Police are searching for a man accused of ripping the headscarf off a Muslim teenager at a mall north of Atlanta. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the 14-year-old girl was walking with a group of people Monday night at Perimeter Mall when a stranger approached and snatched her hijab, while yelling "terrorist" before fleeing. Dunwoody Police Chief Billy Grogan said in a news release that police have labeled the case an assault. "Dunwoody is a very diverse community, welcoming people of all faiths. Therefore, an incident such as this one is unusual," Grogan said in the news release. "The Dunwoody Police Department is committed to protecting our citizens and will conduct a thorough investigation," he said. The Georgia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction. CAIR-Georgia Executive Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said the attack has shaken the family of the victim, whose identity has not been released. He said the family will not press charges if the man comes forward and apologizes. "We thank local law enforcement for pledging to investigate this despicable attack, which is the latest in a wave of anti-Muslim hate crimes across the nation," said Mitchell. Last month, CAIR-Georgia urged Atlanta-area mosques to increase security after death threats at Lawrenceville's Greenview Madani Center, Norcross' Masjid Omar Bin Abdul Aziz and Al-Farooq Masjid in Atlanta. — Agencies
