On November 4, 2025, Muslim democratic assemblyman Zohran Mamdani won the mayoral election for the city of New York. The high-profile race for the mayor’s office in the nation’s most populous city attracted significant media attention, much of it alarmingly negative. Former mayor Andrew Cuomo and Republican contender Curtis Sliwa repeatedly resorted to Islamophobic attacks against the young candidate, whose campaign focused on economic relief, affordable housing, transportation solutions, and improving healthcare for New Yorkers. Rather than attacking his political views, his opponents primarily targeted his faith. The wave of anti-Muslim rhetoric did not stop at Mamdani. It fueled a broader narrative that affects Muslims across the country. Even after the election, hateful comments continue to circulate on news platforms and social media, further damaging an already misrepresented and misunderstood community. Unfortunately, those who bear the brunt of increasing Islamophobia are often those who are most visibly Muslim: Muslim women.
According to data from the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU), Muslim women experience significantly higher rates of discrimination than women in the general public. ISPU reported that 69 percent of Muslim women have faced religious discrimination and 75 percent have faced racial discrimination, compared to 26 percent and 40 percent, respectively, among women overall. One major factor is visibility. Nearly half of the Muslim women surveyed in the 2020–21 American Muslim Poll (46 percent) wear a head covering or another symbol that clearly identifies them as Muslim. Despite the risks, an overwhelming 87 percent of those women expressed pride in being recognized as members of their faith community1. However, visibility can also make them more vulnerable to targeted aggression. In this climate, it has become increasingly important for Muslim women, especially mothers and caregivers, to learn how to protect themselves and their families from harassment and cowardly attacks.
Motherhood, Martial Arts, and Anti-Muslim Bigotry
Although I have not been the target of physical violence (alhamdulillah), as a Muslim woman who wears hijab, I have endured verbal harassment in public spaces. I have been called “terrorist,” “fanatic,” cursed at, and told “go back to your country,” sometimes while my young children stood beside me, confused and frightened. When I wore a face veil, one angry man even threatened violence at a gas station, accusing me of staring at his wife. These experiences taught me to remain constantly alert whenever I leave home. My husband, who had practiced martial arts since childhood, encouraged me to begin training so I could gain valuable self-defense skills and build strength and confidence. I started taking Tang Soo Do lessons at Aqabah Karate in the Dar-us-Salaam community of College Park, Maryland, in 2009. Even at that time, Muslims were still navigating the intense wave of anti-Muslim sentiment that followed the events of September 11.
The Islamic environment at Aqabah Karate, located inside the Al-Huda Islamic School, made it easy for me to participate comfortably as a practicing Muslim woman. For over two years, I immersed myself in the forms and defensive techniques unique to this Korean martial art. I paused my training after my third child to focus on motherhood, but martial arts continued to be a constant presence in our home. My husband and children continued training and later added Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, which emphasizes grappling and ground defense. A decade later, we opened our own Jiu-Jitsu school, Rollstar Jiu-Jitsu Academy, which now serves more than one hundred families in the Baltimore area, many of whom are Muslim.
Sadly, most of our students are men. Women, especially mothers, often place the needs of their families above their own well-being. Many do not view learning how to protect themselves as essential, instead prioritizing the safety of their loved ones. Others assume martial arts is a male pursuit, overlooking the legacy of women warriors in Islamic history who defended themselves, their families, and their communities. Although Jiu-Jitsu is a male-dominated sport, many women do train, and they are capable, disciplined, and strong.
Self-Defense Techniques for Muslim Women
About a year ago, our school hosted a women-only self-defense workshop led by two remarkable Muslim professionals and martial artists: Dr. Saira Khan, a Kung Fu black belt and researcher at the University of Maryland, and Staff Sergeant Lourdes Loyola, an active member of the U.S. armed forces and Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. Their teachings offered essential insights for women’s self-defense.
These are some of the key lessons that stayed with me:
1. Be confident.
Confidence is your first line of defense. Hold your head high, keep your shoulders back, and walk with purpose. Aggressors often target individuals who appear distracted or unsure of themselves.
2. Stay vigilant.
Be aware of your surroundings without appearing nervous or fearful. Look ahead and scan the environment casually. Know where you are going, stay alert to who is around you, and trust your intuition when something feels wrong.
3. Use your voice.
If someone approaches you aggressively, speak with firmness and volume. Be clear, assertive, and loud. Muslim women are often taught to be reserved and soft-spoken, which is admirable in many settings. However, in self-defense, using your voice with strength can deter a potential attacker and draw attention from others.
4. Learn basic self-defense techniques.
Two of the first skills taught in both Karate and Jiu-Jitsu are how to fall safely and how to stand up correctly. It may sound simple, yet these skills can prevent injuries and help you regain control quickly. In Jiu-Jitsu, “standing up in base” is a foundational technique that protects your body and creates space between you and a threat. Every person, especially women, should learn it.
5. Train and exercise consistently.
Strength and mobility matter. Start a fitness routine that you can maintain, such as walking, lifting weights, biking, jogging, or taking a class. Any form of movement improves your ability to react and protect yourself. Explore martial arts schools near you and try an introductory class. Select a style that feels comfortable and suits your needs. Regardless of the art you choose, consider also learning Jiu-Jitsu; understanding how to defend yourself on the ground is especially important for women.
6. Prioritize escape.
Self-defense is about self-preservation, not engaging in a fight. Your goal is to de-escalate and remove yourself from danger as quickly as possible. There is no shame in fleeing. Leaving a situation safely is a victory.
7. Protect your life, not your belongings.
A common concern among Muslim women is what to do if someone grabs their hijab or clothing. In a self-defense situation, your primary concern is your safety and the safety of your children. If an attacker removes your hijab, damages your belongings, or grabs your purse, let them. Possessions can be replaced. Your life cannot.
Dr. Khan also offered advice to Muslim mothers: “Be the person you advise your children to become.” If we want our children to be strong, confident, and capable of defending themselves, then we must model those same qualities. When we enroll them in martial arts or self-defense classes, we should also ask about opportunities for women. However, it was clear that this responsibility is not limited to women only. Staff Sergeant Loyola reminded us, “To the men, they really need to step it up with being active protectors of our community.” Allah states in Surah An-Nisa (4:34) that men are the protectors and caretakers of women. To fulfill this sacred responsibility, they must also be fit, present, and capable. At the same time, not every woman will have someone to rely on in a moment of danger. Every woman should be prepared to protect herself and her children if necessary. We can draw strength and motivation from the resilient women in Islamic history who defended their faith and their communities, sometimes with words, sometimes with leadership, and at times, even with arms.
Wendy Díaz is a Puerto Rican Muslim writer, award-winning poet, translator, former educator, and mother of six (ages ranging from toddler to teen). She is the co-founder of Hablamos Islam, a non-profit organization that produces educational resources about Islam in Spanish (hablamosislam.org). She has written, illustrated, and published over a dozen children’s books and currently lives with her family in Maryland. Follow Wendy Díaz on social media @authorwendydiaz and @hablamosislam.
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