America’s Muslim Basketball Phenom

“Of course my religion comes first, but it hasn’t been a problem to fast and play,” Bilqis told IOL.

But after coach Melissa McFerrin realized that practice time would clash with iftar, the Muslim fast-breaking meal, she moved Bilqis’ workout session to early afternoon.

“They’re very accommodating to my religious schedule,” Bilqis told IslamOnline.net in an exclusive interview.

She is balancing a heavy first-year school load (she is majoring in biology and hopes to go to medical school) with practices and workout sessions and extra time for worship.

In Ramadan, adult Muslims, save the sick and those traveling, abstain from food, drink, smoking and sex between dawn and sunset.

Most dedicate their time during the holy month to become closer to Allah through self-restraint, good deeds and prayer.

“If we’re in a meeting and it’s time for prayers, they’ll always excuse me.”

Her friends on the team lend her rides to the mosque for Friday prayers as well.

Courtesies like that are what led Bilqis, who made history becoming the top scorer in Massachusetts high school history, breaking the mark of 2,710 points achieved by Women’s National Basketball Association star Rebecca Lobo 17 years ago, decides to join the Division I basketball team at the University of Memphis.

And in doing so, this diminutive basketball phenom became the first female athlete to play Division I sports - the highest level of sports at the US college level - in full hijab.

Bilqis and her parents choose the University of Memphis over her other two college picks—Boston College and Louisville.

When they visited Memphis last fall, coach McFerrin and the rest of the staff took the religion issue seriously.

“They showed me different mosques in town and introduced me to Muslims on campus,” she recalled.

“They were really comfortable with how important it was to me to practice my faith while playing.”

After the visit, her mother, Alooah, told Bilqis that Memphis was the school for her.

“She said to me, ‘None of your other schools showed interest in your being a Muslim.’ That sort of sealed it for me.”

Sports/Islam Balance

“Bilqis is an inspiration not simply to Muslim girls; she’s an inspiration to all of us,” President Obama said.

But Bilqis doesn’t find it difficult to physically exert herself while fasting.

She’s been fasting since she was nine, and has had basketball seasons that coincided with Ramadan.

“But I just went out there and played,” she said.

“Of course my religion comes first, but it hasn’t been a problem to fast and play. If I don’t think about it, I am fine. I don’t think about how hungry I am or how thirsty. Masha'allah it happens that way.”

For Bilqis, only two things mattered since she was a little girl: her Islamic faith and basketball.

The youngest of seven children in a devout Muslim family, she was always taught to practice her faith and be proud of whom she was.

And basketball came naturally to her, as she shot hoops as a toddler and kept working at her skills as she grew older, emulating her older brothers.

She was encouraged to put time into her studies as well and remained a top student throughout high school.

As she began playing for her high school team as an eighth grader, Bilqis wore the uniform like any other player.

But soon after, when she turned 14, her parents told her it was time to cover up like her sisters and cousins had done before her upon reaching puberty.

Though she knew it was the right thing to do, it was a stressful time.

“I really didn’t know how it was to dress Muslim,” Bilqis recalled.

“It was hard for me at first, and when the day came I didn’t want to go back to school. But I had talked about it with my friends before, and everyone at school knew that when I hit puberty, I would have to wear a hijab.”

Bilqis’s mother encouraged her self-conscious daughter and told her everything would be fine.

“I finally went back to school and everything was fine. Nobody was ignorant. They knew why I started to cover up.”

The road to a comfortable, cool basketball outfit was long as well, as Bilqis’s uniform went through a number of transformations.

She started off with flapping long-sleeve cotton t-shirts and sweatpants.

“It was too hot and the sleeves stretched out as I played,” she remembers.

She now wears fitted long-sleeve shirts and leggings made of special sweat-absorbing material under her basketball gear.

“Once I found the right clothes, everything was fine. And when I started playing, it was unique. It feels good now that I’m doing what my Lord wants me to do.”

Humble Star

Bilqis’ commitment to her faith and adhering to Islam’s dress code for women while exceeding in sports made her a media darling.

She has captured the attention of newspapers and blogs.

Even President Barack Obama singled her out for praise at his first White House iftar.

“As an honors student, as an athlete on her way to Memphis, Bilqis is an inspiration not simply to Muslim girls; she’s an inspiration to all of us,” he said standing next to her.

But thanks to the way her parents brought her up, Bilqis is able to handle the glare of stardom and media attention.

“Sure, I was blown away. But I don’t want to boast or brag about [meeting the president],” she said.

“It comes from Allah. And a lot of things haven’t set in, like breaking the record. My mother tells me to stay humble.”

Bilqis is determined not to get full of herself as she gets ready for her first season as a Lady Tiger at Memphis.

“I really don’t mind how people tend to focus on how I look as well as how I play,” says the top notch basketball player.

“Hopefully the attention can serve a good purpose.

“Insha'allah a lot of young Muslims will want to play sports; and hijab won’t stop them from doing what they want.”