“If we don’t talk about them, if we don’t acknowledge that, that the racism and bigotry exists then we will not be able to change it,” she explained.
The Power Women Breakfast series brings together influential women of entertainment, media, technology and brands in key cities to network and connect. TheWrap has built a broad community of professional women who are decision makers and mothers, leaders and wives, innovators and activists.
The franchise is now in four cities Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.
Thursday’s breakfast was hosted by TheWrap founder Sharon Waxman, film and TV producer Laura Wagner and Shelley Zalis, CEO of the Female Quotient and founder of The Girls’ Lounge.
The Scene at TheWrap's 2017 Power Women Breakfast in Washington DC (Photos)
Elisabeth Moss at Power Women Breakfast
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Margaret Atwood and Elisabeth Moss at Power Women Breakfast
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Elisabeth Moss, Margaret Atwood, TheWrap CEO Sharon Waxman at Power Women Breakfast
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Margaret Atwood and Elisabeth Moss at Power Women Breakfast
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Elisabeth Moss, Margaret Atwood, Sharon Waxman at Power Women Breakfast
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CEO of the Creative Coalition Robin Bronk, the Grover M. Hermann Research Fellow for budgetary affairs at the Heritage Foundation Romina Boccia, SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris and Sharon Waxman at Power Women Breakfast
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The scene at the Power Women Breakfast.
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Elisabeth Moss, Margaret Atwood, Sharon Waxman at Power Women Breakfast
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Elisabeth Moss, Margaret Atwood, Sharon Waxman at Power Women Breakfast
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Elisabeth Moss, Margaret Atwood, Sharon Waxman at Power Women Breakfast
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Romina Boccia at Power Women Breakfast
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Attendees at the Power Women Breakfast
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Robin Bronk, Romina Boccia at Power Women Breakfast
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Recode Executive Editor Kara Swisher, Politico Editor Carrie Budoff Brown, White House reporter for The Huffington Post Christina Wilkie, and White House reporter for The Huffington Post Cecilia Vega at Power Women Breakfast
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Kara Swisher, Carrie Budoff Brown, Christina Wilkie, Cecilia Vega at Power Women Breakfast
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An attendee at the Power Women Breakfast.
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Elisabeth Moss greets attendees.
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LA Times writer Laura King at the Power Women Breakfast.
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Paul Almeida, Gabrielle Carteris, Katie Thompson, Emily Larsen, and attendees at the Power Women Breakfast.
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Elisabeth Moss at Power Women Breakfast DC 2017
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An attendee at the Power Women Breakfast.
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Attendees at the Power Women Breakfast.
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Attendees at the Power Women Breakfast.
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The scene at TheWrap's Power Women Breakfast in Washington, D.C., on April 19, 2017.
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Attendees at the Power Women Breakfast.
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Attendees at the Power Women Breakfast.
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Attendees at the Power Women Breakfast.
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Attendees at the Power Women Breakfast.
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The scene at the Power Women Breakfast.
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The scene at the Power Women Breakfast.
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The scene at the Power Women Breakfast.
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Power Women Breakfast.
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Emily Larsen at the Power Women Breakfast.
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The scene at the Power Women Breakfast.
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The scene at the Power Women Breakfast.
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Katie Thompson at the Power Women Breakfast.
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”The Handmaid’s Tale“ star Elisabeth Moss and author Margaret Atwood headlined the event