Amid a spike in 'hijab-grab' incidents following the surprise victory of Donald Trump in the United States presidential elections, many Muslim women across the country turned to self-defence classes.
The Washington Post reported, after the Trump's election as the next president, at least three organization, Council of American-Islamic Relations, the Southern Poverty Law Center and Anti-Defamation League noticed a notable spike in hijab related hate-crime incidents.
A number of Muslim women have posted on social media describing 'hijab grab' attacks.
Zaineb Abdulla, who has been running self-defence classes in Chicago to help other women, said that she was around 8-years-old the first time someone spit on her for being Muslim.
The morning following Trump's victory, many Muslim women called Abdulla, asking her for a specific type of self-defence training- 'What could they do if someone tried to grab them by their headscarves?'
Immediately, Abdulla recruited help from Misho Ceko, a trainer of Chicago Mixed Martial Arts, to teach women a set of moves to defend themselves in case someone tries to pull on their hijabs.
Abdulla said of the self-defence classes, "It gives us confidence," The classes help women realize that "if someone grabs you, you have the ability and the right to fight back," she said.
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Nandini