Ibtihaj Muhammad was the first female Muslim athlete to compete wearing a hijab, a head covering worn in public by some Muslim women, and won a bronze medal for women’s team saber fencing. Ever since Muhammad’s time in the spotlight in the Rio Olympics of 2016, hijab-wearing athletes have become a new market that Nike would like to cater to.

Nike plans to release the world’s first mainstream athletic-hijab in early 2018. This hijab will be made with breathable fabrics and very small holes that can’t be seen through. The name of the product will be Nike Pro Hijab. Nada Meawad said, “It shows the whole world that hijabs don’t keep you from playing sports.” Zahra Lari, an Emirati figure skater starred in the advertisement for the Nike Pro Hijab along with other professional  athletic Muslim women such as Manal Rostom, and Amna Al Haddad, all of whom are from the United Arab Emirates. Not all women in the advertisement are wearing the hijab, which does a great job of showing that not all Muslim women wear hijabs by choice. Though the product won’t be released until early 2018, controversy is already being stirred up over the athletic garment. Many have began using the hashtag, #boycottNike, expressing that they feel the product supports the oppression of women, while others are completely in love with the hijab, saying it promotes diversity in tense political times. “I think that as far as Nike is concerned there really isn’t any controversy. They’re a business and they want to make more money,” says Kiana Kremer, a senior at Sahuaro.