Olympic sabre fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad is ranked No. 2 in the U.S. and No. 8 in the world. She and her fencing squadron are bringing home a bronze medal.

While fencing is a vital and impressive aspect of her life, Muhammad is perhaps better known — whether she likes it or not — for being the first U.S. Olympic athlete to compete while wearing a hijab. Indeed, one cannot separate her name from the headscarf.

Other hijab-wearing athletes whose head coverings are more obvious have been met with much resistance and even complete refusal.

TIME included her in its 100 Most Influential People list — no doubt because she broke uniform barriers for other Muslim women. Though Muhammad’s physical skill is remarkable, how many non-hijab-wearing fencers are this publicized otherwise?

Some feel the focus is overblown. The Daily Beast journalist Shireen Ahmed wrote, “The media attention around Muhammad is important — but the obsession about her clothing choices is tiresome.”

Despite the media’s affection for her head covering, Muhammad loves the fact she looks no different from her teammates and opponents when she’s fencing. In fact, when she was a child, she and her parents chose the sport precisely because they knew her hijab would be covered.

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“In fencing, I’ve always loved in my sport once I put my mask on, I’m like everyone else,”Muhammad told CNBC. “My uniform doesn’t seem different in any way.” That’s what empowerment means to her.

Other hijab-wearing athletes whose head coverings are more obvious have been met with much resistance and even complete refusal. The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) currently prohibits women from wearing “equipment that may cause injury to other players.” This eliminates “headgear, hair accessories, and jewelry.”

But does the hijab pose a threat to other players?

That’s the question FIBA and other sports associations are being forced to answer. The stakes are high because entire sports teams have been forbidden to play in international competitions, including the Olympics, solely because of the head scarf. In 2014, Qatar’s basketball team was rejected at the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea.

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Muslim women are fed up. In a video thanking the 70,000 people who signed a petition to change the rules, Bosnian-American pro basketball player Indira Kaljo said, “It’s time that every single person in this world is allowed to play regardless of their religion, where they come from, and who they are.” FIBA is expected to change its ruling by the end of the month.

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The situation is still controversial, however. Many non-Muslims resist allowing the hijab because they view it as a slippery slope. They feel they are being asked to assimilate to the acceptance of another religion they disagree with, rather than the athlete being required to adapt to the rules that are well-established.

But religious freedom does not end in a sports arena. While the hijab is not appropriate in every context, religious practices that can be reasonably incorporated should be allowed in sport. The hijab poses little or no threat of injury to its wearer or other athletes, and its presence, while still jarring to many spectators, is innocuous.

While it may not affect the players, however, the hijab certainly affects fans. When Germany played Egypt in beach volleyball at the Rio Olympics, the bikini-wearing Europeans and fully clothed Africans caused angry spectator debates with “Clash of Cultures” and “Burka vs. Bikini” as the theme.

While the meaning of hijabs is up for debate — some say they express modesty and humility while others say they represent male tyranny and religious oppression — their presence in sporting events probably shouldn’t be. Religious freedom, while a tricky thing in many contexts, looks cut-and-dried in women’s sports.