Group calls for hate crime charges in attack on Swahili-speaking woman
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations is calling for hate crime charges to be filed after one woman allegedly attacked another who was speaking Swahili in a suburban Minneapolis restaurant, CBS Minnesota reports.
Jodie Marie Bruchard-Risch, 43, is accused of attacking Asma Mohamed Jama with a beer mug and striking her across the face with it in a round house blow, the station reports. Jama suffered multiple deep cuts to her nose, right eyelid and lower lip. She received 17 stitches, according to the station.
Burchard-Risch has been charged with third-degree assault.
Asma Mohamed Jama was with her cousins and four children eating dinner at Applebee's last Friday night when, according to a criminal complaint, Bruchard-Risch became upset that they were not speaking English.
"I live in America. I can speak English but we prefer to speak our own language if it bothers you I'm sorry," Jama claims she replied to Bruchard-Risch, who confronted her.
That is when, she said, Bruchard-Risch attacked.
CAIR-MN argues that the attack represents part of a pattern of bias-motivated incidents nationwide, including a recent attack on a Muslim woman at an Indiana restaurant.
"The current charge is insufficient to communicate the seriousness of and possible bias motive for the alleged attack," The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations executive director Jaylani Hussein said, according to the station.
Burchard-Risch is scheduled to appear in court in December.