FAMILY SAYS DAUGHTER'S 2ND GRADE TEACHER RIPPED HIJAB OFF HER HEAD IN NJ SCHOOL

 

FAMILY SAYS DAUGHTER'S 2ND GRADE WHITE TEACHER RIPPED HIJAB OFF HER HEAD IN NJ SCHOOL

By Edward Era Barbacena

A family in Maplewood, New Jersey, says that their young daughter's WHITE teacher ripped her hijab off of her head, traumatizing the child.

The allegations have many in the community asking, how does this happen in 2021?

Eyewitness News spoke with Sumayyah Wyatt's mother, Cassandra Wyatt, who said her daughter is no longer interested in wearing the Muslim garb after the incident at Seth Boyden Elementary School.

The family's lawyer says the second-grader wore her hijab to class on October 6, as she does every day.

But on this particular day, the teacher reportedly told her to remove it. When she resisted, the teacher yanked it off in front of the class.

"Ultimately, the teacher succeeds in pulling the hijab off her head, followed by a bizarre statement which is, 'Your hair is beautiful,'" the attorney said. "It is incredibly disturbing. It is very, very, symbolic of disregard of her religion and certainly something that has affected my clients overall."

Cassandra Wyatt said the teacher's actions must have consequences.

"She had to know that was a hijab," she said. "She has to pay for that. I'd love for her to apologize to my daughter, and then my daughter would feel better."

The South Orange Maplewood School District is investigating the incident.

"The district takes matters of discrimination extremely seriously," officials said in a statement. "We remain committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout our schools, including providing anti-bias and anti-racism training for all educators in the district on a regular basis."

The attorney said he is working on helping the family get a resolution, but their focus, of course, is on the little girl.

All of this came to light after fencer and Olympic medalist Ibtihaj Muhammad, who is also from Maplewood and is known to compete with her hijab on, took to Facebook to shed light on the incident.

"This is abuse," she wrote. "Schools should be a haven for all of our kids to feel safe, welcome and protected -- no matter their faith."

We are not identifying the teacher because the school district has not confirmed his or her identity.

CAIR-NJ is demanding the teacher be fired.

"We call for the immediate firing of the teacher," Executive Director Selaedin Maksut said. "Anything less is an insult to the students and parents of Maplewood. Forcefully stripping off the religious headscarf of a Muslim girl is not only exceptionally disrespectful behavior but also a humiliating and traumatic experience. Muslim students already deal with bullying from peers, it's unthinkable that a teacher would add to their distress. Islamophobia in our public schools must be addressed in New Jersey and nationwide. Classrooms are a place for students to feel safe and welcome, not fear practicing their faith."