Three Muslims from Birmingham who helped save two toddlers and their mother from a savage dog attack are being hailed as heroes.
The Birmingham Mail reports that Nighat Khatoon, 36, stopped her car in Saltley on Monday when she saw the escaped animal maul the two and three-year-old girls as their mother screamed for help.
Yaser Baig,38, then kicked the frenzied dog and scooped one child into his arms while Mohammed Zakriyya, 43, ran from his home and pulled the other to the safety of the car.
Local Councillor Majid Mahmood has written to council bosses asking for the trio to receive official acclaim.
He said: “I applaud the heroic acts of Yaser, Nighat and Mohammed who, despite the inherent risks to themselves, acted with utmost bravery to stop the savage attack against the two little children from the dog.
“It is abundantly clear that, if our heroes had not intervened when they did, the little girls would have sustained much more serious injuries. The city owes a debt of gratitude to the heroes for their selfless acts. That’s why I have written and spoken to Lord Mayor Coun Mohammed Azim calling for some form of recognition for our heroes.”
Local MP Liam Byrne added: “Nothing tackles a crisis like community. I think every single one of us in Hodge Hill wants to say a huge thank you and well done to our local heroes who moved so fast with courage and compassion to avert disaster. Thank you – and good job!”
Subscribe to our newsletter and stay updated on the latest news and updates from around the Muslim world!
Mr Zakriyya previously told the Birmingham Mail how he was working from his front room when he heard his wife screaming for help just after 12.30pm on Monday.
He ran out and was confronted with the horrific sight of one little girl being attacked by a dog he descried as a rottweiler.
He said: “I ran towards the situation in my socks, not knowing what to expect. I didn’t think – I just reacted. I saw the dog over the child initially and they were trying to pull it away. The dog had the child’s leg in its mouth and was trying to pull back. When (Mr Baig) started kicking the dog, it broke free.
“At that point, I saw the dog’s face and one eye was bloodshot red. It looked scary, unwell. I saw the child sitting on the ground and I picked this child up before the dog could attack them. The lady (Nighat Khatoon) said, ‘Put her in the car’ so I did. The mother got chased round the car by the dog and I pulled her behind me and said, ‘Stop, don’t run, I’m in front of you. She was in such a bad, traumatic state, I have never seen a mother so traumatised.”
Both girls were taken to hospital by ambulance to Birmingham Children’s Hospital. Their injuries were not life-threatening.
