Two teens targeted in alleged anti-Muslim bias attack at Clifton nail salon
A 59-year-old Clifton woman was arrested Wednesday and charged with bias crimes after she allegedly screamed anti-Muslim slurs at two teenagers at a nail salon and struck one in the head in an unprovoked attack.
Nancy B. Jones was charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, bias intimidation and harassment, as well as simple assault, according to a statement from the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office.
The alleged incident took place on April 30 when two sisters, ages 13 and 15, were waiting to get their nails done at New Natural Nails on Lakeview Avenue. Clifton police responded to a report of an assault at around 2 p.m.
Upon arriving, the girls told officers, Jones "approached them in a harassing and tumultuous manner and told them to go back to their country," according to the statement.
"During the incident, the actor struck the 13-year-old victim in the head," authorities said.
The teenagers, who both wear a hijab, or Islamic headscarf, were born and raised in the U.S., according to their mother, Fadwa. She chose not to give her last name to protect her daughters' identity, she said in an interview.
The teens told their mother that the woman yelled at them for looking at her. They then tried to avoid the woman's glares and taunts, even staring at their phones, but she continued yelling profanities and slurs, she said.
Jones also yelled at another person in the salon who was wearing a hijab, assuming it was their mother, but they did not know each other, Fadwa said.
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The teens' mother said she had called on her way to pick them up and heard that her daughter was crying on the phone. When she arrived at the salon, she got a description from customers in the nail salon and stopped the woman at her car. The woman shouted and cursed at her and drove away, she said.
Fadwa said she took a picture of the vehicle and license plate. Police interviewed the teens and witnesses and issued an arrest warrant for Jones, who turned herself in on Wednesday.
Since the incident, the girls have been nervous about going out and their mother said she reduced her working hours to be home with them more often.
"They're upset and a little scared and I'm scared also," she said.
Jones was scheduled to appear in court on Thursday. Charges were referred to a Passaic County grand jury, the Prosecutor's Office said.
In a statement, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights organization, called the incident deeply troubling.
"Physically and verbally attacking two young girls to the point of tears is appalling," said Selaedin Maksut, executive director of the New Jersey chapter. "We welcome the ongoing police investigation by Clifton officers and hope the matter is taken seriously and justice is done."
CAIR reported 308 anti-Muslim hate and bias incidents across the U.S. last year, which included reports of forcible removal of hijabs, harassment, vandalism and physical assault. Another 177 bias incidents took place at schools, the organization reported.
Hannan Adely is a diversity reporter covering Arab and Muslim communities for NorthJersey.com, where she focuses on social issues, politics, bias and civil rights. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: adely@northjersey.com
Twitter: @adelyreporter
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Clifton NJ: Arrest made in alleged bias attack on Muslim teens
