(Newswire.net — December 12, 2015) — A 13 year-old Muslim student from Georgia was verbally abused when her teacher asked her if she had a bomb in her backpack. Aggravated parents asked school principal to react, however the school authorities decided that this was a joke and that the teacher should not be punished.
“My daughter wanted to know why she was asking her that,” the girl’s father told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We are from Africa, we are Muslims, we live in America,” he added. “I didn’t teach my children to hate people or to think they are better than other people. I don’t want nobody to treat them like that.”
Girl’s father told AJC that his daughter, who wears a hijab, was asked by her teacher what is she carrying in her backpack. Girl said that she didn’t respond, however, the teacher continued, asking does she carry a bomb in her bag.
“It was very disrespectful,” the teen said. ” I came there to learn… At the end of the day I will still get my A or B and leave her class.”
Gwinnet County Public Schools representative Sloan Roach confirmed that the incident happened and the teacher, whose name remains undisclosed, is a regular teacher and not a substitute. Roach told AJC the teacher who made remark was trying to get her students to quickly leave their backpacks and there was no “ill intention”.
The school’s principal Eli Welch III, apologized to the girl’s parents, however the girl’s father is upset and considering a school change for his daughter, though he said he forgives the teacher, the AJC reported.
The incident “shows a level of Islamophobia impacting people’s relationships with one another” said Yusof Burke, board president of the Georgia Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
“Obviously a teacher and a student should have a unique kind of relationship… It’s very disturbing to see,” Burke told AJC.
The incident follows the rise of antimuslim rhetoric in all states. Presidential candidate Donald Trump said in a press release that all Muslims traveling to US should be denied entry.
Trump’s statement cost Trump not only the US Muslim community votes in the upcoming election, but their money as well. Earlier this week, Dubai-based Landmark Group pulled all Trump home decor products in their 180 Lifestyle stores. Trump’s antimuslim comment was marked as a horrible business move since Trump has been trying for years to expand his business ventures to the Middle East.