Meet Nasro Araye, a 16-year-old student from Rochester, Minnesota.
Araye told BuzzFeed News that she and her friends Saara Abdullahi, 18; Salma Abdullahi, 16; Ekhlas Abdullahi, 16; and Amina Ahmed, 17, have been fencing for four years.
Araye said her family knew about her fencing from the beginning, but they weren’t always 100% on board with the idea.
She said: “Once they realized what we were actually doing and the idea of us getting scholarships and doing better things, they supported me with my decisions.
“They also did not realize the importance fencing has in our lives until later on. They thought it was a hobby or something else.
“Once we actually started competitively fencing and placing during tournaments, they knew.”
Araye said that, a few days ago, they took the photos because they wanted to share that they’re not afraid of breaking social norms and using their platform for good.
She said: “We go to a small school that had only one sport. That sport was for boys. There were no sports for women.”
The Nike hijabs the girls are wearing were launched in December 2017 and were developed with Muslim athletes.
Araye said seeing Ibtihaj Muhammed fencing in the Rio Olympics had inspired them to break down barriers and pursue whatever they wanted to.
Ibtihaj Muhammed told BuzzFeed earlier this year that before the Nike hijab was developed, she wasn’t able to hear anything at fencing competitions.
Araye tweeted the photos and they went viral.
Black Girl Magic✨ Hijabi Fencers
Araye says her family didn’t know the photos had gone viral at first.
She said: “However, I did tell them and they were in shock that it had happened. My friends were also really surprised but nonetheless supportive.”
“Honestly, everything is so surreal right now,” she said. “I did not expect to get this much attention.”
And people really loved the photos, because, come on, what’s not to love about young women pursuing their dreams?
This goes hard🙌🏾🏆 https://t.co/OdiYebnzuw
Y'all the Hijabi Musketeers https://t.co/Ljd8PrRCw5
I truly adore these pictures https://t.co/M4eKIYWN62
Although some people suggested that Nike should cut them a cheque for basically being amazing models.
I hope nike ran you a cheque. No more free advertising. https://t.co/OJOX2Y253y
BuzzFeed News has reached out to Nike.
Ikran is a reporter for BuzzFeed News and is based in London.
Contact Ikran Dahir at ikran.dahir@buzzfeed.com.
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