'I won't take off my hijab' says woman attacked on Oxford Street
A MUSLIM woman has vowed to continue wearing her hijab despite a man trying to rip it off her head.
Sophia Dar, 47, was walking along Oxford Street when a man approached her and tried to remove her headscarf.
Mrs Dar of Barkingside, Essex, was left sobbing after the man yelled at her.
She said: "I was shocked someone would do this.
We need to stand up to these people
"We need to stand up to these people."
She insisted: "I'm not oppressed.
"I've decided to wear my scarf and am proud to do so.
"It is totally my choice."
Mrs Dar reported the incident to police and is encouraging other victims to do the same.
"If you let things go, people's mindsets will not change," she said.
"I will wear my hijab tighter and if anything it has made me more determined to wear it.
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"I'm proud of it - it's a huge part of my identity."
Det Sgt Steve Stamp, of the Met Police, said they had launched an investigation.
He said that the attack "unprovoked and hate-filled".
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Bushra Tahir, the chairman of Redbridge women's charity Awaaz, said more women are telling her they have been targeted because of their race or religion.
Ilford-based Mrs Tahir said frightening racist incidents are becoming part of "everyday life".
She said: "Women don't always report it as they think the thing said to them is small, but it's not."
