HARTFORD, Conn. — A video of an encounter on CT Rail’s Hartford Line last week is now going viral on TikTok. Two women claim they were targeted on the train for wearing hijabs.
This video has been viewed more than 714,000 times on TikTok, with more than 3,600 comments.
A hijab is a covering for the hair and neck that is worn by some Muslim women.
“Smells like feces eaters, doesn’t it?” says the passenger shown in the video.
The person recording replies, “Racist number one!”
FOX61 reached out to the woman who posted the video, but did not hear back.
In the video caption, she claims the passenger “verbally attacked” her and her mother, writing the woman sat next to them and shouted that Obama is “to blame for letting foreign exchange students into this country.”
She said the woman, “became increasingly more belligerent as she talked about white supremacy… and the sexualization of children.”
“You’re ignorant,” the person recording says in the video.
“I don’t sexualize children,” the passenger responds. “That’s ignorant?”
The video also shows the moment a CT Rail conductor comes over and tells the woman to get off the train.
“You need to get off of the train,” the conductor says in the video. “You can't talk to passengers like that.”
“I’m not talking to anybody, I’m looking out the window!” the passenger argues.
“Every person in this car has said you were talking to them that way,” the conductor fires back.
Josh Morgan, CT DOT spokesperson, said, “The conductor did a fantastic job of stepping in and protecting the passengers on the train. Not only the ones that were involved in the incident but everyone who was riding the train up to Hartford.”
Morgan said the conductor reported the incident to his supervisors, but the woman who posted the video has not filed any official complaints.
“Hate speech, racist comments, incendiary words have no place in our society, certainly no place here in Connecticut on our public transportation system,” Morgan added.
In a statement, chairman of the Connecticut Chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations Farhan Memon said, “We would like to express our appreciation and gratitude to the railroad employee for showing a true commitment to safety and public well-being. By swiftly addressing this apparently bias-motivated incident, the employee not only demonstrated exceptional professionalism but also displayed a genuine concern for the welfare of passengers. All Americans should be able to travel without fear of harassment or intimidation.”
The Muslim Coalition of Connecticut also released a statement following the incident:
"The Muslim Coalition of Connecticut decries the hateful, racist, and Islamophobic harassment of two Muslim women traveling recently on CT Rail to Hartford. According to the Muslim women, a woman chose the seat next to the two Muslim women who were wearing head-scarves. She then began an unprovoked tirade against former President Obama and foreign exchange students. The incident was reported by all the passengers in the train and the harasser was filmed denying her behavior to the conductor.
The Muslim Coalition of Connecticut applauds the swift and firm response of the conductor who confronted the harasser and notified her that such verbal attacks against other passengers are not tolerated.We wish to convey our solidarity with and support for the two Muslim women who were demeaned by this racist and Islamophobic attack. Furthermore, we encourage them to report such unprovoked encounters to law enforcement and demand an investigation as a deterrent to further attacks on themselves and others.
The rising number of anti-Muslim incidents nationwide is of great concern to us all. Muslim women, in particular, are vulnerable to both verbal and physical violence from white supremacists and Islamophobes. We ask that everyone do their part in documenting and reporting these experiences and standing up for those being mistreated. This is an Islamic duty.In Sura al-Nisa, verse 135 of the Holy Qur’an, God says:"O you who believe! Stand firm for justice as witnesses for God even if it is against yourselves, your parents, or close relatives. Be they rich or poor, God is best to ensure their interests. So do not let your desires cause you to deviate ˹from justice˺. If you distort the testimony or refuse to give it, then ˹know that˺ God is certainly All-Aware of what you do."
Emma Wulfhorst is a political reporter for FOX61 News. She can be reached at ewulfhorst@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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