“It’s a struggle to be a Muslim woman right now. For all Muslims in our country,” Muhammad told CNN. “We are at an interesting crossroads I think. It could get bad here.” She’s worried that if the negative rhetoric against Muslims doesn’t change there will be more situations such as the Chapel Hill shooting, where three Muslim students were gunned down allegedly by their neighbor in February 2015. Many American Muslims claim it was a hate crime.

Muhammad said she is honored to be representing not only her dreams, but the dreams of fellow Americans. She hopes she can be a role model for future athletes, especially Muslim Americans.

“There are a lot of African-American athletes, but I can’t think of a female Muslim woman I can look to for inspiration as an athlete,” she said. Growing up, Muhammad’s source of inspiration came from the Williams sisters and their confidence on the tennis courts.

Being an athlete wasn’t something that Muslim American parents always make a priority, she explained. “In the Muslim community, there is a sense that you are always a doctor or lawyer,” she said. The New Jersey resident started her sport when she was 13-years-old when her mother came across high school students were who fully covered, which followed Muhammad’s faith.

But when Muhammad first started off, she got the sense that fencing was generally a white-dominated sport. “Black people didn’t fence, and Muslims didn’t either,” she said. But she knew in her heart that she wanted to be a part of the U.S. fencing team when she was older.

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