'Let Noor Run' campaign launches Friday night, trying to defeat discrimination in sports

TOLEDO, Ohio (WNWO) — Let Noor Run.

The phrase may not have seemed so simple last October.

"I'm an athlete, and I've always been an athlete, but now I see the sports world differently."

Noor Alexandria Abukaram is a junior at the Bounty Collegium in Sylvania, and runs cross country for Sylvania Northview High School.

It was after a race with the Wildcats on Saturday, October 19th that she learned her coach had not filed the proper paperwork to wear her hijab, and Noor was disqualified.

"People need to know that this is not a freak accident that happened to me here in Toledo. It happens every single day with Muslim athletes. So with Let Noor Run, it's going to eventually become the hub of discrimination in sports. That way people can see the numbers and they can know that it's not just something that happens in a blue moon."

Since that day, Noor has gained national attention, and even helped make the push for the OHSAA to change it's rule about religious headware waivers.

On December 5th, it became permanent, and now hijabs are completely legal in the state.

Friday night, her next big movement was set into motion.

"In the future, we want to have more events. Different, smaller seminars, just to educate and shed light onto discrimination in sports."

Noor stood on stage with Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir, a former University of Memphis basketball player, and Amaiya Zafar, who was the first boxer to wear a hijab in a sanctioned fight.

"I see fire in her. Like that excitement, that motivation and that poise she has, she's going to go far. In her sport, in public speaking, and just changing the community and helping build the community, she's going to go far. Wherever she takes her skills, she's going to go far because she has that drive and that hunger," declared Zafar.

Noor's dedication and perseverance have proven to be a big inspiration to many in the area, and even across the country.

Zobaida Falah, Noor's Cousin "They're paving a path for other women who want to go into sports and not have that hesitation or apprehension that they might be discriminated against," said Noor's Cousin Zobaida Falah.

To learn more about Noor's Let Noor Run website, click here.