Hijab-clad woman kicked, shouted at by traveller at JFK


New York, Jan 27 (PTI): A Hijab-clad Muslim airline employee in the US has been racially attacked, kicked by a man who shouted slurs at her and said "Trump is here now" and "he will get rid of all of you", officials said.

Rabeeya Khan, a Delta Airline employee, was sitting in her office in the Delta Sky Lounge of the John F Kennedy International Airport on Wednesday when Robin Rhodes, 57, of Worcester, who had arrived from Aruba and was awaiting a connecting flight to Massachusetts approached her, Queens District Attorney Richard A Brown, said in a statement yesterday.

"Are you sleeping? Are you praying? What are you doing?" Rhodes allegedly said to the employee before punching the door, which hit the back her chair," prosecutors were quoted as saying by the New York Times.

Khan asked Rhodes what she did to him, prosecutors said. He replied, "You did nothing but I am going to kick your ass," prosecutors said.

He then kicked her in the right leg, prosecutors said, and when she tried to get away from him he kicked the door and blocked her from leaving.

When another person tried to calm him, he moved away from the door and Khan ran to the front desk of the lounge, according to the statement.

But Rhodes still followed her, then got down on his knees and began to bow down, mimicking a Muslim prayer, prosecutors said, and allegedly shouted, "Islam, ISIS, Donald Trump is here now. He will get rid of all of you. You can ask Germany, Belgium and France about these kinds of people. You will see what happens."

Rhodes, of Massachusetts, was charged with assault, unlawful imprisonment, menacing and harassment as hate crimes, among other counts. If convicted, he could face up to four years in prison.

When he was arrested, Rhodes told the police, "I guess I am going to jail for disorderly conduct. I couldn't tell if it was a man or woman because their back was to me and they had something covering their head."

Delta says the victim is employed by a contractor, not by Delta directly, but "what happened in this incident is totally unacceptable and Delta has and will continue to fully cooperate with authorities in this investigation."

  

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Comment on this article

  • Rita, Germany

    Sat, Jan 28 2017

    Very bad to Americans and a step nearer again for any attack happens in near future.It is like a invitation .Only the fellow who attcked should answer for his act and should be punished for many years in jail.He is dangerous to soceity.where is the garanty he doesnt do it again.He too should be kicked out .who knows his patron will be faster kicked out by the ladys religious people than he can think.Have to be careful when you insult religion.Noone has the right to insult because of ones dress.A free country like USA ,multinationals,can do and dress as they want.No limits .lets wait and see what punishment he gets.

    DisAgree [5] Agree [3] Reply Report Abuse

  • G M Hegde, Udupi

    Fri, Jan 27 2017

    One is hell bent on removing a dress and the other is hell bent on putting it on. Sad state of women in this man made world, long way to go for them to get their rights.

    DisAgree [2] Agree [12] Reply Report Abuse

  • Don, Mangalore

    Fri, Jan 27 2017

    If the reports are true, then this act and all such acts around the world were ALL minorities are harassed and killed should also be condemned.

    Presently, the are allegations are being investigated and I am confident the wrong does will be punished. But in the same breath I will add that there have been several instances in the US when people have complained of being wronged and harassed and blamed Islamophobia and Trump for it, when investigated it was found that those people lied and eventually they agreed they did it to defame Trump and/or the American people.

    Secondly, when a white police officer shot dead a black man in cold blood, and in retaliation another black man took the law in his hand and killed police officers ......nobody blamed Barak Obama. Though Barak opened the issue of race relations by his speeches blaming Slavery in America for the straining of race relations in America. Later, he supported the movement "Black lives Matter", when in fact all lives mattered.

    DisAgree [7] Agree [6] Reply Report Abuse

  • HENRY MISQUITH, Suratkal/M'lore/Bahrain

    Fri, Jan 27 2017

    This incident is certainly horrible. Anyone can follow any dress code in US, who the hell are you to kicked/ shout, others about their dressing sense?

    DisAgree [9] Agree [14] Reply Report Abuse

  • Dr Mohan Prabhu, LL.D, QC, Mangalore (Kankanady)/Ottawa, Canada

    Fri, Jan 27 2017

    What a cruel and horrible thing to do! The man must be punished to the fullest extent of the law. Wait and see what people like this man will do next. Trump has started this and has to end it if he wants to complete his term

    DisAgree [16] Agree [15] Reply Report Abuse

  • Vantage Point, Mangalore

    Fri, Jan 27 2017

    This is not any strange news to be in headlines ...it has become normal in U.S on day to day basis...Well there may be some people here who may rejoice over this and consider it as an "heroic act"

    DisAgree [31] Agree [8] Reply Report Abuse


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