The Washington state chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-WA), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called for hate crime charges to be brought against a driver who allegedly intentionally hit two Muslim women wearing Islamic head scarves (hijab) and a baby in a stroller on the evening of September 12.

A mother and grandmother were reportedly walking with a 5-month-old infant in a stroller on Thursday evening at 4 Corners shopping center in Maple Valley, Washington. Both women wear a hijab, a head scarf worn by Muslim women. They were in a crosswalk with the right-of-way when an approaching vehicle saw the women walking and sped across the intersection, intentionally hitting the group. The driver allegedly sped off after striking both women as well as the stroller, causing it to tip over with the baby boy inside. The infant was uninjured, but both women were hospitalized with serious injuries, including a leg fracture and internal bleeding.

“We are absolutely horrified by the nature of this alleged assault, with two visibly-Muslim women walking with a five-month-old baby in a stroller being attacked in such a brutal manner,” said Imraan Siddiqi, executive director of CAIR-WA. “While we are truly thankful that the baby was unharmed and the injuries to the two women are not critical, we call on law enforcement authorities to investigate whether bias played a part in this crime against an innocent family.”

“It wasn’t just an attack on two women in hijab, but it was also an attack on a baby in a stroller. We believe this is a racially motivated and intentional attack, where the driver even went after a baby. It feels like a hit on humanity as a whole,” said Aamer, family member to the victims, who lives in Chicago.

Maple Valley Police arrested the driver of the vehicle, who is being held on $250,000 bail. The driver has been charged with a hit-and-run assault. While CAIR-WA applauds the Maple Valley Police Department’s quick response, it urgently calls for them to investigate this incident as a hate crime. Hate and bias against Muslims in America is at an all-time high.

From January to June 2024, CAIR documented 4,951 incoming bias complaints nationwide, a 69 percent increase over the same period in 2023.

Earlier this year, CAIR’s national office released its 2024 civil rights report, which revealed the highest number of complaints it has ever received in its 30-year history. Titled “Fatal: The Resurgence of Anti-Muslim Hate,” the report documented 8,061 complaints.

Nearly half of all complaints received in 2023 were reported in the final three months of the year.

CAIR-WA’s 2024 Washington Muslim Survey found that respondents who identified as being visibly Muslim (due to wearing religious garb such as a hijab, niqab, etc.) were more likely to feel unsafe in their day-to-day lives. The full report will be published in late September.

CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.

Source: CAIR