Fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad poses for photos at the 2016 Team USA Media Summit Wednesday, March 9, 2016, in Beverly Hills, Calif.

SXSW sorry about Muslim incident.

I have to disagree with this incident.  This is the United States and she should have been treated as all others when photos were taken for security purposes.  We have to quit being political correct if we are going to survive.  I think a lot of times these people create problems on purpose just to scare people away or create this enigma that they are special. The reason being that after this happened she immediately went to her phone to tweet and made a mountain out of a mole hill.   This is a festival with thousands of people attending and she wants special treatment.  Sorry, no sympathy here.

AUSTIN – For 30 years, the SXSW festival and its host city have been known for a come-one, come-all vibe.

But that reputation was tarnished Saturday when Ibtihaj Muhammad, an elite Olympic fencer and the first Muslim woman to compete for the U.S., was asked to take off her head covering, or hijab, in order to take a festival credential photograph. The hijab is traditionally worn as a symbol of modesty when a Muslim woman is not among close relatives.

“I was just asked to remove my hijab at SXSW Registration for my ID badge. I can’t make this stuff up,” Muhammad tweeted after the incident, which happened as she prepared to be part of a panel called “The New Church: Sport as Currency of American Life.”

The fencer did not give ground. Muhammad went on to tweet a photo showing her badge, which featured her head covered, but pointed out that her first name had inexplicably been changed to Tamir and her company affiliation was, strangely, Time Warner.

SXSW organizers apologized for the incident and the registration booth volunteer – of which there are dozens – was dismissed.

“It is not our policy that a hijab or any religious head covering be removed in order to pick up a SXSW badge,” organizers said in a statement to the Chicago Tribune. “This was one volunteer who made an insensitive request and that person has been removed for the duration of the event. We are embarrassed by this and have apologized to Ibtihaj in person, and sincerely regret this incident.”

A variety of institutions ranging from police departments to large employers have made official accommodations for women who wish to practice the hijab, which comes from an Arabic word meaning to screen or cover. A woman can appear in a U.S. passport photo wearing a hijab, as long as the applicant shows it is for religious reasons.

Yes, I have never seen such lily-livered people; but, what would you expect from Austin which full of liberals. .

kommonsentsjane