Woman arrested after alleged Islamophobic assault in Epping, Victoria

A woman has been arrested over the alleged assault of two Muslim women, including one who was pregnant, at a shopping centre.

A 31-year-old woman was arrested on Wednesday morning in relation to the alleged assault of two Muslim women in a northeast Melbourne shopping centre last week.

A 30-year-old woman was allegedly assaulted about 1pm, then a 26-year-old woman 10 minutes later, in separate incidents in the Pacific Epping shopping complex on February 13.

Police allege the women, who were wearing head coverings, were assaulted in a “targeted” attack.

The first woman, identified as Kawthar Ali, told the ABCthat she was attacked from behind and choked with her hijab.

Ms Ali, who is 26 weeks pregnant, said she was about to have lunch with her friend and four-year-old daughter as a woman approached her.

“I went to turn around to see who was behind me but by then she grabbed my scarf very hard and tried to completely rip it off,” Ms Ali said.

The alleged assaults occurred at Pacific Epping, a shopping complex on High St. Picture: NewsWire / Luis Enrique Ascui

“The woman ended up letting go but quickly ran off after abusing me verbally. I sat back down, adjusted my hijab over my hair and couldn’t stop crying.”

She said her four year-old was having nightmares from the incident.

The second woman, Ealaf Al-Esawie, told the ABC that she was on her lunch break in the centre when the attack occurred.

Ms Al-Esawie, who was born and raised in Australia, said she was thrown to the ground by the woman and fell so hard she was crying in pain.

The Australian-born mother of two said the attack left her with memory loss from the trauma.

“I don’t feel safe anymore. I’ve never encountered anything like that at all in my life,” Ms Al-Esawie said.

Both women were treated at Northern Hospital following the incident.

Victoria Police have arrested a woman in relation to the incident. Picture: NewsWire / Diego Fedele

The Pascoe Vale woman was charged with intentionally and recklessly cause injury, unlawful assault and aggravated assault.

She will appear before Heidelberg Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.

Ms Al-Esawie said she posted about the incident on online forums after which she received death threats.

Police said the online threats were still under investigation.

“There is absolutely no place in our society for discriminatory, racist, or hate-based behaviour and such activity will not be tolerated,” Victoria Police said in a statement.

On Tuesday, Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja accused Anthony Albanese of staying silent on the “atrocious attacks”.

Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja claimed the media has ‘never treated’ Islamophobic attacks ‘the same’ as anti-Semitic attacks. Picture: NewsWire / Monique Harmer

“The media has never treated attacks against the Islamic community or any other community the same as anti-Semitic attacks. They are all deplorable,” Khawaja wrote in an Instagram post.

“But there is no way that anti-Semitism is any less or more than Islamophobia and vice versa. They both deserve the same weight as they are both relevant. But the media will never treat them the same.”

The Prime Minister condemned the attacks against the two women in a press conference on Wednesday, describing them as “racist”.

“I have every respect for Usman Khawaja, he’s a great Australian … my view is that any attack on people on the basis of their faith or who they are is reprehensible,” Mr Albanese said.

Later that day, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton told the ABCin a statement the violence was unacceptable, egregious and a disgrace.