NEW YORK (AA): A city teacher lost his job last week after forcibly removing the Islamic headcover, or hijab, from one of his students in class, according to media reports.
Oghenetega Edah, 31, who worked as a substitute teacher at Bennington School, PS 76 in the Bronx, told 8-year-old Safa Alzockary to remove her hijab after she reportedly misbehaved in class on May 2, according to police sources.
Edah then ripped the hijab off Alzockary’s head, causing irritation to her eye, police said.
The youngster was taken to Jacobi Medical Center where a doctor said there was no permanent damage to her eye.
A statement by New York City Education Department spokesman Michael Aciman called the teacher’s conduct “unacceptable”.
“This individual was removed from the school immediately and his employment has been terminated,” Aciman said in the statement.
“This alleged behavior is completely unacceptable,” he added.
But Safa, whose twin sister and older brother also attend PS 76, was apparently traumatized by the sub’s alleged actions.
“It was scary,” Safa told the New York Daily News.
Safa’s dad Mohamed Alzockary, a devout Muslim and grocery worker who emigrated from Yemen, was shocked by what his daughter said happened in school.
“I didn’t expect a teacher to do that to a child,” Alzockary said. “She’s OK right now … but kids, they’re nervous.”
Incidents involving hijabs in the public schools are rare, department officials said. In 2011, two Staten Island students were charged with hate crimes for snatching one of the religious scarves from the head of a classmate.
While incidents in schools might be rare, there have been other attacks in New York.
In December last year, an off-duty New York City police officer and her son were the victims of harassment after they were physically and verbally attacked while dropping her son off in Brooklyn. The man who allegedly targeted them because the officer is Muslim.
The incident began in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, where officer Aml Elsokary had dropped off her 16-year-old son on a corner and went to park her car. When she returned, she found a man, Christopher Nelson, shoving and yelling at her son. Nelson turned his attention to Elsokary and said, “ISIS [expletive], I will cut your throat, go back to your country,” WCBS reported.
Additional report by The Muslim News
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