Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir facts for kids

Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir (born November 11, 1990) is an American former college basketball player. She became well-known for playing basketball while wearing a hijab. A hijab is a special headscarf worn by many Muslim women.

Abdul-Qaadir set a scoring record in high school in Massachusetts. She played college basketball for the University of Memphis and Indiana State University. Later, she worked as a graduate assistant with the Indiana State team.

Early Life and High School Basketball

Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, on November 11, 1990. Her parents are Tariq and Alooah Abdul-Qaadir. From a young age, Bilqis loved basketball. She started playing when she was just four years old at a local YMCA.

Growing up, Bilqis followed her family's Muslim faith. She began wearing a hijab, a traditional head covering for Muslim women. She also dressed modestly on the court, covering all her skin except her hands.

Bilqis started playing varsity basketball in eighth grade at New Leadership Charter School. She quickly became a star player. As a freshman, she scored 1,000 career points. This made her only the third player in Massachusetts history to reach this milestone so early.

She finished her high school career with an amazing 3,070 points. This broke the previous state scoring record of 2,740 points. In 2009, Bilqis was named the Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year. During her senior year, she averaged an incredible 42 points per game. She was also an honor student when she graduated.

College Basketball Journey

Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir earned a full scholarship to the University of Memphis. She played there for four years, from 2009 to 2013. She studied exercise science and graduated with high honors. Her teammates at Memphis often called her "Qisi."

During her first year, Bilqis had a knee injury. Because of this, she "redshirted" for the 2009–2010 season. This means she practiced with the team but did not play in games. This allowed her to keep a year of eligibility for future seasons.

In the 2010–2011 season, she played in 34 games. She averaged 3.9 points and 1.3 rebounds per game. This season was historic because Bilqis was the first player to wear a hijab in NCAA history. The United States Basketball Writers Association gave her the "Most Courageous" award for this achievement. She was also invited to the White House by President Barack Obama. He recognized her for being the first Muslim woman to play covered in college basketball.

Bilqis improved her game in the 2011–2012 season. Her scoring average went up to 7.8 points per game. She also became the third Memphis Tiger point guard to get over 100 assists in one season. She even set a team record by making 26 free throws in a row.

In her final year at Memphis (2012–2013), she played in 25 games. She averaged 10.6 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. She then used her last year of college eligibility at Indiana State University.

At Indiana State, she was named the Conference Outstanding Newcomer for the 2013–2014 season. She helped her team, the Sycamores, win the Missouri Valley Conference title. Bilqis was also named First Team All-MVC. She received several conference Player, Newcomer, and Scholar-Athlete of the Week awards. After playing, she worked as a graduate assistant for the Indiana State women's basketball staff in the 2014–2015 season.

Advocating for Change in Sports

After college, Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir hoped to play professional basketball in Europe. However, she learned about a rule from the International Basketball Federation (FIBA). This rule did not allow headgear larger than five inches. Bilqis did not want to stop wearing her hijab, which was important to her faith.

She decided to stand up against this international rule. She started a petition to ask for an exception. Bilqis put her dream of playing professionally aside to help other Muslim women in sports. Her efforts paid off! FIBA eventually changed its rule in 2017, allowing players to wear head coverings like the hijab.

Bilqis also started an online campaign called "Muslim Girls Hoop Too." This campaign helps raise awareness for Muslim women in sports. It especially focuses on female basketball players. She hopes to travel and inspire young women to be true to themselves. She uses physical activity and basketball as a way to connect with them.

Through her campaign, Bilqis was invited to the White House again in March 2015. She attended the Muslim Leaders Meeting. She was one of 15 representatives who met with President Obama and his team. This led to another invitation to the 2015 White House Easter Egg Roll. There, she helped promote physical activity as part of the First Lady's "Let’s Move" campaign.

Today, Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir lives in London, Ontario, Ontario, with her husband, Abdulwaahid Massey, and their son. They own a basketball training gym there.

Achievements and Awards

Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir has received many awards for her skills and academic success:

• 2009 Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year
• Western Massachusetts Player of the Year
• Boston Globe All-Dream Team
• Massachusetts Scoring Record
• ESPN High School National Honor Roll
• Graduated first in her class
• C-USA Commissioner's Honor Roll (2010, 2011, 2012)
• Tiger 3.0 Club (2009, 2010, 2011, Fall 2012)
• Dean's List (Fall 2009, Fall 2011, Fall 2012)
• C-USA Academic Medalist (2010)
• C-USA All-Academic Team (2013)

White House Recognition

In 2009, President Barack Obama invited Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir to the White House for Eid al-Fitr. This is an important Muslim holiday. The President spoke about how inspiring Bilqis was. He noted her achievements as both an honor student and an athlete. He said she inspired not only Muslim girls but people worldwide. He even joked about wanting to play a game of one-on-one with her!

Later, on February 4, 2015, Bilqis was again invited to a special meeting at the White House. She was one of 14 American Muslims who met with President Obama.

See Also

• Muslim women in sport