South Bay community calls out Islamophobia after alleged assault of elderly Muslim person

MORGAN HILL, Calif. (KGO) -- An alleged hate crime targeting an elderly Muslim community member has local leaders and allies calling for an end to Islamophobia. They gathered Wednesday at the Morgan Hill Community and Cultural Center.

"We are observing the month of Ramadan," said Zahra Billo, executive director of CAIR San Francisco Bay Area. "It is a holy month for Muslims, during which we fast from sun up to sundown, and we gather every night for congregational prayers."

Ramadan is being celebrated across the Bay Area. March 7 was the celebration at the Morgan Hill Community and Cultural Center.

"We had a beautiful prayer service," said Noshaba Afzal, a member of South Valley Islamic Community.

MORE: Members of SF mosque harassed again amid growing anti-Muslim incidents

The local Council on American-Islamic Relations said it received calls about an assault that happened as community members ended that time of prayer.

"As they exited the building, they were confronted by a man who verbally assaulted several of them and then battered an elderly member. In doing so, he expressed his hate for Muslims and Palestinians," Billo said.

Afzal, a member of South Valley Islamic community said she went outside moments after seeing the victims and police gathered together and spoke with the elderly man's daughter.

"Just letting her know it's not acceptable. It's not something that anyone should ever have to endure," Afzal said.

ABC7 reached out to the Morgan Hill Police Department, which confirmed that it responded to the area to investigate an in-progress disturbance.

MORE: Berkeley police investigating hate crime as cafe vandalized 4 times for 'Free Palestine' sign

The department said the case is still actively being investigated to the fullest extent of the law, an investigation they said could include hate crime violations.

Community leaders like Santa Clara County Supervisor Sylvia Arenas and Morgan Hill City Councilmember Yvonne Martinez-Beltran helped coordinate the Wednesday gathering of Muslim community members and allies all to call for an end to Islamophobia.

"Our Muslim community needs to feel the love and support that they deserve, because they were really feeling overlooked and isolated," Arenas said.

A resolution to reaffirm supporting protected classes and the immigrant community was passed by the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, and a similar one is under consideration by the Morgan Hill City Council.

Right now, community members like Afzal say the show of support on Wednesday brings hope.

MORE: Half of Muslim college students in CA facing harassment, discrimination: CAIR report

"If we come together and say there is no tolerance for any hate against any group, it'll leave the world a better place," Afzal said.

Some of the community members at the press conference said they were not happy because they hadn't heard from Morgan Hill Mayor Mark Turner since the reports of that March 7 assault.

Turner reached out to ABC7 saying he was not notified of the press conference until late the night before and was out of town.

In a statement, he said in part, "I'm anxiously awaiting the outcome of the investigation which will allow me to speak from a more knowledgeable position. With that being said, I oppose and stand against hate crimes as well as those who fan the flames of racial division and fear within vulnerable communities."