Imagine seeing your teenage son in an argument, and when you intervene you’re verbally abused for it. That’s what 34-year-old Aml Elsokary faced last week (Dec. 3). Shortly after the Muslim-American woman dropped off her 16-year-old son in Brooklyn, another male began arguing with him. That’s when the off-duty NYPD officer decided to intercede, before being called an, “ISIS [expletive], I will cut your throat, go back to your country,” according to Elsokary, who was wearing her hijab at the time of the incident.
The NYPD arrested 36-year-old Christopher Nelson less than 24 hours after the altercation, CBS reports. The oppressor was charged with menacing as a hate crime and aggravated harassment. He was held on a $50,000 bail, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office.
Mayor Bill de Blasio came to the defense of the 11-year NYPD veteran. “This is her country, she is an American, she is a New Yorker, and this is her home. We cannot allow this hatred and bias to spread. You can’t have a candidate for president single out groups of Americans negatively and not have some ramification for that, not have something as a result of that. It’s very troubling. Look, a few times recently the President-elect has spoken out against it. He needs to keep doing that.”
“I help everybody no matter what your religion is. I’m born and raised here and I am here to protect you all. The department has supported me in wearing my hijab. I want to thank my Muslim officers for standing by my side,” Elsokary said at Monday’s (Dec. 5) press conference.
According to the NYPD, there’s been 43 bias-related attacks reported since the election, compared to 20 during the same time last year. That is a 115 percent increase.
