Last week Yasmin Seweid, 18 was subject to anti-Muslim slurs and harassment while riding the New York City Subway. She reported being called a to take off her hijab by three unknown men.
The attack got physical when the three men tried to forcibly remove the hijab. The three men have yet to be caught.
Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. Hate crimes against Muslims have been on the rise since the election of Donald Trump. Many of the attacks have taken place within New York City’s transit system and women in hijabs seem to be the most common victims.
The attackers even chanted the presidentelect’s name in this particular scenario. According to Seweid, nobody came to her aid as the harassment attack was happening. In a Facebook post she vented:
“It breaks my heart that so many individuals chose to be bystanders while watching me get harassed verbally and physically by these disgusting pigs.”
Afaf Nasher a member of the Council on American Islamic Relations also weighed in on the incident and the spike in biased attacks against Muslims.
“We’re horrified by the incident in and of itself. Anyone going through some kind of attack is absolutely unacceptable. But then you feel this overwhelming empathy because we know that this is not the only person who has been assaulted in mass transit, but also on streets.”
As of Friday, Seweid was reported missing by her father. Coincidence?
Maybe. Saturday, she was found safe, according to her father, Sayeed Seweid, said his daughter was “doing fine” and at a friends house. I would like to extend our gratitude to the local authorities for their efforts in finding her.
Watch this video for more information on the attack:
Watch this interview for more information:
Featured Image: Screenshot Via YouTube Video.
