Muslim Woman Set on Fire in New York City, Adding to the List of Violent Attacks towards Muslims

The 35-year-old woman, a Scottish tourist from Glasgow who was shopping on Fifth Avenue, noticed her sleeve was on fire and then quickly extinguished the flame.

[Photo Credit: Brendan McDermid/Reuters via TheAtlantic.com]

A Muslim woman was set on fire in New York City the night before September 11.  The 35-year-old woman, a Scottish tourist from Glasgow who was shopping on Fifth Avenue, noticed her sleeve was on fire and then quickly extinguished the flame. She had been dropped off by a sightseeing and was window-shopping at the Valentino store around 9 p.m. She refused medical attention.

According to the NYPD, the woman felt her left arm start to feel warm when she realized she was on fire. The police said she saw the suspect pull a lighter and walk away. He said nothing to her. Authorities are currently investigating whether the incident will be considered a hate crime. Investigators are currently looking for this man who they say was wearing a black hat, black tank top, black pants and black shoes. Here is the video of the suspect.

The Council on America-Islamic relations says they are going to advocate for a full in-depth investigation.

Violence and attacks against Muslims around 9/11 are not uncommon. Last week, a Muslim woman and her children were attacked by another woman who tried to rip off the woman’s hijab and then yelled her and the woman’s friend.

Another attack occurred when someone set fire to the mosque Omar Mateen, the Orlando nightclub shooter, had attended.

A mosque in Hawthorne, California was vandalized with the words, “Jesus is the Way.”

A Sikh temple was vandalized with words that referenced Islam and the Islamic State.

A mosque in the Coachella Valley was set on fire and burglarized.

A convenience store worker was shot in the face by a man who called the clerk a terrorist in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

A man was killed in Oklahoma after he called 911 two days after the Paris attacks when that man said he was going to kill Muslims as an attack of revenge.

The list goes on and on. According to recent statistics, there have been more than 230 acts of anti-Muslim violence, discrimination, and political speech this year.

If you Google safety for Muslim-Americans, you’ll find dozens of articles that show most people do not feel safe. There are a ton of articles that discuss safety but no one has a clear-cut solution as to what can reduce the attacks. Some say they fear that if Donald Trump becomes the President, these attacks will only increase. Others say the best way to decrease the attacks is to increase education and exposure to the non-extremist facets of Islam.