SXSW apologizes to Muslim Olympian who was told to remove her hijab
Posted: Sun Mar 13, 2016 9:54 pm
The South by Southwest festival has apologized to an American Olympian after she said she was told by a festival volunteer Saturday she must remove her hijab for her festival photo ID.
"I was just asked to remove my hijab at SXSW Registration for my ID badge. I can't make this stuff up," Ibtihaj Muhammad tweeted from the Austin, Texas, event.
She continued, "Even after I explained it was for religious reasons, he insisted I had to remove my hijab for the photo to receive my badge."
But, Muhammad said, she didn't even receive the correct badge – and was instead given the badge of someone with a similar-sounding name.
"From now on my name is Tamir & I work for Time Warner Inc," Muhammad tweeted with a photo of her badge.
SXSW said in a statement to PEOPLE that it was "embarrassed" and that the incident was the work of "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."
"I was just asked to remove my hijab at SXSW Registration for my ID badge. I can't make this stuff up," Ibtihaj Muhammad tweeted from the Austin, Texas, event.
She continued, "Even after I explained it was for religious reasons, he insisted I had to remove my hijab for the photo to receive my badge."
But, Muhammad said, she didn't even receive the correct badge – and was instead given the badge of someone with a similar-sounding name.
"From now on my name is Tamir & I work for Time Warner Inc," Muhammad tweeted with a photo of her badge.
SXSW said in a statement to PEOPLE that it was "embarrassed" and that the incident was the work of "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."