Two men have targeted a 19-year-old Muslim woman in Belgium, inflicting injuries upon her with a sharp object and calling her a “filthy Arab.”
The woman, whose name has not been made public, was brutally assaulted in what appears to be a hate crime carried out by two racist men in Anderlues town near Brussels on Monday, Belgian media reported.
The 19-year-old was walking alone in an alley around 11 pm local time when two unnamed assailants stood in her way, according to Belgium’s official news agency Belga.
The men took off her headscarf and tore apart her shirt, exposing her upper body. As she tried to escape, the two men hurled racial slurs at the victim, calling her a “filthy Arab” before knocking her to the ground.
Then, the attackers used a sharp object to cut her body, including her torso, stomach and legs, in the shape of a cross, the Belga said. The men fled after the incident.
The police is yet to reveal details about the health condition of the woman but have launched an investigation into the attack.
Philippe Tison, the Mayor of Anderlues, condemned the attack on Wednesday, two days after the attack that, according to him, took place in “a municipality that has achieved its model of living together.”
Subscribe to our newsletter and stay updated on the latest news and updates from around the Muslim world!
“I was shocked to learn that a racist attack against one of our fellow citizens was occurred in Anderlues,” Tison, the mayor, said on his Facebook account. “It is a despicable act that saddens all of us … We cannot tolerate our fellow citizens are becoming victims of racist aggression,” he said.
Meanwhile, Belgium’s Muslim groups have strongly condemned the attack.
In a joint statement, the Belgian Muslim Executive Body (EMB) and the Centre Islamique Belge (CIB) said “the despicable attack” did not target only Islam, but the basic values of all Belgian society and religious freedom.
“Violence should not be responded with violence,” said the statement, adding that they believed that the police and judiciary would take necessary measures regarding the incident.
