Prejudice is very hard to deal with regardless of context. Modern age is crippled with islamophobia issues – being the post 9.11. era.
Jiu Jitsu makes these sisters empowered – they can turn themselves into a weapon. The sisters insist they are not oppressed in spite of wearing a hijab while practicing:
“How am I oppressed if I’m practicing a male dominated sport? ”
The sisters spend a lot of time together – bjj keeps them a unified front in a society that elected the face of Islamophobia to chair it – Donald Trump.
Yara and Nancy Helmy were new to the US, and in grade school, when 9/11 happened. Like many Muslim-Americans at the time, they suddenly felt like enemies in their own country, and grew up fearful. As adults, the two are now competitive jiu-jitsu fighters and proudly train in their hijabs. The Helmy sisters tell us about the stereotypes that come with being Muslim women in the United States, how their training has helped them to feel more safe, and the many ways they kick butt.
You can check out the whole clip of sisters talking about how martial arts empower them and what their day to day lives are like below.
