The case of a missing Muslim teenage girl, who claimed in a Facebook post of Dec 1 that she was harassed by supporters of President-elect Donald Trump in a New York City subway train, is stirring emotions not only among the Muslim community but also among other minorities and even mainstream Americans.
18-year old Yasmin Seweid has been missing since Wednesday when she was last seen leaving her home on Dec 1 at 8pm in New Hyde Park, Long Island.
She was clad in a black jacket, the hijab (head scarve), and yoga pants with blue sweater, according to police information. According to her Facebook post, she had been reportedly harassed around 10pm on Dec 1 on the 6 train that operates on the busy Lexington Avenue route.
Seweid claimed that a group of three men tore apart the straps off her bag and shouted: "Look, it's a f***ing terrorist". She was also told to "take that rag off your head". She was terrified and left the train, as they tried to forcibly remove the hijab from her head.
The Nassau County Police Department Missing Persons Squad has, meanwhile, put out an alert notice asking the public to contact it with information on the whereabouts of Yasmin Seweid.
Seweid, who was enrolled as a student at the Baruch College in Manhattan, has not been attending class since Dec 2, the New York Post reported. Seweid's Facebook post, which claims she was harassed by the three men at the 23rd Street subway station on Dec 1, has gone viral. She wrote she was called a "terrorist" and also told to "go back to your country" by the men who repeatedly mentioned President-elect Donald Trump's name.
Her Facebook post, which fetched over 2,700 reactions, described in detail the "traumatising" experience of having the straps ripped off her bag before they tried to pull the hijab off her head. "No matter how 'cultured' or 'Americanised' I am, these people don't see me as an American,' she wrote. But the teenaged girl was equally bitter about the other passengers who merely watched but did nothing to help her. "It breaks my heart that so many individuals chose to be bystanders while watching me get harassed verbally and physically by these disgusting pigs," she wrote. Police are still looking for the men who harassed her. Seweid's father formally reported her missing on Thursday with the Nassau County Police Department which has, meanwhile, opened an investigation. Neighbours of the Seweids said that they had noticed that the teenaged girl had been deeply affected by the incident on the train. One female neighbour told the NBC channel that she had felt terrible (about Seweid's harassment incident) and had offered her a bouquet of flowers to the young girl, saying that "she is a sweetheart".
Yasmin Seweid's post on Facebook on Dec 2:
"I initially was not planning on making a post about what happened yesterday, but you will probably be seeing stories about it on the news & in the newspaper tomorrow. I take the train every single day going to & coming from class, but yesterday, something happened that I never thought would happen to me. I was harassed on the subway last night and it was just so dehumanising I can't speak about it without getting emotional. Three white racists ripped the straps off my bag & attempted to yank my hijab off my head. They yelled such disgusting slurs at me, I was so helpless and felt defenseless. "Look it's a f***g terrorist", "go back to your country", "take that rag off your head", and so many more. Trump's name was repeatedly said & it finally clicked in my head. No matter how "cultured" or "Americanised" I am, these people don't see me as an American. It breaks my heart that so many individuals chose to be bystanders while watching me get harassed verbally and physically by these disgusting pigs. Trump America is real and I witnessed it first hand last night! What a traumatising night. Please stay safe everyone & never let anyone take your rights away. Just thought I should share that with you all tonight."
Racially-motivated attacks have risen in New York, a development which New York's mayor Bill de Blasio attributed, during a press conference on Monday, to Trump. The mayor, who had, in earlier incidents, condemned the rise in hate-crime cases across the city, urged Trump to take a proactive approach to discourage hate crimes. In New York City, hate crime incidents spiked 115 per cent since Election Day on Nov 8, with 43 cases reported compared with 20 cases in the same period in 2015, according to NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce. Bias against Muslims has doubled, with four cases reported since Election Day compared with two reported in the same time period last year.
-- BERNAMA
Bernama
Sun Dec 11 2016
18-year old Yasmin Seweid has been missing since Wednesday when she was last seen leaving her home on Dec 1 at 8pm in New Hyde Park, Long Island. - Youtube / @beautywithyasmin98
Kelantan: 70 peratus kemalangan maut babit penunggang, pembonceng motosikal
70 peratus kes kemalangan maut yang dicatat berlaku dari 1 hingga 26 April di Kelantan, membabitkan penunggang dan pembonceng motosikal.
[TERKINI] WEF | Pembangunan dunia yang tidak seimbang, Apa Solusi?
Mesyuarat Khas Forum Ekonomi Dunia (WEF) di Arab Saudi merungkai masalah ekonomi dan ketidakseimbangan pembangunan yang sedang melanda dunia. Menteri MITI, Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz dan Menteri Kewangan Arab Saudi, Mohammed Al-Jadaan berada sepentas merungkai masalah dunia yang memberi impak kepada semua negara.
