I grew up in a really strict Muslim environment
I struggled to even go outside the house without my family's permission
>From the day she came in and saw me
she looked me in the eyes and said, "I want to be a fighter"
I could see that in her
I know it's hard, let's go! Strong! Just think strong!
I didn't understand the culture
Is it okay for men and women to train?
What happens if she gets hurt?
I was trying to live up to everyone's expectation
I was trying to be everything to everyone
She has deep-rooted beliefs and values
and she will not compromise those
She wouldn't miss training sessions-- she would always show up
She would just keep coming and keep coming
God judges people based on their heart and their actions
They couldn't understand why I wasn't more traditional
If I had a black eye I'd hide it; I'd run up to my room
As I started to understand the obstacles she had to overcome
I realized that she had that inner strength
Where your mind is your body will follow!
"You're female, you can't do this" "I can"
"You're Muslim, you can't do this" "I can"
If I didn't have my religion and my belief in God
I would really struggle in life
because that's where I get my strength from
She had to be that grit determination
that underlying driving force
to overcome things
I remember when I walked in
the first words I would say is "Allahu Akbar", like, God is great
God's in my corner
God's going to help me
Don't stop!
Never stop!
I've trained many, many world champions in my career
and this, to me, is one of the most amazing events I've ever seen
I'm proud to be Muslim
I'm proud to be British
I was trying to be one or the other
whereas now
I realize
I can be both of those things
My family have accepted me
A person shouldn't be judged necessarily by what they achieve in life
but the obstacles they overcome to achieve that