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

The 28-year-old martial arts expert said she wanted to help women of color to learn how to deal with abuse and build connections and confidence after more than a week of unrest aimed at mosques, asylum seeker hotels and the police.

“It gives you a little bit more confidence,” she said. “You kind of know what to look for, how to be socially aware, how to spot things and how to get out of a really bad situation.”

Muslim and ethnic minority communities have expressed shock over the disorder which was sparked by false information online that the suspected killer of three young girls in a knife attack in Southport, northwest England, was an Islamist migrant.

Martial arts instructor Stewart McGill said he had seen more women signing up for classes since the unrest started. He told them how to defend themselves with tactics including kicks and impromptu weapons such as belts.

One attendee, Elza Annan, 24, said she felt more confident.

“I obviously don’t want to have to use these techniques but it is useful and beneficial to have them … especially because of recent events of far-right racists coming out and targeting people of color,” she said.

The riots have largely targeted migrants, Muslims, and Asian people, spreading fear through ethnic minority communities and casting a light on Britain’s record of integration.

Tell MAMA UK, a group that monitors anti-Muslim incidents, said hate directed at Muslims had been growing in Britain for some time, and especially since Oct. 7 last year, the start of the conflict in Gaza.

Since the riots began, it had received more than 500 calls and online reports of anti-Muslim behavior across Britain.

Sunder Katwala, director of the think-tank British Future, which focuses on migration and identity, said at its best, Britain is a “confident multi-ethnic democracy”.

But he said successive governments had lacked a strategy for integrating different communities. While those arriving recently from Ukraine and Hong Kong were given government support, that did not happen to all.

The asylum system faced particular pressures, with a huge backlog of applications and some Britons concerned about pressure on housing, healthcare and education.

“With asylum you’ve got a visible lack of control, and that can feed into fear,” he said.

The riots have largely stopped since thousands of anti-racism protesters turned out to protect potential targets such as immigration advice centers, mosques, and hotels housing asylum seekers.

Hassan, who wears a hijab and is a Swiss national of Somali origin, moved to Britain in 2008, partly because she felt it was more welcoming to ethnic minorities than many parts of Europe. She is considering organizing more classes.

A similar event was planned for Manchester, northern England, and a campaign group, The Three Hijabis, held a large online conference call with Muslim women this week to discuss the psychological impact of Islamophobic violence.

Shaista Aziz, the group’s director, said some women feared that the violence could unleash confrontations or abuse, prompting many to stay close to home.

“Today I advised a sister I dearly love to consider removing her hijab to stay safe as she travels through the Northeast …” she said on X during the riots. “Across the country British Muslims are having these same conversations.”

Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has ordered extra protection for the Muslim community, described rioters as “far-right thugs” and almost 800 people have been arrested, with some fast-tracked through the courts and jailed.

The anti-racism protests are likely to continue.

For Maki Omori, 23, who identifies as non-binary, Saturday’s class would help prepare for counter protests.

“I found it really intimidating, thinking about how I would defend myself,” Omori said. “I want to make sure that if something happens, I feel ready.”

Source: Reuters