A Muslim woman reported to police that a man verbally attacked her and her family while they were stopped at a traffic light in Columbus.
"C**t, you don't belong in this country," the man shouted. "Go back to your f**king country."
The Ohio chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Ohio) has asked state and federal authorities to investigate the threats made to the woman.
She told police that the man stormed up to her car and began banging on the window, according to CAIR-Ohio. He then began to shout obscenities at the woman and her family.
The woman, who wears a traditional Islamic hijab, said the man took pictures of the children in her car.
"We are alarmed by the nationwide rise in anti-Muslim hate crimes," CAIR-Ohio Staff Attorney Romin Iqbal said. "We hope law enforcement authorities follow up on this and all other alleged hate crimes targeting American Muslims. If perpetrators are held to account, it will lead to a reduction in the number of these incidents."
Iqbal said there have been other reports of hate crimes against Muslims across Central Ohio over the past few days. CAIR-Ohio is investigating these as well as an incident where a Muslim student at Ohio State University was threatened for wearing her hijab.
