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Minnesota State (IINA) – The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN) called on law enforcement authorities to frame criminal charges against a man who allegedly harassed a Muslim woman Shopper in Moorhead, Minnesota, because of her Islamic hijab.
According to the alleged victim, Fardoso Mohammed, who was shopping at the Hornbacher’s in Moorhead, the man told her, “Hey, you need to remove the hijab.” “He was very close to me, and he was yelling very hard, very mad,” said Mohammed, who noted that harassment of hijab-wearing women is not unusual in the Fargo-Moorhead area.
Mohammed says she walked away from the man, but he reportedly followed her through the store and confronted her again about her religious attire. Bystanders did not assist Mohammed or intervene on her behalf. But a Hornbacher’s employee did confront the alleged perpetrator, and he eventually left.
A Moorhead police spokesman said he believed that while the man’s behavior was rude, no laws were broken. Commenting on the spokesman’s statement, CAIR-MN Executive Director Jaylani Hussein said: “We urge law enforcement authorities to reconsider bringing charges in this case based on Minnesota Statutes prohibiting stalking and harassment.” “We thank the store employee who came to the aid of Mohammed,” he added.
Source: International Islamic News Agency