Iman Khalifa breaks her silence after allegedly being named Elon Musk and JK Rowling sued for cyberbullying,
Khalif won an Olympic gold medal in the women’s 66-kilogram boxing competition on Saturday, despite critics saying her participation threatened the safety of women.
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The boxing champion is believed to have filed a criminal complaint with French authorities, alleging “serious incidents of cyber harassment” by celebrities such as Rowling and Musk against the Algerian boxer.
Harry Potter author Rowling criticised Khalifa after her win over Italian boxer Angela Carini.
Rowling accused Khalif of being a man “enjoying the distress of a woman he has punched in the head” after Carini left the bout in tears.
Meanwhile, Twitter and Tesla boss Musk shared a post about Khalifa, claiming “men shouldn’t get involved in women’s sports”.
Now, the 25-year-old Olympic champion has spoken out following her successful Olympic campaign marred by controversy.
“Soon after, there was a big uproar from big politicians around the world, athletes from around the world and even artists and stars, Elon Musk, Trump, etc.… This… affected me,” Khalif told El Birad.
“I’m not going to lie to you, it affected me a lot. It affected me a lot, it hurt me a lot. I can’t tell you how scared I was.
“The scenario was very scary. Thank God that all of Algeria and the Arab world knew Iman Khalif for her femininity, courage and strong will,” the Algerian boxer said.
“Honestly, I don’t like politics getting into sports, but they got into politics in sports. Sports and politics are two different things.
“These politicians who are oppressing me have no right to say that I am a transgender.”
Khalif’s lawyer, Nabil Boudi, had earlier said Diversity” J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk, among others, are named in the suit.
“Trump tweeted, so whether he’s named in our lawsuit or not, he will inevitably be seen as part of the prosecution.
“We are demanding that the prosecution not only investigate these people, but anyone else they feel it needs to.
“If the case goes to court, he will be prosecuted,” Paris’ lawyer said.
This Algerian was born female and does not consider herself transgender or intersex.
But just last year, Khalifa was excluded from the World Championships held in India after failing an unspecified gender test.
International Boxing Association officials said tests showed Khalif has ‘XY chromosomes’ – indicating the person is biologically male.
However, the IBA has not yet revealed what tests it carried out, or published the results.
Rare ‘intersex’ medical conditions, known medically as differences in sex development (DSDs), can also mean that outwardly female individuals can have ‘male’ chromosomes, or vice versa.
But Khalifa faced criticism on social media from several public figures who said she was a man and should not have taken part.
Read more at The Scottish Sun
The possible consequences for cyberbullying offences in France are a prison sentence of two to five years and a fine of £26,000 to £39,000.
If prosecuted for online hate speech, offenders could also face fines ranging from £64,000 to £214,000.
