Vol. 80/No. 32 August 29, 2016
Actions denounce attacks on Muslim women in Chicago
Suzanne Damra told the protesters she and her mother were targeted “because we are Muslim and wearing hijabs.” The woman who attacked them “called us ISIS.”
Imam Malik Mujahid also spoke, connecting the attack to the Aug. 13 killing of an imam and his assistant in New York.
This protest followed an Aug. 11 news conference at the offices of Council on American-Islamic Relations where Itemid Al-Matar announced her suit against the Chicago Police Department for excessive force, false arrest, violation of freedom of religious expression and malicious prosecution.
A Chicago Transit Authority video shows that Al-Matar, who is from Saudi Arabia, was approached by five cops while walking to the subway on July 4, 2015. They threw her to the ground, handcuffed her and ripped off her headscarf and veil. Al-Matar was strip-searched at the police station and charged with obstructing justice and reckless conduct. She was found not guilty in June.
The cops’ report says they thought Al-Matar showed “suspicious behavior” because she was walking at “a brisk pace, in a determined manner.”
Related articles:
NY protests condemn assassination of Muslims
Stop attacks on Muslims, mosques
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