MILWAUKEE — A Muslim woman was attacked this week as she walked home from prayer.
FOX6 News reports that the incident occurred near South 13th and Layton on Monday morning, April 10th around 6:00 a.m.
The victim suffered injuries and was released from the hospital on Tuesday.
The woman told FOX6 that a car pulled up alongside her.
“And one man came from a car,” she said.
That man wanted only one thing: to remove the woman’s hijab, or head scarf.
The attacker pulled the scarf off the woman, threw her to the sidewalk, and then stepped down on her head repeatedly. She said he took out a knife and cut her jacket and her arm.
“Certainly we’re scared for our community members. As an Islamic community, we want to make sure our community is always safe. The initial reaction is shock,” said Munjed Ahmad with the Islamic Society of Milwaukee told FOX6.
Munjed Ahmad said the Islamic community believe this to be a hate crime.
Reaction to the attack was voiced by Voces de la Frontera Executive Director Christine Neumann-Ortiz: “We want to express solidarity and love with the woman who was attacked and with Muslim community members. We urge District Attorney John Chisolm and law enforcement to investigate this as a hate crime and bring the attacker swiftly to justice.”
Robert Miranda, Spanish Journal editor and international columnist for the Istanbul, Turkey based national publication Yeni ASYA stated: “There is no excuse for this kind of violence in our city. The Spanish Journal stands with the Islamic community and calls for unity of the entire city to fight back against hate.”
Police are investigating and there is no suspect in custody at this time.
