A 21-year-old man from upstate New York has been charged with attempted murder as a hate crime after allegedly asking his taxi driver if he was Muslim before slashing him in the face.
Michael Enright, of Brewster, N.Y., allegedly slashed taxi driver Ahmed Sharif, 43, around 6:15 p.m. Tuesday after Mr. Sharif had driven his passenger 16 blocks north to Midtown, police said.
According to an account of the incident by Sharif, provided through the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, Enright started out asking Sharif friendly questions, including how long he had been in the country, if he was Muslim and if was observing a fast during Ramadan.
Enright became silent for a few minutes and “then suddenly started cursing and screaming,” according to the account. Enright allegedly yelled, “Assalamu Alaikum. Consider this a checkpoint,” before slashing the driver.
Police said the allegations were still under investigation. What they would confirm was that Sharif picked up Enright at 24th Street and Second Avenue and drove to 3rd Avenue between 40 and 41 streets. Once there, Sharif locked the doors, left Enright in his taxi and called 911.
Sharif was taken to Bellevue Hospital where he was treated for a facial wound and released.
Police charged Enright with attempted murder as a hate crime, assault and criminal possession of a weapon. He was awaiting arraignment.
In late July, top NYPD officials convened a pre-Ramadan conference at police headquarters to discuss security issues with Muslim clergy, concerned citizens and dozens of Muslim police officers. At that time, police said there had been nine reported instances of anti-Muslim hate crimes in the city in 2010.
Source: The Wall Street Journal
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