Indian Muslim man's shop in US vandalised with hate graffiti

Image
Press Trust of India Los Angeles
Last Updated : Jul 29 2016 | 4:07 PM IST
In an apparent hate crime, a 60-year-old Indian-origin Muslim man's auto parts shop in the US was vandalised with graffiti like "go home Indian" and "I will kill you" scrawled over the walls.
Dr Waqar "Vic" Ahmed's shop in Pahrump, Nevada, was spray painted with graffiti in what is now being investigated as a hate crime.
Ahmed said he has heard the taunts before and experienced attacks on his Indian heritage and Muslim faith in the past, but never anything quite like this.
The Nye County Sheriff's office said the hateful graffiti was discovered last Sunday in front of the shop.
The business was spray painted with derogatory words against the owner's religion. Words like 'go home Indian', 'foreigner go home', 'camel jockey', 'I will kill you' and 'I will get you' were also scrawled on the walls of his shop.
"I had a guy tell me once to go back to my third world country. I had to tell him what India was," Ahmed was quoted as saying by KSNV-TV.
No suspects have been identified but they could face charges for malicious destruction of property.
"I hate to think that kind of thing is going on in Nye County and we're going to do everything we possibly can to stop it, if it does," Nye County Sheriff Sharon Wehrly was quoted as saying by KTNV-TV.
"I'm disappointed at humanity in general," said Ahmed, an Indian Muslim who moved to the US more than 30 years ago.
"They say stuff like this to me and it makes my blood boil because I am none of those things," Ahmed said.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations condemned the vandalism and said the Muslim business owner and his family have been targeted for more than a month.
Ahmed said he received harassing phone calls about his race and religion about a month ago. He did file a restraining order against that caller, but it has since expired.
The Nye County Sheriff's Office has a team of five investigators looking into the potential hate crime. If they find it to be a hate crime, they will turn the investigation over to the FBI.
"Be more tolerant. The world's a big place and there's enough room for everybody," said Ahmed.
Now, he said the plan is to clean up and continue his work.
"I know there's hatred. It's fed by ignorance. Educated people treat me just fine," he said.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Jul 29 2016 | 4:07 PM IST

Next Story