Iranian girl attacked in UK over hijab

An Iranian Muslim girl has reportedly come under attack in Britain after refusing to remove her hijab amid a new wave of Islamophobia in Western countries.

The incident occurred on Wednesday when London resident Zahra Kazemi Saleh was attacked by four young British women as she was going home from school, Tabnak reported on Thursday.

The Iranian member of the Muslim Student Council was attacked in broad daylight by the girls who did not like Zahra’s refusal to take off her hijab.

Zahra sustained facial injuries in the encounter, which is not the first act of violence against a Muslim in Europe.

London’s Muslim Student Council condemned the attack, and blamed the British government for supporting the spread of Islamophobic opinions in the country.

The anti-hijab campaign in Europe is not limited to the UK, where Muslims account for three million of the country’s 60 million-strong population.

France has also put into effect a new ban on Islamic hijab, enforcing a fine worth EUR 150 (USD 216) on Muslim women who appear in public places wearing a burqa or niqab.

There is a similar ban in Belgium and lawmakers in the Netherlands are also working on a bill to forbid women from covering their faces in schools and government institutions.