NYC Woman Pepper Sprays Her Muslim Uber Driver "Because He’s Brown"
+ CNN aired racist anti-Palestine comment, India mobs Muslim woman for praying at university, "Michigan Muslims" endorse Trump, & more.
A New York woman who pepper-sprayed a Muslim Uber driver on the Upper East Side in July was indicted for a hate crime attack, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office announced Monday.
Jennifer Guilbeault, 23, was indicted in New York State Supreme Court on two counts of assault as a hate crime and aggravated harassment for the unprovoked July 31 attack near Lexington Avenue and East 66th Street, Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg said in a press release.
“Jennifer Guilbeault senselessly assaulted a Muslim Uber driver while he was just doing his job,” Bragg said. “The victim is a hardworking New Yorker who should not have to face this type of hate because of his identity.”
Per court documents and statements made on record, Guilbeault sprayed the driver in the face, causing burning, redness and pain. The release noted she allegedly began pepper-spraying 45-year-old Shohel Mahmud after he began praying in Arabic at a stoplight.
The district attorney's office said Mahmud was able to call 911 after a few minutes and Guilbeault was arrested at the scene.
According to The New York Times, Mahmud’s injuries prevented him from working for about two months.
Related: Israel Calls for Manhunt of Journalists and Press in Gaza
The attack was caught on video footage and has since then gone viral on social media. The footage depicts Guilbeault violently grabbing the driver and spraying the can of pepper spray as the suspect’s friend has her hand over her mouth.
When asked why she is attacking him by her friend, Guilbeault allegedly replied, “because he is brown.”
At this time Guilbeault has pleaded not guilty. She was released from custody and is expected back in court in January.
The incident follows a rise in hate crimes against Muslim Americans nationwide. A report released in by the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) this year indicates that in its 30-year history the agency received its highest number of bias reports against Muslims last year. The complaints ranged from verbal discrimination in the classroom or workplace to incidents of physical violence reported to police.
⤵️ WEEKLY NEWS RE-CAP 🗞️💨
💔 HIS OWN MOTHER: A Gaza medic discovered the body he was carrying on a stretcher was his mother’s, killed by an Israeli airstrike, on Wednesday.
“Oh God, I swear — she’s my mother! I didn’t know it was her!” Abed Bardini sobbed as he leaned over his mother, Samira.
🧕🏼 HATE CRIME WATCH: An elderly Muslim woman in The Netherlands spent two days in the hospital after being pushed down the stairs by her racist neighbor.
Telli said she called the police several times, but they didn’t help. Her alleged attacker is reportedly still harassing her after only being detained for two days.
🇮🇳 HINDUTVA MOB: Students at Quantum University in Uttarakhand, India, protested against Muslim prayer on campus after footage of a Muslim woman praying in a stairwell went viral.
🚨 BEIT LAHIYA MASSACRE: Israeli airstrike on residential building in Beit Lahiya, k*lls at least 109, including children
📰 MORE JOURNALISTS TARGETED: Israeli air strikes in Northern Gaza that killed at least 50 Palestinians included at least five journalists in casualties, the government media office in Gaza confirmed.
SEE THE UPDATED LIST OF JOURNALISTS KILLED HERE
🤦🏽♂️ WAIT, WHO’S THE TERRORIST??: Israel declared the United Nations agency UNRWA a “terrorist organization” on Monday, banning further aid to Palestinians.
The ban is set to take effect in 90 days and lead to the closure of UNRWA’s premises in the occupied Palestinian territory – the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem – and Gaza.
The lawmakers who drafted the law claim UNRWA staffers were involved in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel and have membership in Hamas and other armed groups— they have not disclosed any evidence of such allegations.
😂 THERE’S AN IMPOSTER!!!: “Michigan Muslims” endorsed Trump saying he promised to bring peace.
🇸🇩 #HANDSOFFSUDAN: Proxy war in Sudan displaces 12 million with over 150,000 dead, and half the country facing starvation
🗞️ CNN AIRED WHAT?: CNN bans a conservative commentator from its network after he targeted journalist
with what he called a “joke” suggesting Hasan was a member of Hezbollah.“I hope your beeper doesn’t go off,” he said in his verbal attack.
We join the US Council of Muslim Organizations in encouraging all Americans to sign a petition calling on major media outlets to address any anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian bias within their networks in the wake of a racist and threatening anti-Palestinian comment that CNN commentator directed at
live on air on Oct. 29th.Read more about the incident and why media outlets must address anti-Palestinian and anti-Muslim bias & sign our petition to demand accountability.
⤵️ THE WATCH LIST 🚨
For the Past 6 Months, Only 237 Patients Have Been Evacuated Out of Gaza
Per the United Nations over 14,000 patients, including 2,500 children, are currently in need of urgent medical evacuation in Gaza. Despite the thousands in need of medical attention, in the past six months, only 237 patients have been medically evacuated out of Gaza, a spokesperson for the World Health Organization told
— 127 of them children.At that rate, it would take over 29 years for everyone seeking treatment to be allowed out.
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Not to mention that she could’ve caused her driver to crash.