Winnipeg woman harassed with anti-Muslim slurs during school drop-off fears for her safety
CBC
A Muslim woman from Winnipeg says she's shocked, scared and in disbelief after being accosted twice Friday morning.
Sarwat Qureshi was driving her son to Acadia High School in Fort Richmond when she was waved down by a person who then hurled anti-Muslim and Islamophobic slurs at her. After dropping her son off and taking a different street, Qureshi crossed paths with the person again and she said they tried to physically enter her van.
"That individual didn't know me, didn't know my name, we've never met before," said Qureshi. "But so much hate that he had for me just because of the way I dress, I can't understand it, it's hard to explain."
Qureshi said after dropping her son off at school she didn't want to drive back on Kilkenny Drive, and instead chose to take Rochester Avenue. By chance, saw them walking down the street. Qureshi said she slowed down the van to try to take a photo.
WATCH | Winnipeg woman shaken after verbal, physical attack by person shouting anti-Muslim slurs:
That's when the person got physical with the vehicle.
"For a fraction of a second I'm like 'Oh my god, maybe the door is not locked,' thankfully was locked," she said. "At that time he started hitting the … passenger side window, started kicking the car and started pulling the side view mirror."
"And that time I just drove and then I saw him running after me. So I drove away, I went towards Dalhousie and took a long route too because I didn't want him to see where I live."
She said as soon as she got home she contacted the police. CBC News has asked the Winnipeg Police Service for comment on the incident, but hasn't heard back.
WATCH | Video shows person pounding on vehicle driven by Muslim woman in Winnipeg:
A local researcher and author in Islamic studies and Islamophobia said the incident isn't surprising.
Youcef Soufi has been gathering stories for the last three weeks in his role as a consultant with the Manitoba Islamic Association. He also knows Qureshi and her family.
Soufi said since the latest conflict between Israel and Hamas began, he's heard from people who are receiving death threats online, having their windows smashed, having racial slurs hurled at them, being threatened at a grocery store and kids being bullied at school.
"It's jarring, I first learned about it on a WhatsApp group and everybody within that WhatsApp group was expressing concern and was very worried about her and her family, so that's my first reaction," he said.
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