Algerian boxer Imane Khelif opened up about the hate she’s received from the far-right during their “transvestigations” of her, focusing particularly on Elon Musk’s role in the hate mobs.
“You hate me, but you don’t even know me,” she said while tearing up during an interview with the French TV channel CLIQUE. “I don’t even know why you led this attack. You have been cruel to me, cruel to my family, to my mother. At that time, my mother was going to the hospital every day.”
Related
Imane Khelif files legal complaint over online harassers calling her a man
JK Rowling, Donald Trump, and Elon Musk accused her of secretly being a man. Now she’s fighting back in court.
“So, I don’t understand the behavior of people today. God is my guide. I am a practicing Muslim woman. I am a Muslim Arabic woman. And I got through this moment. I hope I will be even stronger in the future and come back even more motivated.”
Stay connected to your community
Connect with the issues and events that impact your community at home and beyond by subscribing to our newsletter.
Subscribe to our Newsletter today
Khelif has been the victim of intense hate mobs directed at her solely on the basis of transphobia and racism. It started when she defeated her opponent, Italian boxer Angela Carini, in the first round of boxing at the Olympics. Carini dropped out after being punched in the face and anti-trans bigots began to accuse Khelif of being either a trans woman or a cis man, using an accusation made by an ally of Vladimir Putin on Telegram earlier this year.
Algeria does not allow individuals to transition, and Khelif’s entire family has said that she was assigned female at birth. The International Olympics Committee has also confirmed her as cisgender.
Things only began to escalate when reference was made to when the Russia-based International Boxing Association disqualified Khelif after she defeated a Russian boxer, claiming she did not pass unspecified gender testing. However, the International Boxing Association has given no proof of the testing and has been banned from recognition by the International Olympic Committee due to instances of corruption and scandal.
Members of the online mob that attacked Khelif include author JK Rowling, fifth-place college swimmer Riley Gaines, and billionaire Elon Musk. Khelif describes how Musk was one of the first to jump on the bandwagon attacking her by sharing posts on X from Riley Gaines claiming that she is a man.
She filed a complaint in France for cyberbullying that names Rowling and Musk, among many others.
Khelif won the gold medal in her division of boxing for Algeria.