A science teacher at Shiloh Middle School asked a 13-year-old Muslim girl (Faiza Osman) who wears a hijab, if she was carrying a bomb in her backpack. The school’s principal has apologized for the incident. As the girl’s parents expressed frustration, Shiloh Middle School said the teacher had no “ill intent” and she will not be punished.
Osman’s father, Abdirizak Aden, said his daughter texted him about the incident. He was mad when he got the news. “We are from Africa. We are Muslims. We live in America,” he told the Atlanta newspaper. “I didn’t teach my children to hate people or to think they are better than other people. I don’t want anyone to treat them like that.”
Abdirizak Aden was born in Somalia, but now lives and works in Snellville. “I was upset,” he said about the incident. “I was going to take my daughter out (of that school).”
The incident “shows the level of Islamophobia impacting people’s relationships with one another,” Yusof Burke, board president of the Georgia Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told the newspaper.
This incident reminds us the case of Ahmed Mohamed, who was being arrested from his school when his home-made clock was mistaken as a bomb.
It is also interesting to see the kind of reactions that the incident got on social media platforms such as Twitter. There were many who thought the question was justified given the current social scenario.
Check out the Tweets here:
@RT_com Fair question. Kind of an important thing to know.
— Don Fash (@MaiDindu) December 12, 2015
@RT_com teacher was right need to act preventive to protect all children. I’m sorry we all have fear what women in hijab wears in backpack
— Mayflower Vracara (@cicalepacica) December 12, 2015
@RT_com Only bomb? Should have asked her whether she had guns also? ?
— Sabera Shoma (@ShomaSabera) December 12, 2015
Some people sympathized with the little girl and shared their outrage
@RT_com she should ask the white kids if they have guns in their bags, they’re your biggest threat! Homegrown terrorist!
— أديل (@DellyAbel) December 12, 2015
@RT_com very inappropriate if this happened in the UK she would be out of a job
— Mundo G (@REAL11_GO_33) December 12, 2015
@RT_com it’s just a clock!!!
— Taylor™ (@fok1010) December 12, 2015
@RT_com this is insane !!? judging people by religion is not good at all.even the teacher is treating like dat thn how can we expect others
— Pragya Shrestha (@pragya_stha07) December 12, 2015
What do you think about this incident? Express your views in the comment section below!