Pregnant Muslim woman targeted by youth in Montreal
- Oumessad Khoufache, 31 and four-months pregnant, was approached by two teenage boys on bikes, who tore at her hijab, causing her to lose her balance and fall.
- Police are reluctant to investigate it as a hate crime because no hateful words were expressed, but Khoufache’s husband believes the teens’ specific attack on her hijab says otherwise.
- The incident takes place in the midst of a national debate on the ability of Muslim women to wear niqabs during citizenship oath ceremonies, with public vandalism and other forms of anti-Muslim sentiment having appeared as the debate has worn on.
«Reste qu’il y a une montée médiatique ces temps-ci qui peut alimenter [la haine contre les musulmans]. J’espère que ce n’est pas un acte haineux, car cela voudrait dire que des enfants sont déjà alimentés sur des fausses idées sur le voile»
Translation: “The fact remains that lately there has been a rise in media that can feed [hate against Muslims]. I hope that this isn’t a hateful act since that would mean that some children are already fueled by mistaken ideas about the veil.”
Read more:
“Une femme voilée et enceinte agressée par deux ados” (Le Journal de Montréal, in French)
“Pregnant Muslim woman attacked by Montreal teens, police say” (CBC News)
“Montreal’s Muslim community feels ‘used’ by political parties” (CBC News)
“Has the NDP’s campaign become tangled up by a niqab?” (Montreal Gazette)
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