Fitting in has never been part of Canberra boxer Bianca Elmir's DNA. The self-described outsider has made fighting a way of life, something she has had to do both in the ring and outside it.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
As a young Muslim woman who doesn't comfortably fit a stereotype, she has been abused by co-workers because of her faith but also rejected by sponsors for not being Muslim enough and refusing to wear a headscalf.
With a recent report examining 243 incidents of physical, verbal, and online Islamophobic attacks in Australia showing more than two-thirds of the victims were female, and nearly three-quarters of the abusers were male, Elmir is using her own journey to educate and inspire other young Muslim women.
But her path from troubled student to teacher has been far from an easy one. For years the former Australian Flyweight Champion and the Oceania boxing bantamweight champion struggled to piece together the varied aspects of her upbringing.
Regularly in trouble as an unruly teen in Narrabundah, Elmir was sent to Tripoli, Lebanon, at age 13 to live with her grandparents. Desperately unhappy at first, she eventually used the opportunity to come to terms with her Muslim identity, and learned lessons that would help mould her into the three-time boxing champion she is today.
"I didn't know much about the culture, and I couldn't speak Arabic. The residue of war was everywhere, and I suddenly found myself living in Lebanon with 70-year-olds. It was a really challenging time of my life."
She was kicked out of one Muslim school there, and sent to another, where she was shown how to pray properly.
"There were so many uncertainties in my life at that time. For the first time, I felt a really beautiful and calming experience in prayer. Getting on my knees and looking up to the concept of God was really humbling and made me look outside of my own existence."
Grounded in her discovery of prayer, Elmir stopped resisting her new life in Tripoli.
"Being immersed in a culture that was so incredibly different made me appreciate how people can live under wildly different circumstances. It has given me the resilience and life skills to face anything that comes my way."
Eventually, she came back to Australia, but the transition was again jarring at first.
"I felt like I had to relearn my Australian identity all over again. Post September 11, I was becoming more politicised and it made me defensive about being a Muslim."
She recalls being verbally abused by a former co-worker who knew she was a Muslim. "I made sure she wouldn't do that again" she laughs.
"I feel sorry for the abused, and for the abusers" says Elmir. "I'm sorry that we live in a society where women are so easily targeted because of what they wear."
It's a prejudice she has seen from both sides.
"I've had potential sponsors reject me because I don't box with a headscarf. I don't wear a headscarf because it doesn't fit in with my personal take on being a Muslim. I'm the only woman in my family who chooses not to do so, but I'm not going to let people define me as a good or a bad Muslim because of what I wear."
This fierce streak of independent thinking is partially attributable to her mother Diana Abdel-Rahman, an OAM recipient for her tireless work with multicultural organisations.
"I'm really lucky that my mum's understanding of Islam has never been too limiting. She's always encouraged me to read books, ask questions, and be a conscientious thinker."
Along with her dreams of representing Australia in the 2018 Commonwealth Games, Elmir also divides her time with mentoring young female boxers and advocating for the acceptance of Islam in the wider community.
"If I can mentor or speak up for disadvantaged people in any way, particularly for other Muslims that can connect with me, then I would feel very fulfilled."
