Group of Muslim women remains strong after man is caught on camera hurling hateful words at them

ALPHARETTA, Ga. (WANF/Gray News) - Hateful words were spewed at a group of women on Sunday inside a parking garage at a shopping center in Georgia.

A metro Atlanta chapter of a national civil rights group is demanding justice.

The group said they were praying when a driver in a Tesla Cybertruck approached them and started cursing.

In the video, the man can be heard yelling out hurtful phrases and words, like “Nobody really wants y’all (explicit) here.”

The man can also be heard asking the group, “Where are you from? Because you are worshipping a false God.”

One of the women, who wanted to remain unidentified, said the encounter was shocking.

“I was shaken up, I wasn’t expecting anything,” she said.

The women said they had set up their prayer rug in an empty parking spot. They were getting in a quick prayer before enjoying Avalon on their Eid day, a celebration marking the end of Ramadan.

The group said the man first walked by, targeting them with curse words. They said he then got into his Tesla Cybertruck and continued with his rant.

One of the women said she was worried they would be shot or run over by the man.

“I was scared and my heart dropped. We were trying to stay as calm as possible to avoid any situation like that,” she said.

She added that the group was trying to walk away and avoid escalating the situation.

They said the incident lasted three minutes. In the video, the man told the group multiple times to “go back to your country.”

The group said the attacks would not stop.

“Attack after attack, insult after insult. No matter how much we tried to defend ourselves and say goodbye, he just kept coming back with more,” one of them said. “Pulling stuff out of left field, nothing really was making sense. All of it was just out of pure hate and his disgust of us, which I don’t understand.”

All of the women were born and raised in Georgia.

This is one of the reasons why Azka Mahmood, the executive director for the Council on American Islamic Relations, said the women belong in the United States.

“We are really calling for the greater society, for the communities and cities we live in, schools and parents,” she said. “We want communities to stand with us. This is not who we are. We as Americans don’t believe in this. We are united, one nation under God, that is how we are supposed to be. We really hope that a lot of people will condemn this act and not tolerate it.”

Alpharetta police released a statement that stated, “The comments made in the video circulating on the internet are disgusting and do not reflect the diversity and understanding that Alpharetta values.”

“However, in our community, all speech is protected - even the speech we may not agree with. After thoroughly watching the video, we have determined no crime was committed. And, while we do not condone activity like this, absent any new information coming forward, our investigation is closed and no criminal charges will be made.”

The women said they understand the police’s response, and that the incident will only strengthen them.

“This is our identity, this is our faith. No matter what anybody says to us, no matter what bigot wants to tell us that we have a false God, we will be firm on our feet, regardless of what anybody has said about us,” one of the women said.

In the past year, anti-Muslim hate incidents have risen by 7.4%, according to CAIR.

The group wants Muslim women to know the Constitution protects their right to worship how they want, but also to remain vigilant and to always call the police if they feel they may be in danger.