Hijab-Wearing Muslim to Make History in Boston Marathon
In this race, the 33-year-old will be participating as a member of a special all-female team to honor the 50th anniversary of Katherine Switzer’s 1967 race, the first time a woman ran in the Boston Marathon as a numbered entrant, according to the Boston Athletic Association, which organizes the race.
"Being on a team of all-female runners is pretty significant, and I feel like it speaks a lot about where [women] are and how far we’ve come,” Khatib told NBC News.
"But I also want to prove people wrong, [and show them that] covered Muslim women can and do run marathons. I want to shatter those stereotypes. It’s my way of giving back to running and to humanity as a whole.”
"I have wanted to run Boston since the moment I realized what a big deal it is for runners,” Khatib told NBC News.
"I always said that I would love to run the Boston Marathon and fundraise and my efforts would go directly to the refugees, but I never thought anything would materialize. When I got into Boston this year, I thought, ‘it was meant to be.'”
Khatib, originally from Damascus, moved to US in the 1980s. She currently resides in Michigan with her husband and three kids.
Source: aboutislam.net
