Houston School Attack on Hijabi Afghan Girls Sparks National Outcry Over Islamophobia
Violent assault involving 20 students leaves Muslim girls injured and unprotected, prompting civil rights groups to demand federal action and accountability
Watan-A violent assault targeting three hijab-wearing Afghan girls at a school in Houston, Texas has sparked widespread outrage among Muslim communities and human rights organizations, amid warnings of a growing wave of Islamophobia in American schools.
According to local reports and family testimonies, the attack occurred during lunchtime, when around 20 students surrounded the girls, beating and stabbing them with sharp pens. The assault resulted in their hijabs being ripped off, one girl suffering a neck fracture, and others sustaining severe physical and psychological injuries.
The incident, captured in a video that spread across social media, showed two girls lying on the ground without any effective intervention from school staff or security. The victims’ families described the attack as a hate crime, believing that the girls were targeted solely because they wore the hijab.
🔴في حادثة صادمة في هيوستن، فتيات أفغانيات محجبات يتعرضن لاعتـ ـ ـداء وحشي داخل مدرستهن بسبب حجابهن👇 pic.twitter.com/HUdVy4Hlog
— وطن. يغرد خارج السرب (@watanserb_news) April 11, 2025
CAIR Demands Federal Action After Hijabi Girls Attacked in School Amid Rising Anti-Muslim Hate
Islamic organizations in the U.S., led by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), strongly condemned the incident and called on the U.S. Department of Education to urgently intervene, ensure the girls’ safety, and launch an independent investigation to hold the school accountable for its serious negligence.
In an official statement, CAIR said:“These students were subjected not only to physical violence but to institutional betrayal by a system that is supposed to keep them safe.”
The statement added that the incident constitutes a clear violation of human rights and reflects a dangerous rise in discrimination against Muslim women who wear the hijab.
In recent years, the United States has seen a significant rise in hate crimes against Muslims—particularly hijabi girls—fueled by increasingly racist rhetoric in media and some political circles.
This incident highlights a grim reality faced by Muslim students in schools, where they are often targeted for their religious and cultural identity without adequate protection from educational institutions. Pressure is now mounting on federal officials to take firm measures to prevent such violations from happening again in the future.
