Fatima Mamatova, an Ingush ninth-grade student at Karabulak Gymnasium No. 1, faced unethical and racist remarks from a jury member at the International Aviation History Olympiad in Moscow because of her hijab. Serbian pilot and journalist Radmila Tonkovich, calling Fatima's headdress a "national costume," questioned its appropriateness for the event.
"How does aviation fit with your look in a headscarf? Are you alone in your city, or are there many of you? We all have national costumes. If we wore them to such events, it would be a folklore event. This doesn't suit the modern development of aviation," Tonkovich said.
Fatima's academic advisor, Natalya Vedzizheva, reported that the Olympiad organizers condemned the statement and apologized to the student. However, she claimed the author of the remark didn't feel the need to apologize. The teacher praised the girl's dignified behavior, emphasizing that she demonstrated strength and culture by not responding to the attack.
Fatima Mamatova herself explained that her decision not to engage in an argument stemmed from her Caucasian upbringing, which dictates respect for elders.
"In the Caucasus, it's customary to respect elders, no matter how many nasty things they say. I didn't intend to disgrace our republic with some rude response to this 'woman's' question, if you can call her that, of course. But this needs to be made public so that such people don't get away with it," she added.
However, this incident could not spoil the overall impression of the event – Fatima Mamatova took first place in the "Use of Experimental Research" category at the Olympiad and received the Audience Choice Award.
