Hawzah News Agency - (Los Angles  - US) - Fatima Abdelrahman has achieved a lot of firsts in her life. She ranked top five on the U.S. junior national squash team in her age group. And is the first national team member to compete wearing a hijab.

"It's a part of me. It's something that I wear every day. It's part of my daily life. I am proud to wear it," says Fatima, who just turned 13-years-old.

But on her flight to her first international competition from SFO to Toronto, Fatima, who wasn't wearing a headscarf in her passport photo, was asked to remove her hijab by Air Canada staff at the boarding gate.

"The Air Canada agent looked at my picture, looked at me, and said 'These don't connect. You need to take it off,' (as) he pointed at (my hijab). I said, 'No, I can't.' He said, 'No, you need to!' I said, 'No, I can't, religious purposes,'" explains Fatima, who lives in Santa Clara.

She says a female Air Canada employee escorted her inside the jetway at and forced her to take off her headscarf. Fatima says she felt violated and humiliated.

She says the female agent told her, "'Just quickly take it off, so you can board.' So, I quickly took it off, didn't really know what to do. All my teammates had passed, my coach had passed. I had no idea I was alone. So, I quickly took it off. She barely glanced (at the passport) and then up at me. And (then said), 'Ok, hurry up! Hurry up! Go grab your stuff!'"

Fatima says her issue is that she wasn't given private screening room to remove her headscarf, though she repeatedly ask for one, and which is required by state and federal law. She also feels that she was singled out.