‘Appalling’: Woman and Daughter Targeted in Islamophobic Attack at Sydney Store

IQNA – A hijabi Muslim woman says she and her daughter had been targeted in an islamophobic attack at a store in Sydney.

New South Wales Police are investigating the assault at a Kmart store in Bankstown, western Sydney, involving the Muslim woman who was wearing a T-shirt with a pro-Palestinian slogan. 

The woman, identified as Mariam, claims she and her 10-year-old daughter were subjected to verbal and physical abuse by another shopper. According to Mariam, the woman threw boxes at them before directing offensive remarks and gestures. 

Footage recorded by Mariam shows the alleged perpetrator giving her the middle finger and questioning the T-shirt’s slogan, which read, “From the river to the sea,” a phrase Palestinians view as a call for liberation.

The woman is heard in the video using profanities, but the footage does not include the alleged box-throwing, SBS News reported on Sunday.  

In a separate video shared on Instagram, Mariam alleged the woman threatened her life. “My daughter was there as well, which was really appalling,” she stated. She added that the woman approached her aggressively, leaving her uncertain about how to protect her child. 

Mariam also claimed that prior to recording the incident, the woman had thrown boxes at them in an aisle. 

She reported the incident to Bankstown police but expressed frustration over their delayed response.

She said she waited for three hours at the store, hoping they would come to review CCTV footage, but they didn’t show up. She noted that police contacted her only 24 hours later, by which time she felt unsupported. 

On Sunday, a group of supporters held a rally outside Bankstown police station, denouncing the incident as Islamophobic and criticizing the police response.

Arab-Australian poet Omar Sakr, also a Greens candidate for the federal seat of Blaxland, addressed the crowd, calling for better protection and accountability. 

"We deserve better than the police force that doesn't bother to show up to the scene of a crime," Sakr said. "Mariam deserves better than this; our community deserves better than this."

NSW Police confirmed they are investigating the incident and said officers attempted to contact Mariam to obtain a formal statement. According to police, Mariam declined to provide a statement initially, opting instead to focus on her and her daughter’s well-being. 

Later, police approached Mariam’s acquaintances for assistance in contacting her. She eventually provided a statement, police said on Sunday afternoon. 

A police spokesperson explained that a Triple Zero call was made at approximately 4 p.m. on Friday, reporting the alleged assault.

The operator was informed that the suspected offender had left the premises, and it was determined that Mariam and her daughter were not in immediate danger. Security personnel at the store were also aware of the incident. 

Police emphasized their duty to investigate reports of violence in the community, adding that the case remains under active investigation. 

The incident comes just days after two other Islamophobic incidents in Australia that had garnered media attention: an Islamophobic graffiti in the western Sydney suburb of Sefton and an arson attack against a truck displaying Palestinian flags in western Melbourne.

Source: Agencies