Police in New York City are investigating a possible hate crime after a Muslim woman wearing traditional attire had her clothes set on fire by a man with a lighter.
The 35-year-old woman was wearing a hijab and standing outside a Valentino store on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan on Sept. 10 when a man set her clothes on fire, according to the New York Police Department.
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“The victim informed police that she was walking on the sidewalk when she felt something warm on her left arm and noticed her blouse was on fire,” the NYPD said in a statement. “She patted out the fire and observed a male standing next to her with a lighter in his hand. The unknown male then proceeded to walk eastbound on East 54 Street.”
Police have released surveillance footage that shows the man dressed in black wearing a tank top, pants and a backwards hat. The NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force is investigating the incident and no arrests have been made.
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The Council on American-Islamic Relations condemned the assault and said it follows a shocking pattern of attacks on Muslims and Islamic sites in recent months.
“We are clearly seeing a spike in attacks on individual Muslims and Islamic institutions in New York and around the country, which should be of concern to all Americans,” said Afaf Nasher, director of the group’s New York chapter, in a statement posted on Facebook. “It is time for the mayor and the NYPD to put forward the necessary resources to investigate and prevent these attacks on the Muslim community.”
The assault follows another incident in New York where Muslim women pushing their toddlers in strollers in Brooklyn were attacked by a woman who screamed “get the f— out of America b—–s, you don’t belong here,” according to the Associated Press.
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