Muslim woman falls victim to "sickening" attack

A young Muslim woman who was knocked down and dragged along the pavement by her hijab, was left shaken in Hall Lane in Chingford Mount, north London. The 27 year old was visiting a friend at a hair salon when two white men approached her from behind and tried to remove her headscarf. She was forced to the ground and heaved several metres before she was let off.

Witnesses saw her lying on the floor for almost 20 minutes before she managed to dial 999 and limp to a nearby Turkish restaurant. A waiter at the Fes restaurant said, "The poor girl was shaking like a leaf, we had to sit her down and give her water before she could speak. She told us two white boys shoved her then dragged her along the floor by her headscarf and left her on the pavement. She was having a panic attack when we saw her and could barely breathe."

Paramedics attended her and treated her for back injuries before they took her to a hospital. A diner, Hussan Bukhari said the woman was "absolutely terrified and in tears." "She had back surgery last month and was really worried it was damaged again as she couldn't walk by herself. She said 'They took nothing from me, not my phone, not my bag. They just thought they could get away with it. I through this area was safe.' As a Muslim myself, that could have been my mother or sister who was carried in so I felt really protective of her." A Scotland Yard spokesman said officers were investigating the incident.