Two Muslim women, babies, attacked in New York hate crime

An American woman, who is reportedly a supporter of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, is facing hate crime charges for attacking two Muslim women in New York, prosecutors say.

The woman identified as Emirjeta Xhelili, was arrested in Brooklyn on Thursday, after she attacked the women as they were pushing two baby carriages. Xhelili tried to rip the veils (Hijab) from the women's heads as she was punching them in the face, the Brooklyn District Attorney's office said on Friday.

According to court documents, Xhelili, 32, hurled Islamophobic insults and struck the women in the face and body. She repeatedly shouted, "This is the United States of America, you're not supposed to be different from us."

The assailant also pushed one stroller to the ground and rattled the other, as two infants sat inside them, the documents said.

The attorney’s office described the incident as a hate crime, charging Xhelili with offenses including assault, reckless endangerment of a child and harassment.

She is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations of New York (CAIR) also denounced the incident and urged the attorney’s office to prosecute “this horrific attack vigorously.”

Afaf Nasher, executive director of CAIR in New York said, by prosecuting the woman, the court should send the message “that hate attacks targeting any minority group will not be tolerated."

"We urge mosques and Islamic institutions to increase security measures,” she added.

SS