Saudi Muslim woman attacked on Dublin bus by man who said he 'hated Muslims: Islamophobia

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Wednesday 16 Sep 2015 - 10:32 Makkah mean time-3-12-1436 Mashael Khayyat is studying for a PhD in computer science at Trinity College Dublin (Image from the Independent) Dublin, (IINA) – A Saudi Muslim student was attacked on a bus in Dublin by a man who said he hated Muslims before hitting her in shoulder, amid increasing hate-attacks targeting veiled women in the UK, according to media reports. Mashael Khayyat, who is studying for PhD in computer science at Trinity College, said she was on her way through the Irish capital on Wednesday last week on the number 70 bus to pick her two daughters up from school at the time. “Suddenly an Irish man came to the bus with a bus pass, saw me wearing hijab (veil) and said Allah Akbar to me,” which means “God is great”, she wrote on Facebook. Shocked by the attack, the terrified woman explained what happened to her to the bus driver who reported the incident to the police. After reporting the attack, the Gardaí Síochána (Irish police service) said officers were investigating the incident. "Gardaí arrived on the scene and spoke to both parties. The investigation is ongoing." A spokesperson for Dublin Bus, which operates the number 70, said police were contacted and officers removed a passenger from the bus. "The safety of our customers and our employees is our primary priority and we take incidents of this nature very seriously," she added." "We have retained CCTV footage of the incident and will make this available to An Garda Síochána and assist with their enquiries." Ireland’s anti-Muslim attack came a few days after London Met police has revealed that Islamophobic attacks have increased by 70 percent in the past year, warning that veiled women were becoming prime targets of such attacks. About 816 Islamophobic crimes were reported between July 2014 and July 2015, compared with 478 in the same period last year. Anti-Muslim attacks across UK capital ranged from cyber-bullying and assaults to extreme violence, according to police. Britain is home to a Muslim community of nearly 2.7 million. SM/IINA