Here's another account from a Muslim woman of the altercation with the two atheists that led to Krauss threatening to walk out of the debate:

"I attended the full debate and witnessed the full action! Upon arrival I went straight to the non-segregated seating and sat there with no questions asked! There were hundreds of seats that accommodated all attendees. Some Muslim girls wished to sit in a 'Male Free' area and that was there choice to be able to sit in a relaxed environment during the debate. What is said about females being forced to sit in the back is a lie! I am a Muslim fully covered girl and I sat in the front in the mixed area!

"What I still don't understand is why the 2 man insisted on sitting literally between the Muslim women who clearly didn't want that! ... I think the 2 guys out of 325 attendees made a scene deliberately to create unnecessary tension between the audiences.... The organisers tried their best to accommodate everyone’s requests and so allocated the seats that will accommodate everyone. Clearly that was not enough for the 2 guys."

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A 36-year-old Ohio woman who is half-Jewish and half-Arab is suing the FBI and other federal agencies, saying she was yanked off an airplane at Detroit Metro Airport on the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, strip-searched, and jailed for more than four hours in a dirty cell because of her ethnic background.

The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Detroit on behalf of Shoshana Hebshi of Sylvania, who was on a Frontier Airlines flight that landed at the airport on Sept. 11, 2011. She and two Indian-American men sitting in her row were targeted by federal agents who entered the plane, handcuffed them, and pushed them down the stairs into vehicles, Hebshi said.

She was then placed in a cell, where she was ordered to strip naked, squat, and cough while an officer looked at her.

"I was frightened and humiliated," said Hebshi, a freelance journalist and mother of 7-year-old twins. "As an American citizen and a mom, I'm really concerned about my children growing up in a country where your skin color and your name can put your freedom and liberty at risk at any time."

"We often think of racial profiling as a problem that impacts other people," she added. "I am proof that racial profiling hurts us all."

At the time, Hebshi's case drew international attention, leading to reports from the Guardian to the Economist that raised questions about the profiling of minorities in the U.S. Hebshi told the Free Press she hopes the lawsuit can lead to changes and "heightened awareness" of abusive law enforcement.

The suit was filed against Frontier Airlines, the FBI, TSA (Transportation Security Administration), ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), and CBP (Customs and Border Protection).

"The FBI was clearly calling the shots" during Hebshi's detainment, said Bill Goodman of Detroit, one of the attorneys representing Hebshi.

FBI Detroit spokesman Simon Shaykhet declined to comment.

Detroit Free Press, 23 January 2013

See also ACLU press release, 22 January 2013

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A teenager pulled a hijab from a woman's head in a racist attack on her in a park. Paige Bain and her aunt Eileen Kennedy assaulted Umaimi Musa as she was sitting with her friend Mary Marandran in Glasgow.

On Monday, Glasgow Sheriff Court heard 16-year-old Bain also attacked Mrs Marandran, who was five months pregnant at the time of the incident in the city's Royston Road.

As Ms Musa and Mrs Marandran were sitting in the park, one of Bain or Kennedy, 28, uttered racist phrases towards them, including "f****** black African" and "f****** brings you to this country?"

The incident was captured on CCTV which was shown to the court, while the camera operator alerted police to the attack on September 3, 2012.

Sheriff Kenneth Mitchell sentenced Bain to two years and eight months in detention, while Kennedy was earlier jailed for two years and six days.

Bain, who was 15 at the time of the attack, and Kennedy pled guilty to racially assaulting 41-year-old Ms Musa to her injury. Kennedy also admitted resisting arrest and claiming she had an infection before spitting on a police officer. Bain pled guilty to the racially aggravated assault on Mrs Marandran, 40, by repeatedly punching her on the head and pushing her to her injury.

STV, 21 January 2013

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A man who ripped off a Muslim woman's veil in a shopping centre because he thought she was "just another illegal immigrant" has been spared jail.

Ian Brazier, from Shirley, Solihull, was given a six-week sentence, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to complete a diversity awareness course by magistrates in the town. The 26-year-old had admitted racially aggravated assault at an early hearing.

