Two hijab-clad Muslim-American women were at the receiving end of an alleged hate crime in Chicago on Thursday. A woman reportedly hurled abuses at the mother-daughter duo, spat at them and called them ‘ISIS’.
Suzanne Damra, the victim, told NBC Chicago that the woman followed her and her mother to their car and verbally and physically assaulted and harassed them.
One of the victim’s video captured a part of the incident from inside their car, showing the woman trying to open the car’s doors and abusing them.
They blamed the atmosphere of bigotry created by Donald Trump for encouraging the woman’s actions and propagating hate.
People copy what he is saying, and they think he is going to make the white people more powerful.Suzanne Damra, the victim
With the Republican Presidential Candidate making statements to ban Muslims from entering the United States, the negativity seems to be proliferating among some people there.
The apathy of two bystanders, who were watching the whole incident and did nothing to help, upset Damra more than the incident itself, said NBC.
There were two very young men, I don’t think they were more than 21 or 22. They were laughing, they high-fived her, and said, ‘yeah, they are ISIS.’Suzanne Damra, the victim
Chicago Police said they are investigating the case as a simple assault. However, Chicago’s Council on American-Islamic Relations called for both state and federal authorities to make a more aggressive inquiry as it was clearly a hate crime.
(With inputs from NBC Chicago).
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