Pregnant Muslim Woman Loses Baby After Being Attacked For Wearing Veil

A young pregnant Muslim woman was allegedly attacked in the street by two "skinheads" for wearing an Islamic face veil, Paris, France.

The woman had since suffered a miscarriage, her lawyer, Hosni Maati, announced on Monday.
According to local media, the woman, who was four months pregnant, was assaulted in the Paris suburb of Argenteuil on June 13th.

“Her husband called me this afternoon. She lost the baby. The family are devastated by the tragedy and will not be making any further comment," the lawyer said.

A police source involved in the investigation also confirmed the miscarriage.

The woman reported the attack to police and described how she was set upon on Thursday morning by two men in the middle of the street, just after she had finished talking to her mother on the telephone.
Initially she blamed the attack on two "skinheads", saying the two men "ripped the veil" from her head and tore part of her clothing.

The prosecutor also said the woman had been kicked in the hip before she managed to flee.
Although there is some information that police sources had some concerns over "inconsistencies" in her account.

A law banning the wearing of the full Muslim face veil, the niqab, in public was introduced in France in 2010. However it did not forbid the wearing of the hijab headscarf.

The alleged assault on the woman came three weeks after another veiled Muslim woman in Argenteuil was targeted in a similar manner.

Also last week, Muslims in the neighbourhood clashed with police after officers attempted to arrest a woman in the street who was wearing the full Islamic veil in public.

According to local media, officers "were attacked. They were insulted and beaten, including punches". Police sources said, " We were forced to use tear gas to disperse the angry crowd."

In a statement the Coalition against Racism and Islamophobia expressed"“condolences and solidarity with the family" and its "concern and great anger over the tragedy".

"The wave of attacks and Islamophobic incidents require a strong and uncompromising response from the government, which must express its solidarity with all victims, not just those which the interior minister deems worthy to receive," the statement added.

Naij