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These Sisters Are Fighting Islamophobia By Training In Hijabs

"How am I oppressed?"

Yara and Nancy Helmy are super proud to train in their hijabs.

In the video above by The Scene, we meet two Muslim-American sisters who are competitive Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighters.

The sisters were born in Egypt and moved to the U.S. in 2000 when they were 11 and seven.

The sisters train five to seven days a week, and both feel empowered.

"I didn't realize that I could push someone away or I can choke someone," one of the sisters said in the video above. "What people misunderstand about being a Muslim is that all women are oppressed."

"How am I oppressed?" Yara asks. "I'm not oppressed, I chose to wear this," she said referring to her hijab.

But with the sport, both sisters say they feel safe, especially in a Islamophobic climate.

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