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Disqualified for racing in hijab, Noor Abukarum becomes change maker Haute Hijab/Courtesy Sports should be for everyone. But quite often, reality often falls short of this ideal. Noor Abukaram, 17, of Ohio knows this all too well. On October 19, 2019 she was disqualified from her high school cross country race for wearing a hijab. It sent a message loud and clear to Abukaram: Sports are not for you. But Abukaram refused to listen. “Hijabis and Muslim women can be the face of athletics,” Abukaram said. “I can be the face of a cross country race or in a running magazine.” At the Ohio district cross country meet, Noor crossed the 5k finish line in 22:22, a personal best. But when results were posted, her name was missing from the list. At first, she thought it was just a simple mistake. But when she asked her teammates what had happened, she found out that she had been disqualified for racing in her hijab. Abukaram’s coach hadn’t completed the necessar ....