Four days into her new job as a childcare worker, Ealaf Al-Esawie was on her lunch break checking her phone when she was suddenly violently punched and slapped on the head.
The 27-year-old mother of two, who wears a hijab, said the attack happened at 1pm last Thursday at Epping Plaza in Melbourne’s north, and she believed it was because she was Muslim.
She was one of two women attacked at the same centre on that day.
Victoria Police confirmed two incidents took place at Epping Plaza on February 13 and said it was reviewing the CCTV footage.
“Investigators believe that the victims were targeted due to the women wearing head coverings and are treating the incidents as prejudice-motivated attacks,” Victoria Police said in a statement.
“There is absolutely no place in our society for discriminatory, racist, or hate-based behaviour and such activity will not be tolerated.”
In tears, Ms Al-Esawie told the ABC she “had done nothing wrong” and the attacker did not speak to her at all before physically assaulting her.
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.
“I don’t feel safe anymore. I’ve never encountered anything like that at all in my life,”
Ms Al-Esawie said.
Two nurses eating lunch nearby came to help Ms Al-Esawie, who remained on the ground, “shocked, traumatised, and shaken”.
She said the attack left her with memory loss from the trauma, and terrified to leave the house alone.
Ealaf Al-Esawie said bruising left her unable to stand properly. (Supplied)
Ealaf Al-Esawie shared photos of scratches on her face and bruises on her arm. (Supplied)
Ms Al-Esawie said the same woman had attacked another Muslim woman in the shopping centre earlier.
She met the woman at Northern Hospital where they were both taken after being assaulted. The hospital has been approached for comment.
The second woman, 30, who was pregnant, reported the incident to the Islamophobia Register Australia — a not-for-profit organisation set up to track and report any form of anti-Muslim abuse.
In her report, she said she was attacked from behind and the woman “pulled her scarf off and choked” her while she was sitting with a friend at a cafe.
The Islamophobia Register Australia said there has been a 510 per cent increase in Islamophobic incidents reported since the Israel-Gaza war erupted.
It said it had received 1,111 reported cases since October 7, 2023, and there was a 13-fold increase in recorded incidents in the first three months after the war.
It received on average 15.43 reporters a week, up from 2.53 cases before the war.
‘I didn’t do anything wrong’
The Australian National Imams Council condemned the attacks, saying they represented a “horrifying escalation of Islamophobic violence targeted at innocent people in our communities simply because of their faith”.
“Despite the prompt response of police and ambulance officers at the scene, the aftermath of this incident has left the victims feeling ignored and fearing for their safety,” the council said in a statement.
The attacks came after an Israeli content creator recorded a video of two Sydney nurses who spoke about threatening to harm Israeli patients.
Ms Al-Esawie said what was said in that video was “horrible and disgusting” but she could not help but feel this attack on her was “payback” for looking visibly Muslim.
The executive director of the Islamophobia Register Nora Amath (Supplied)
Nora Amath, the executive director of the Islamophobia Register, said while there had not been a statistical rise in reported incidents since the Sydney nurses video emerged, “the severity in the cases has intensified, which is deeply concerning, such as the horrific experience of Ealaf and the pregnant sister”.
“I am not surprised Ealaf felt that the vicious and completely unprovoked attack on her and the pregnant woman was intended for payback for the Bankstown Nurses video,” Dr Amath said.
“I didn’t do anything wrong. But now I have to take my sister with me [to] places because I’m scared to be alone,”
Ms Al-Esawie said.
The Islamic Council of Victoria said: “Such brazen attacks should be condemned by all levels of government.”
The council said it wanted the person responsible to be charged for the crimes committed.
Ms Al-Esawie was left with physical injuries that resulted in bruising and swelling. She also required X-rays on her back and was referred to the back pain clinic.
“I barely could stand [after the incident],” she said. I felt like my whole bones broke when I fell.“
After posting about the incident on several forums, Ms Al-Esawie also received death threats from people online threatening to hurt her if she spoke up again.
Ms Al-Esawie said she told the police officer who she was communicating with about the case, but was not given a solution.
Victoria Police did not comment further on the incident.
link