let noor run virtual 5k
SUPPORT
FEATURED IN HAUTE HIJAB
CHECK IT OUT
NOOR'S BILL PASSED SENATE
LEARN MORE
LET'S END DISCRIMINATION IN SPORTS
FOLLOW MY STORYUse left/right arrows to navigate the slideshow or swipe left/right if using a mobile device
This site is where you can find the latest news in Noor's fight against discrimination in sports.
While scrolling through the names of competitors, she noticed her time wasn’t included in the standings. Confused, she asked her teammates what happened. They informed her she was disqualified because of her hijab, a head covering worn by Muslim women. “I went blank,” Abukaram says.
Raising a Muslim Daughter As An Athlete: Don't Be Afraid to Love Something Differently | As a mom, what was your reaction to Noor’s disqualification?
"I really didn't believe it at first. It didn't make sense to me. I had every emotion, in the span of twenty minutes. I cried, I laughed, I was enraged. I really had to dig deep and pull myself together before talking to her and her coach." -Yolanda Melendez
"Senate Bill 181 passed unanimously in the State Senate today! This is the end of the beginning, SB 181 will now move to the house to be debated and voted on again then Insha'Allah signed by the governor to become a law! Also, peep my newest accessory. Not only did the president of the senate co-sponsor the bill today, but also gifted me his gavel that finalized the vote for SB 181 to move out of the senate." -Noor Abukaram
Her hijab, the veil she chose to wear as a Muslim woman, violated the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s (OHSAA) rules.
Her time—her personal best at that moment—didn’t count. “It was like a nightmare came true,” Abukaram told Sports Illustrated. “My race is supposed to be under my control, but that control was taken away from me because of my hijab, something I hold so close to my heart. I felt so let down by the sport that I had trained so hard to run in. It was humiliating and embarrassing and upsetting.”
"People need to know that this is not a freak accident that happened to me here in Toledo. It happens every single day with Muslim athletes. So with Let Noor Run, it's going to eventually become the hub of discrimination in sports. That way people can see the numbers and they can know that it's not just something that happens in a blue moon." -Noor Abukaram
Noor stood on stage with Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir, a former University of Memphis basketball player, and Amaiya Zafar, who was the first boxer to wear a hijab in a sanctioned fight.
