An irate woman at a Tinley Park supermarket is being investigated for a hate crime (Tribune) after allegedly pulling on a Muslim woman's traditional head scarf, or hijab (Wikipedia). The incident happened on Nov. 7, just days after the fatal shootings at Fort Hood, Texas that left 13 soldiers dead.
Muslim leaders expressed deep concern that just this kind of backlash against Middle Easterns in general would occur in the aftermath of the attacks, which allegedly were carried out by Muslim Army Major Nidal Hasan.
The victim, Amal Abusumayah, says the woman first made a reference to the shooting, "in a very loud and angry voice," saying the shooter was from the Middle East. While Maj. Hasan is from Palestine, he grew up in Virginia (but that's beside the point).
Just a few minutes later Abusumayah, a 28-year-old born in the United States, felt a hard tug on her head scarf. She turned around to see the same woman who earlier had uttered the angry words. She walked out of the store without saying anything and Abusumayah followed her into the parking lot and called police.
Police arrested her soon after.
Her scarf didn't come off and she wasn't injured, per se, but any antagonistic or otherwise unwanted touching of another is technically considered battery. Since the scarf-tug was not arbitrary but possibly triggered by hatred of Middle Easterners, it could result in a more serious charge as a civil rights violation.
Abusamayah says she initially declined to press charges, but changed her mind.
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