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A closely pregnant Sydney lady who was the sufferer of an alleged racially-motivated assault has referred to as on all Australians to come back collectively to guard harmless individuals from racial and non secular assaults.
The 38-week pregnant Muslim lady, recognized by media studies as Rana Elasmar, 31, was with pals at a Parramatta eatery on Wednesday evening when a person approached their desk and spoke to them.
The person then allegedly leaned over and punched Ms Elasmar a number of occasions within the head and higher physique, inflicting her to fall to the bottom as her pals tried to carry him again. He then allegedly stomped on her head.
Ms Elasmar was carrying a hijab and police are Islamophobia as a possible motive. It has been reported the person made anti-Muslim feedback to Ms Elasmar.
Posting publicly on Fb below the identify of Rana Haider, Ms Elasmar, who recognized herself as a Muslim, mentioned she has skilled verbal abuse and hate up to now however by no means thought “bodily abuse of this nature might occur to me”.
The verbal abuse was “already an excessive amount of,” a sense which Ms Elasmar mentioned the Islamic neighborhood shares.
“It’s NOT okay. How anyone looks like they’ve the fitting to abuse one other human being baffles me. It exhibits a scarcity of humanity. It exhibits weak point,” Ms Elasmar mentioned within the put up on Friday.
The person who attacked her “verbalised his hatred of Muslims previous to hitting me” however “he neither is aware of me, nor my faith,” she mentioned.
“I don’t want this assault to occur to anybody ever once more. I wish to see a world the place individuals defend each other in opposition to cowardly acts like this and band collectively to guard the victims.”
“We can not permit behaviour like this to grow to be the norm and sit silent.”
Ms Elasmar suffered quite a lot of bruises and has some swelling. She was taken to Westmead Hospital however was later discharged.
She thanked her pals and members of the general public who got here to her help, in addition to thanking those that have supplied help by social media posts, messages and cellphone calls.
“The overwhelming help I’ve acquired is a mirrored image that this was a narrative that many can relate to,” Ms Elasmar mentioned.
“We’re moms, wives, daughters and we need to really feel protected wherever we go. We deserve an evening out to unwind with out being terrified of an assault like this taking place once more.”
“I worry for the world our kids will develop up in, if this challenge shouldn’t be addressed.”
“I name all Australians, Muslim or non-muslims, of all faiths and cultures to come back collectively, as you’ve got already executed for me, and voice your solidarity in defending harmless individuals from any future racial/spiritual assaults.”
The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils labelled the assault “horrific and cowardly” and recommended pals and bystanders who stepped in to assist – together with one who struck the alleged attacker with a chair.
“This was clearly a racist and Islamophobic assault and we anticipate it to be handled as such,” federation president Dr Rateb Jneid mentioned in a press release on Friday.
The assault got here days after a Charles Sturt College report into Islamophobia in Australia prompted fears abuse was spilling into the open.
The report discovered that of all reported non-online Islamophobic incidents in Australia in 2016 and 2017, greater than half occurred in guarded or patrolled areas and safety guards didn’t deter the abuse.
Of 349 whole incidents, virtually three quarters had been carried out in opposition to girls, whereas 96 per cent of non-online feminine victims had been carrying a hijab.
“Within the week a report was launched outlying the rising incidents of Islamophobia on this nation, such an assault is tragic, real-life proof of the risks that Muslims, and Muslim girls particularly, now face,” the AFIC mentioned.
Stipe Lozina, 43, appeared earlier than Parramatta Native Courtroom on Thursday charged with affray and assault occasioning precise bodily hurt.
He was refused bail to return to courtroom on December 5.
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