- Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) believes attack stemmed from anti-Muslim bias
- The victim moved to the United States with her family a few years ago from Syria.
PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania – A young Muslim student in Pittsburgh has been hospitalized after being attacked by another student in the school’s bathroom, WTAE reported.
The incident, which took place at Chartiers Valley High School in Bridgeville, Pennsylvania, was captured on a video posted on Facebook.
It shows a girl wearing hijab pushed to the ground and punched in one of the school’s bathrooms. She is seen fighting back but is ultimately pushed to the ground once more and repeatedly hit.
“The Muslim student was treated later for a concussion and severe bruising. Criminal charges are pending,” the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, said.
A girl attacks a hijab wearing Muslim girl in the bathroom at Chartiers Valley High School in Pittsburgh
•Charges have been filed against the girl
•Hate crime charges are pending
•42% of American Muslim students report bullying for their faith.?pic.twitter.com/uXYPXwOYyP— Qasim Rashid, Esq. (@MuslimIQ) December 18, 2018
The 14-year-old Muslim girl, who came years ago to the US and had lived in a refugee camp with her family, was taken to Children’s Hospital for suffering a concussion and had to stay overnight.
“They were fleeing anarchy, violence, and the complete breakdown of the social system, a governing system so they came to a civilized place and we all assured them this is the most civilized place in the world,” Safdar Khwaja, president of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said.
“To see this kind of violence take place, it’s very disappointing,” Khawaja added.
Collier Township police said they will not treat the incident as a hate crime, something that Khwaja disagrees with.
“We don’t believe the motive was random and was at the spur of the moment, we believe there was a bias,” he said.
A few weeks ago, a 10-year-old Muslim girl at Hemenway Elementary in Boston, Massachusetts received hate letters including a death threat.
The girl was later flooded with messages of love and support.
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