Woman Charged Following Alleged Abuse of Muslim Woman at Sydney Shopping Center

IQNA – A woman has been formally charged following an incident at a Kmart store in Bankstown, western Sydney, where she is accused of verbally abusing and intimidating a Muslim woman during a confrontation that escalated in a public setting. 

Footage of the incident, which circulated widely on social media, shows the woman confronting another over the slogan "from the river to the sea" displayed on a T-shirt. In the video, she is heard questioning, "Are you proud of wearing 'from the river to the sea'?"

The Muslim woman involved, identified as Mariam and described by supporters as an active advocate for Palestinian rights, alleged in a subsequent interview shared by pro-Palestinian activists that the woman made threatening hand gestures, including one mimicking a throat-slitting motion, and threw boxes at her and her daughter. 

"She threatened to end my life. My daughter was there as well, which was really appalling," Mariam stated during the interview. "I didn't know how to protect her, and she marched at me. Came straight to my face, just straight here."

It is worth noting that while the video captures verbal confrontation, it does not provide evidence of boxes being thrown or explicit death threats being made. 

Police confirmed that officers responded to reports of verbal abuse and intimidation at the shopping center around 4 p.m. on Friday.

Following an investigation, a 39-year-old woman was charged with publicly threatening violence on religious grounds. 

Authorities stated that the accused was denied bail and was scheduled to appear in Parramatta Local Court. 

This incident occurs against a backdrop of rising Islamophobic incidents in Australia. In recent days, two other incidents have drawn public concern: anti-Islam graffiti was discovered in the Sydney suburb of Sefton, and a truck displaying Palestinian flags was set on fire in Melbourne’s west. 

Source: Agencies