Monday, June 8, 2026
ADVT 
International

Hijab-Clad 'Hero' Muslim Cop Called 'ISIS', Harassed In US

IANS, 05 Dec, 2016 01:33 PM
    An off-duty hijab-clad Muslim police officer was called "ISIS" and told to go back to her "country" by a white man who also pushed her 16-year-old son, the latest in a series of incidents in which headscarf-wearing women have been targeted in the US following Donald Trump's win.
     
    Officer Aml Elsokary, who was off duty and wearing her hijab, dropped off her son in Brooklyn. After parking her car, she returned to the scene to find her son being shoved by the suspect, a white man in his 30s.
     
    When the officer -- a native New Yorker -- approached, the man said, "ISIS (expletive), I will cut your throat, go back to your country!"
     
    Elsokary did not identify herself as a police officer, and was unarmed, the New York Daily News reported, citing police sources.
     
    The suspect then fled the scene. Police were trying to track him down.
     
    The NYPD Hate Crimes Unit is probing the episode as a bias incident which took place on Saturday.
     
    Officer Elsokary -- who proudly wears her hijab on duty -- was touted as a hero by the New York city mayor after she ran into a burning building to save an elderly man and baby girl in April 2014.
     
    Responding to a call about a fire over the police radio, Elsokary and her partner had rushed to a smoke-filled building.
     
    The decorated officer had joined the force shortly after the September 11 terror attacks to "show people that the terrible acts of that day contradicted the teachings of Islam," Mayor de Blasio had said at a 2014 dinner.
     
    The mother-of-five had received a medal for her bravery.
     
    Saturday's incident comes amid a slew of intimidation and assault cases that have been reported across the country against hijab-clad women following Trump's win.
     
    On Thursday, a Muslim student was allegedly assaulted aboard a subway train by three drunk white men who repeatedly screamed "Donald Trump!" and hurled anti-Islam slurs before trying to rip her hijab off.
     
    Earlier this month, a Hijab-clad Muslim student was allegedly struck in the face with a glass bottle in broad daylight at the University of Washington campus in Seattle.
     
    In another incident, a hijab-clad woman was allegedly accosted at a US store by another customer who called her a "terrorist" and told her to "get out" of the country.
     
    Also, a Muslim student's hijab was allegedly ripped off and her hair pulled down by a classmate at a school in Minnesota.

    MORE International ARTICLES

    UK Newspaper Takes Stand On ‘Hindu Nationalism’, To Use Bombay, Not Mumbai

    UK Newspaper Takes Stand On ‘Hindu Nationalism’, To Use Bombay, Not Mumbai
    The city's name was officially changed to Mumbai in 1995 to distance itself from the colonial term - Bombay.

    UK Newspaper Takes Stand On ‘Hindu Nationalism’, To Use Bombay, Not Mumbai

    Pandit Jasraj Honoured In Houston

    Pandit Jasraj Honoured In Houston
    Pandit Jasraj has been honoured in Houston for his lifelong contribution to classical Indian art. He is happy that he is able to popularise Hindustani music in the US.

    Pandit Jasraj Honoured In Houston

    Indian-Origin Diplomat Harinder Sidhu Australia's New Envoy To India

    Indian-Origin Diplomat Harinder Sidhu Australia's New Envoy To India
    She is the third Indian-origin envoy in India, after the US and Canadian envoys and the second Indian-origin Australian high commissioner in India.

    Indian-Origin Diplomat Harinder Sidhu Australia's New Envoy To India

    Pervez Musharraf In ICU After High Blood Pressure

    Pervez Musharraf In ICU After High Blood Pressure
    Former President of Pakistan and chief of All Pakistan Muslim League, Pervez Musharraf was on Thursday admitted to hospital after he fainted at his home.

    Pervez Musharraf In ICU After High Blood Pressure

    Indian Lawyer Abhinav Bhushan Named South Asia Regional Director At International Arbitration Court

    Indian Lawyer Abhinav Bhushan Named South Asia Regional Director At International Arbitration Court
    The first Indian to be appointed as deputy counsel of the ICC earlier, Bhushan “will be based in its Asia offices in Singapore and will take on part of the role of the outgoing regional director, Sylvia Tee”

    Indian Lawyer Abhinav Bhushan Named South Asia Regional Director At International Arbitration Court

    Four Indian Americans Selected To US National Academy Of Engineering

    Four Indian Americans Selected To US National Academy Of Engineering
    Four Indian American engineers are among 80 new members selected to the prestigious US National Academy of Engineering (NAE) for their valuable contributions to the society.

    Four Indian Americans Selected To US National Academy Of Engineering