South Brunswick Muslim School Board Member Says She Was Harassed

NORTH BRUNSWICK - A South Brunswick School Board member, who is also Muslim, said she was harassed Monday morning at the North Brunswick Modell's by a man standing next to her in line.

"I was at the Modell's at 11:20 a.m. Monday picking up something for my daughter," said Azra Baig, a South Brunswick resident just recently re-elected to its school board this past fall. "I was in line with one check-out person and this man went to the check-out person next to me. All of a sudden I hear him say, 'Oh, that Muslim ban is long overdue.' He said it loudly so I would hear it, so I knew it was directed at me."

Baig said at first she tried to ignore it. "The cashier seemed shocked, and said, 'What?'" said Baig. The man repeated himself and that's when the cashier told him she disagreed.

"She told him she thinks the Muslim ban is unnecessary and that most terrorist actions in the U.S. are caused by white Americans or Americans who already live here," said Baig. "And I said to her, really loudly, 'Thank you!'"

The man replied 'Oh, really?' and the three of them engaged in a brief discussion, Baig said, where Baig said she told the man something to the effect of "look what's happened in a week's time with Trump."

The man then left the store.

Azra said she started to leave at the same time, but let the man leave first. "I was worried he would continue to harass me in the parking lot. I was worried he would strike me with his car," she said.

The next day, Tuesday, she filed a complaint with the North Brunswick Township police. She also informed the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Department of Homeland Security of the encounter.

"This needs to be documented, that this happened. I feel like he was harassing me, talking about the Muslim ban while seeing I was wearing a hijab. I don't mind having a discussion, but I think he was basically bullying me. There's no reason to say that at that moment at Modell's," Baig said. "This person feels so emboldened to say whatever he's feeling."

Baig said she knows of many Muslims who have experienced similar incidents.

"Right after the election these two men were talking, saying something in support of Trump and they were saying things loudly enough for a Muslim woman friend of mine to hear it. They can't get in trouble for it," she said. "Another time a Muslim woman was mailing a package at the North Brunswick post office and the woman behind her in line asked her if there was a bomb in the box. It's harassment."

"The Muslim community is scared. We don't know what's coming," she continued. "You have this ban against immigrants coming from Muslim countries and there are probably more Muslim countries that will be added. It's fueling more hate, and fueling more people to join ISIS. This executive order is unconstitutional."

Baig said she brought chocolates to the Modell's cashier and thanked her.

"I told her how proud I was of her for standing up for me and for Muslims. I think people don't realize when it's a Muslim person killing someone or causing an attack, it becomes headline news. But when anyone else of another race does it, it doesn't make headlines," she said. "In Quebec City, six people were killed, 18 injured. Where is the outrage? Where are the profile pictures changed to say 'Pray for Quebec?' There was a mosque burned down to the ground in Texas. It doesn't make the news. It's the way the media covers it and the way people want to read."