Police release images of man who can assist investigation into attack on Muslim woman
WA Police have released images of a man they believe can assist in their investigation into an alleged attack on a Muslim woman.
The Muslim mother was attacked at a Perth shopping centre and has spoken out about the attack, saying no individual should be targeted because of religion.
The 33-year-old woman, who asked not to be named, was at the Beeliar Village in Perth’s south on Friday evening when a stranger urged his children to wish her a Merry Christmas.
“I said ‘you too, Merry Christmas’ and that’s when he said ‘that’s right you **** Muslim ****,” the mother-of-four said.
The woman said she confronted the man about his actions, and that’s when he threw a beer bottle towards her face.
The bottle hit her back and a scuffle broke out.
Another woman separated the pair, but not before the mother-of-four's headscarf fell to the ground.
The man then grabbed the 33-year-old’s headscarf and took off, dropping it in nearby bushland.
As the man made his getaway, he hurled abuse and threw rocks at the mother-of-four as she called 000.
“He goes: ‘if I see you again, I’m going to kill you’,” she said.
“I’m just sick of the abuse.
“This isn’t the first time it’s happened.”
The mother-of-four said she’s been left shaken by the incident and is calling for her daughters, other Muslim women and all Australians to stand up against abuse that she said was becoming all too common.
“It’s disgusting because we’re just normal people,” the woman said.
“We’ve got a religion we want to follow.
“I choose to wear the scarf. It’s my identity as a Muslim and I’m proud of it.
“Why the hell should I be ashamed of who I am?”
WA Police are investigating the incident.
