A Muslim high school runner was heartbroken after being disqualified for wearing a hijab

Sixteen-year-old Noor Alexandria Abukaram, a cross country runner at Sylvania Northview High School in Ohio, ran her personal best in a 5k, 22:22, last weekend.
She didn't win, but it was a district meet and those who did well had a chance to advance to a regional event next weekend.
After crossing the finish line, she hugged her friends and mother, then looked to the scoreboard to see her time but nothing appeared. She thought there must be a mistake.
"'You got disqualified,'" one of the girls told her. It was because of her hijab. "When my teammates clarified what happened to me, it broke my heart," she told CNN.
Her father called her after the race to ask how she ran but it was nearly impossible for her to explain through the tears.
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"I was sobbing," the athlete said. "I couldn't even explain how difficult it was to explain to my father that I got disqualified for my hijab. It was so hard for me because my parents have anyway been my number one supporters when it comes to my hijab."
Student-Athlete Disqualified From Ohio Race for Competing in a Hijab: Noor Alexandria Abukaram ran her fastest 5K race of the season for Ohio's Sylvania Northview High School last weekend: 22 minutes and 22… https://t.co/JLJuR2Zgc9 #25thAmendmentNow #ImpeachTrump #TheResistance pic.twitter.com/gxeYneK7dP
— Patrick (@cahulaan) October 24, 2019
A hijab is a headscarf worn by Muslim women for a viariety of reasons. Some wear it as a way to show pride in their religious identity others as a means of resistance to standards of feminine beauty that demand exposing more of their bodies.
It has also been used as a way to curb male sexual desire.
According to The Ohio High School Athletic Association runners who use religious headwear need a waiver to participate in events.
"Cross country runners may participate in competitions with religious headwear, provided the runner has obtained a waiver from the OHSAA and submitted it to the head official before the race, since it is a change to the OHSAA uniform regulations. The official was simply enforcing this rule since a waiver had not been submitted," Tim Stried, a spokesman, told CNN.
Abukaram had competed in sports wearing her hijab for three years and it had never been a problem.
RELATED: A Muslim girl was asked to remove her hijab at an airport. Now a Muslim advocacy group is taking action.
Officials approached her coach Jerry Flowers about the hijab a few minutes before the race and it put him in an awkward position. "He notified me she would be disqualified. I had the option to ask her to remove it or not run," Flowers said.
"I knew that asking her to take it off is not respectful to her," Flowers said. "I didn't want to put her in the situation to make it seem like I was putting pressure on her to change who she is. I wanted her to run carefree. I figured she would race better if she didn't know."
"Personally, my hijab is like my nose. It's so important and it's a part of me," Abukaram said.
"The thought of not wearing it and of having to choose something other than my hijab, having to choose to do something else and having to warn people that me and my hijab are coming to this race is disgusting and disheartening."
After the race, the school got in touch with the athletic association and a waiver was submitted and approved. Abukaram will be participating in the regional competition next weekend.
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."