On Wednesday, a white man harassed and punched a Palestinian woman in Medford, Massachusetts, calling her a \u201cterrorist\u201d and blaming her for the deadly bombing attack at the Boston Marathon.<\/p>\n
Hema Abolaban, a physician, was walking down the street with a friend when they were approached. Malden Patch reported:<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was screaming \u2018F_ you Muslims! You are terrorists! I hate you! You are involved in the Boston explosions! F_ you!\u2019\u201d Abolaban remembered. \u201cOh my lord, I was extremely shocked.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said the man – described as a white male in his thirties wearing dark sunglasses – kept shouting and walking toward her as she backed away.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did not say anything to him,\u201d she said. \u201cNot even that we aren\u2019t terrorists\u2026he was so aggressive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Abolaban is not alone. The New York Post reports that a Bangladeshi man was beaten up by Latino men outside a Bronx Applebee\u2019s restaurant. He, too, was blamed for the Boston bombing.<\/p>\n
Many Arabs, Middle Easterners, Muslims, South Asians, and those confused for any of the above have been bracing themselves for the discriminatory response since the bombing happened. Indeed, immediately after the race police questioned a Saudi student who was at the race. He\u2019d been hospitalized with injuries he sustained during the attack, but very quickly, media set upon the student, announcing him as \u201cthe Saudi suspect.\u201d Boston police later confirmed that the student was only a witness, not a suspect, but only after they searched his apartment for five hours and carted out bags of his belongings.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, an airplane leaving Boston\u2019s Logan Airport was grounded this week after passengers reported that two men were speaking Arabic on the plane, Boston\u2019s Fox 25 reported. <\/p>\n