Civil rights group urges community members to remain vigilant, safely document and report bias incidents, threats or harassment
The Maryland office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today condemned the reported harassment of multiple Muslim women wearing Islamic headscarves, or hijabs, at a market in Montgomery County.
According to a video shared with CAIR by a witness, a male follows women shoppers into the store and confronts them near the checkout area, repeatedly demanding that they remove their headscarves and making other derogatory comments about Islam.
Concerned that the encounter could become physical, a witness begins recording it on a cellphone. The man then appears to direct his hostility toward the witness, using offensive language about the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and Quran, declaring that America is “his country,” and claiming that his conduct is protected by freedom of speech.
A store manager reportedly intervened and instructed the man to either continue shopping peacefully or leave. Police were contacted, but the male reportedly drove away before officers arrived.
“No one should be followed, intimidated or subjected to abuse especially because of how they dress or worship,” said CAIR’s Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry. “We applaud the witness who recognized the danger, safely documented the encounter and stood in solidarity with the women targeted. This troubling incident exemplifies how upstanders and businesses can play an important role in safely preventing hateful confrontations from escalating. Invoking Christianity, patriotism or freedom of speech does not excuse targeting and intimidating anyone because they are Muslim.”
CAIR Maryland is urging anyone with firsthand information, photographs or video of the incident to preserve the original files and contact Montgomery County police. Witnesses should avoid publicly sharing identifiable images of the women targeted without their consent.
Community members who encounter similar harassment are encouraged to:
• Prioritize their safety and avoid escalating the confrontation.
• Move toward store employees, security personnel or other witnesses.
• Call 911 immediately if anyone makes threats, displays a weapon, blocks an exit, follows someone or appears likely to become violent.
• Record from a safe distance when possible.
• Preserve original videos, photographs, receipts and witness information.
• Write down the individual’s description, vehicle information and license plate number, and identifying information.
• Ask responding officers to specifically document any statements indicating religious or other bias.
• Report the incident to CAIR at cair.com/report and [email protected]
CAIR also encourages businesses to train employees to recognize and respond promptly to harassment targeting customers because of their race, religion, ethnicity, gender, disability or other protected characteristics.
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
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CONTACT: CAIR Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry, [email protected], 410-971-6062
CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, [email protected], 202-744-7726
CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, [email protected], 202-770-6280