A Muslim college student was reportedly attacked as he was walking back to campus after praying at a local mosque, Texas advocates said.
The student told the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) that three men approached him and his friend and started mocking Islamic phrases and the Arabic language, according to a news release from the organization detailing the April 5 incident.
The University of Texas at Austin student was wearing kurta shalwar, attire associated with the South Asian Muslim community, according to CAIR-Austin.
The three men allegedly blocked their path and punched the student, CAIR said. The student suffered cuts and bruises as a result, according to a news release.
One of the men reportedly reached into his pocket and said he had a weapon, CAIR said.
The organization called for law enforcement to investigate the attack as a hate crime.
“No human being should feel unsafe wearing their traditional clothes in public. And when this happens in Austin, a city that cherishes cultural diversity, it is even more traumatizing,” CAIR-Austin Operations Manager Shaimaa Zayan said in a statement.
Austin police said the attack happened around 11 p.m. approximately a half-mile from UT’s campus, according to a police report.
Police told McClatchy News the incident is being investigated as an assault and a hate crime, and they will share findings with the prosecutor’s office.
The university said it is aware of the incident and has reached out to the individuals involved.
“UT remains committed to the safety and well-being of every member of our University community and has no tolerance for violence or other hateful actions against any of our community members, including those in our Muslim, Palestinian, and Arab communities,” the university said in a statement.
“There is a disturbing pattern of Islamophobia toward the Muslim student population of the UT campus in Austin,” CAIR-Austin Board Chair Fayyaz Shah said in a statement.
