A disabled Muslim mother described how a man abused her and her children en route to a medical appointment in West London.
Speaking to Tell MAMA, she described how she felt targeted due to her niqab and the added vulnerability she experienced as he blocked the path of her wheelchair before abusing them, and agreed for us to tell their story anonymously.
He stopped in the street, blocking their path, before flailing his arms and disparagingly shouting: “Allah, Allah, Allah!” at her and her children, who also wore Islamic clothing.
After the perpetrator left, she contacted the police, and soon Tell MAMA got in contact with her to offer support.
The anti-Muslim abuse occurred in early November and she described the perpetrator as a white male of an unspeficied age.
She told our Casework Team that this was the first example of anti-Muslim abuse she had reported, recognising its importance after someone told her ‘this is a hate crime, you need to report it’, believing previously that you had to ‘live with such abuse and accept it’.
Her children, she added will gain resilience from the experience, as she wants them to continue being proud of their Muslim identities.
“Everyone should be treated with respect, no matter what your identity is, and it’s no one else’s business,” she said.
Tell MAMA also sent them a self-assestment form for our free counselling service which sits within our existing support structures.
Over the years, we documented various examples of the disproportionate abuse, threats, violence and discrimination Muslim women who wear the face veil experience.
The Met Police investigation remains ongoing.
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