Hersberk: 14-year-old, Syrian refugee Muslim student was attacked in the US. A Muslim teen refugee was severely beaten by another high school student. She is undergoing treatment at a hospital for a concussion.
Video of the assault last week went viral on Facebook and showed the hijab-wearing teen come out of the bathroom stall at Chartiers Valley High School, located just outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After the video went viral US police were forced to investigate into the matter.
Calling it a hate crime, the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights organization, the Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), demanded an enquiry into the matter. The organisation is also providing legal support to the victim’s family.
The girl’s family fled Syria and spent two years in a refugee camp before being granted entry to the United States.
CAIR recorded a 17 per cent increase in anti-Muslim bias incidents nationwide in 2017 compared to 2016. It also reported a 15 per cent increase in hate crimes targeting American Muslims, including children, youth and families, during the same period.
