Police: Attackers Shouted 'ISIS! ISIS!' As They Beat Man In Bronx
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Hate crimes detectives are investigating an attack on a 43-year-old man in the Bronx after a group attacked him and allegedly yelled, "ISIS! ISIS!"
The Mujibur Rahman, 43, and his 9-year-old niece were walking at Watson Avenue and Pugsley Avenue in Parkchester at around 5:30 p.m. Friday when a group approached them, yelling, then punched and kicked him after he fell, police said.
Rahman is from Bangladesh and doesn't speak English, but he does believe he was the victim of a violent hate crime in the Bronx, CBS2's Valerie Castro reported.
"As I was walking all of a sudden they started to punch me on my face, a couple of punches on my face, my nose, my head, the side of my arm," Rahman said, speaking through a translator.
The victim was wearing traditional South Asian clothing, The New York Times reported.
The man was taken to Jacobi Medical Center, where he was treated and released. Responding officers said they found the man with bruises on his head and face, WCBS 880's Stephanie Colombini reported.
The girl was uninjured.
"We feel an outrageous thing happened, it should not have happened in the first place," Mohammed Mujumber, a community board member said .
Mujumber said Rahman is not middle eastern and is not affiliated with ISIS.
"He's not a politician, he's a simple man," Mujumber said. He later said Rahman didn't even know what ISIS was, 1010 WINS' Carol D'Auria reported.
"The Bronx is one of the most diverse places in the world, and we celebrate that diversity every single day," Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz said in a statement. "Friday's hateful attack on a Muslim individual in Parkchester is in no way representative of the shared values of the people of this borough."
No arrests have been made. The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating.
"An attack on one of us over race, religion, gender or sexual orientation is an attack on us all. The people of The Bronx are united in their condemnation of this abhorrent incident," Diaz said.
Rahman's brother told D'Auria that Rahman is still in pain, and will rest several days before returning to the mosque where he prays and does odd jobs several hours a week.
(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