PRK Kuala Kubu Baharu: Calon PH, PN bertembung ketika kempen
Dua calon yang bersaing bagi PRK Kuala Kubu Baharu hari ini bertembung buat kali pertama sejak hari penamaan calon semalam.
AWANI Ringkas: 1MDB - Polis Jerman rampas 4 kereta Bugatti Veyron edisi terhad
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari di Astro AWANI menerusi AWANI Ringkas.
Gempa bumi Indonesia, Tasikmalaya paling terjejas
Sekurang-kurangnya empat orang cedera dan 27 keluarga lagi terkesan selepas satu gempa bumi dengan magnitud 6.2 melanda Daerah Garut di Jawa Barat pada pukul 11.29 pagi waktu tempatan, Ahad.
Air penstabil dan pemangkin pembangunan negara - Fadillah Yusof
Air merupakan komponen penting yang bertindak sebagai penstabil dan pemangkin untuk pembangunan negara yang mampan.
Pelaburan RM2.4 bilion dibawa masuk ke Terengganu - MB
Sebanyak RM2.4 bilion nilai pelaburan yang berpotensi sedang dibawa masuk ke Terengganu setakat bulan April ini.
PRK Kuala Kubu Baharu: Kelayakan akademik bukan isu calon PN - Pas
Kempen PN sempena PRK Kuala Kubu Baharu tidak akan terjejas berikutan isu yang mengaitkan kelayakan akademik calonnya, Khairul Azhari Saut.
Peniaga nasi kukus raih jualan RM14,000 sebulan
Inisiatif Pendapatan Rakyat (IPR) mampu merubah graf pendapatan bulanan peserta apabila meningkatkan hasil jualan.
Piala Uber: Malaysia tewas kepada Taiwan
Malaysia memulakan kempen Kumpulan B Piala Uber 2024 mereka dengan langkah kiri apabila tewas 1-4 kepada Taiwan, di sini hari ini.
Pengguna Facebook, Instagram luang 60% masa menonton video
Menurut Meta, kini pengguna meluangkan 60% daripada masa penggunaan di platform berkenaan dengan menonton video.
Semua pihak diminta siap siaga, segera salurkan bantuan mangsa banjir - Ab Rauf
Wakil rakyat dan agensi berkaitan termasuk pihak berkuasa tempatan diarahkan supaya siap siaga dan menyalurkan bantuan awal kepada semua mangsa yang terjejas akibat banjir terutama di Alor Gajah.
'Bila boss?' - Sian See tuntut janji Rafizi
Pempengaruh media sosial, Lim Sian See memberi peringatan kepada Menteri Ekonomi, Rafizi Ramli berhubung jemputan untuk muncul dalam program podcast 'berjudul, ang Bakar Menteri'.
Hina Raja Perlis, peniaga dihadap ke mahkamah
Seorang peniaga dihadapkan ke Mahkamah Sesyen, di sini hari ini atas kesalahan menghantar perkhidmatan komunikasi jelik mengenai Raja Perlis di laman Facebook pada Mac lalu.
Kerajaan pantau konflik Asia Barat, pastikan keselamatan rakyat terjamin - PM Anwar
Kerajaan akan terus memantau dengan teliti perkembangan konflik di Asia Barat dan mengambil langkah-langkah proaktif untuk memastikan keselamatan rakyat Malaysia, sentiasa terjamin.
Facebook pernah pertimbang bayar pengguna untuk data penggunaan
Facebook dikatakan pernah suatu ketika dahulu mempertimbangkan untuk membayar pengguna yang menggunakan platform berkenaan. Namun, idea berkenaan ditolak dan tidak diteruskan.
Peniaga sayur warga emas rugi hampir RM1 juta angkara 'phone scam'
Seorang peniaga sayur di Cameron Highlands kerugian RM958,088 akibat diperdaya sindiket penipuan panggilan telefon atau 'phone scam' yang menyamar sebagai pegawai bank di Dubai, tahun lalu.
Aidilfitri: 1.9 juta kenderaan dijangka guna Lebuhraya KLK - ANIH Berhad
Lebih 1.9 juta kenderaan dijangka menggunakan Lebuhraya KL-Karak (KLK) dan 882,000 kenderaan menggunakan Lebuhraya Pantai Timur Fasa 1 (LPT 1), bagi tempoh 11 hari bermula hari ini.
'Call centre' pelaburan tidak wujud diserbu, 40 ditahan
Polis Johor menahan seramai 40 individu dipercayai terbabit dengan sindiket yang menawarkan pelaburan tidak wujud setelah menyerbu sebuah premis perniagaan yang dijadikan sebagai 'call centre'.
Malaysia hantar 1,500 tan bantuan kemanusiaan ke Gaza setakat ini - Mohamad
Malaysia setakat ini telah menghantar lebih 1,500 tan bantuan kemanusiaan ke Gaza melalui inisiatif Ops Ihsan dan beberapa pertubuhan bukan kerajaan (NGO) tempatan yang lain.