Two Muslim women walked into a restaurant in Austin, Texas, over the weekend and say they were subjected to anti-Muslim hate speech while fellow patrons sat in silence. The woman say the felt “humiliated.”
The women, Leilah Abdennabi and Sirat Al-Nahi, said that they had planned to enjoy a Sunday lunch at the Kerbey Lane Cafe. Abdennabi noted on her Facebook page:
“My friend and I just experienced Islamophobia in Austin. This is the first time this has happened to me in Austin.
Abdennabi said that when she entered the restaurant for lunch, she found Al-Nahi “crying and upset” inside the restaurant, adding:
“Apparently while I was parking some man next to her said some things about my driving and that I should just ‘go back to Saudi Arabia.'”
The man also allegedly asked Ah-Nahi if she “had a gun,” and told her that she should “just shoot him.”
In a post she made to Facebook, Al-Nahi also noted:
“I literally couldn’t believe he said that and I asked him to repeat what he had just said. I couldn’t believe what he said and I guess I hoped someone would have the humanity to acknowledge it because their silence hurt just as much as his words.”
The two women said they decided to leave the restaurant rather than eat there because neither felt welcome.
On the way out of the restaurant, Abdenanabi said:
I told the people watching ‘Just so you know, we were told racist things and this restaurant doesn’t feel the need to address it because who cares about us?’ Another white guy shouted, ‘Nobody.’”
Worst of all, Abdenabi said, was the way in which no once came to their defense:
“No one else said or did anything. [A]nd that’s what makes these experiences 1000x worse is the people just silently watching.”
After hearing of what took place at their restaurant, Kerbey Lane Cafe issued a statement:
“We do not condone discriminatory comments or behavior in any way, shape, or form; and according to our policy the guest who made these hateful comments to another guest should have been asked to leave our restaurant. This was a mistake made by our management, and we are addressing it with that individual. For anyone who has any concerns about Kerbey Lane’s policies, please contact us directly at or [email protected].”
