[1] The same year she made history when, in keeping with her religious views, she became the first woman to compete in hijab (head scarf), covered arms and legs after the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) modified its rules to accommodate her request to do so.

[7] In a 2011 article, Nancy Hogshead-Maker stated, "in a contemplative world, we would think about how to come up with attire that would bring out the best in all competitors, regardless what their religious or personal level of modesty is.

"[8] International rules originally required the arms and legs of competitors to be bare so that judges could determine when a lift was successful.

[3] Kulsoom Abdullah began her career as a weightlifter in 2010 when she started taking part in the 105 and 16 pound classes where she was able to finish 23rd of 27 and enroll for local Olympics competitions.

In 2011, Abdullah qualified for the American Open Weightlifting competition, however the tournament required dress code that exposed participant's elbows and knees for the judges.

Abdullah sought help from Council of American-Islamic Relations to forward her request to the USOC to allow ease in dress code for Muslim women.

Abdullah was featured in the documentary The Pakistan Four: Four strangers in America redefining the narrative of being a Pakistani Muslim woman, released in 2014.

The film also featured Hareem Ahmad, saber fencer, Nadia Manzoor, stand-up comic, and chef Fatima Ali.

[12] She received the Georgia Influential Muslim Award, featured in the 2015-2016 Saris To Suits calendar, and was also a speaker on a panel at the Religion Newswriters Association.

in 2015, she along with four other Muslim women from around the world formed a team known as Shirzanan for the RAGBRAI; a bicycle ride event organized by The Des Moines Register.