Though Fighting Illini distance runner Ayah Aldadah prefers to dress modestly, the strength and character with which she carries herself exudes a special sense of pride.
On Monday at 11:50 a.m., the confident junior from Peoria will be poised alongside her University of Illinois teammates at the starting line for the NCAA Championships meet in Stillwater, Okla.
With the temperature projected to be in the mid 60s, Illinois' uniform will include a gray top with an orange Block I, orange shorts and blue Nike shoes. However, Aldadah's attire will have a few additional "modest" twists. She'll also be garbed with a long-sleeved white shirt, bright orange leggings and a tan-colored head covering called a hijab.
In Arabic, the word hijab means "barrier" or "to cover." In Islam, it has an even broader definition. It is the principle of modesty and behavior for both males and females. The most visible form of hijab is the head covering that Muslim women wear.
Aldadah is a proud, soon-to-be 21-year-old Muslim woman who follows Islam, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion. Born in Peoria on April 13, 2000, her parents Dr. Monzer Aldadah and May Abouhouli emigrated to the United States from Palestine in the early 1990s.
Aldadah attended Peoria's Dunlap High School where she helped the Eagles win the state's 2017 Class 2A cross country championship and two more state titles in track and field. She initially chose to attend Bradley University in her hometown.
"I wasn't ready to leave home yet," Aldadah explained. "I was very much a home body, so It was a good transition for me to go to Bradley."
Yet, Aldadah wanted more.
"My two years at Bradley were good for me, but then I realized that I wanted a different experience at a bigger school with a bigger program."
So, Aldadah transferred to the University of Illinois where Illini coach Sarah Haveman had originally recruited her. It's also where her older brother, Waleed, had graduated in 2017 and where her older sister, Lina, had graduated three years later.
Furthermore, Aldadah's grandfather, Dr. Awad Abouhouli, had been a physician at the U of I's McKinley Health Center, so her family's many visits to Champaign-Urbana made the Twin Cities seem like a second home.
"I just knew I belonged at Illinois," Aldadah said. "The University of Illinois always has felt so natural. I wanted to be a part of Illinois' close-knit team, one that everyone ran for each other. It's just a place that I knew I could grow. Our coaches know how to develop athletes well and help them achieve their goals. And now, here we are at the national meet."
The Illini were able to advance to the nationals following their third-place team finish at the Big Ten Championships. Individually, Aldadah placed 15th with a time of 21:01.7 and was the third Illini to finish.
Last Wednesday, just a couple of days before she and her Illini teammates arrived in Oklahoma for the NCAA meet, Aldadah was standing in a committee room at the state capitol in Springfield. Because she is a Muslim and a prominent Division I athlete, she was asked by State Representative Will Guzzardi to testify in support of his "Inclusive Athletic Attire Act," Illinois House Bill 120.
***
ILLINOIS HOUSE BILL 120
Provides that the governing board must also allow a modification for the purpose of modesty in clothing or attire that is in accordance with his or her cultural values or modesty preferences. Removes language that provides that the request from a student to modify his or her athletic or team uniform must be approved by the governing board and the board shall reasonably accommodate the student's request. Provides instead that the student shall not be required to receive prior approval from the governing board for the modification. Provides that recognized nonpublic schools and charter schools must also allow a student athlete to modify his or her athletic or team uniform for the purpose of modesty in clothing or attire that is in accordance with the requirements of his or her religion or his or her cultural values or modesty preferences.
***
After presentations were made, including nearly four minutes of comments from Aldadah, the House committee voted unanimously to pass the bill and send it through to the Senate where another committee will confer on Tuesday for the purpose of making it an Illinois state law. Aldadah's twin sister, Huda, currently a fencer at Duke University, will testify Tuesday before senators.
"It was difficult for girls in high school to dress modestly and compete in sports," Aldadah said. "That's where we're missing our potential for additional (Muslim) athletes."
"People ask if that's why most Muslim girls tend not to go into sports," she continued. "Personally, I think of it as a source of empowerment, that I can do this and not many people can. I'm doing this for my religion and I get my strength from that. I'm representing Muslim girls and showing them that they can do it, too."
Aldadah admits that her extra garb has drawn a few comments.
"Definitely, I'm used to the looks," she said, "but it hasn't been to the extent of where I've had to address it. In fact, I've gotten more support than I've gotten negative comments."
When the pandemically challenged collegiate cross country season ends for the Illini, Aldadah will turn her attention to track and field, where she'll likely compete in the 5K, 10K or steeplechase.
As a University of Illinois student-athlete, Aldadah majors in advertising and expects to graduate in 2023. She wants to work on the advertising side of a non-profit organization like UNICEF or the World Health Organization, helping people through those types of non-profits.
But, first things first … she and her Illini teammates have a race to run today.