The court heard that he tore Farhana Chughtai's niqab from her face and threw it on the floor in Solihull's Touchwood complex on March 3 as she shopped with family.

Alan Bryce, defending, said his client was angry at the time of the incident because he had been smoking cannabis and the films he was planning to watch at the centre's cinema were not showing. He said: "He was angry that he couldn't see the films or the films he wanted to see weren't there. All these pent-up emotions were unfortunately released when he saw this lady."

The solicitor said Mrs Chughtai was a "random victim", spotted by unemployed Mr Brazier as he came down an escalator in the complex. He said: "He had been taking cannabis and it had made him angry. He saw her and he thought 'There's just another illegal immigrant'."

The court heard that Mrs Chughtai, from Balsall Heath, Birmingham, told police she felt "naked and violated" by the assault.

In a statement released by West Midlands Police after the sentencing, the 26-year-old victim said: "At the time of the attack I felt violated and very distressed. Today, I remain self-conscious and worry that the same thing may happen to me again.

"I am aware of other similar incidents in the West Midlands which have not been reported to police. This should not be the case; victims should report these crimes as soon as they happen.

"I am pleased with West Midlands Police's efforts to trace my attacker and the way they have handled this investigation and I would like to extend my thanks to the officers involved."

Chief Inspector Kevin Doyle said: "Despite the shocking nature of this offence, reports of crimes like this are exceptionally rare both in Solihull and the wider West Midlands. When they are reported to us, I would like to assure victims that they are investigated thoroughly, professionally and victims treated with the utmost dignity and respect. Today's sentence shows that there is no place for hate in Solihull."

Brazier was given an 18-month supervision order and told he must complete a 21-day activity requirement which examines diversity and prejudice. Chairman of the bench Mark Kershaw also ordered him to complete 250 hours of unpaid work< in the community and pay £100 compensation to the victim.

Press Association, 4 July 2012

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A racist thug ripped off a Muslim woman's veil in a drug-fuelled rage after the films he wanted to see were not showing at the cinema.

Farhana Chughtai said she was left humiliated when Ian Brazier pulled off her niqab as she walked with her family through Solihull's Touchwood shopping centre.

Brazier, 26, and from Shirley, pleaded guilty to racially aggravated common assault at Solihull Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

Habib Ahmed, defending, said Brazier took out his fury on the 26-year-old victim after he became "upset" that the two films he had wanted to watch were not showing.

Mr Ahmed said Brazier had smoked two cannabis joints prior to the attack on March 3 this year – claiming it was the first time he had tried the drug – and that he "did not appreciate the effect it would have on him".

"He directed his anger towards the first person that came across him," he said. "He has never before made threats to anyone wearing a niqab and had not thought about it. He is clearly remorseful and upset about what he had done."

Magistrate chairman Tony Tindale said: "We believe the immediate effect of your actions on the victim and the real humiliation she suffered were key points in the offence. It was carried out in public whilst you were under the influence of drugs which are all aggravating factors."

Mr Tindale ordered for a pre-sentence report to be compiled and for Brazier to reappear at the court for sentencing on July 4.

Birmingham Mail, 13 June 2012

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Detectives are hunting a man who grabbed a Muslim woman by the head and pulled off her face covering in a packed shopping centre.

The thug approached the woman from behind in Touchwood shopping centre, Solihull, on Saturday March 3 at 2pm. As she walked past the Disney Store he ripped the veil from her face and threw it on the floor before walking off.

Cops today released CCTV of the man they believe is responsible in an effort to track the thug down. Chief Inspector Kevin Doyle, from Solihull Police, said:

"Reports of crimes like this are exceptionally rare both in Solihull and the wider West Midlands. We are treating this incident as a hate crime as we believe the woman was deliberately targeted because of her faith, symbolised by her attire. I would urge anyone who recognises the man captured on camera to contact us as a matter of urgency."

Anyone who recognises the man should contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Birmingham Mail, 17 April 2012

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