Jenny Yuen
January 12, 2018
Khawlah Noman and her brother had only been walking for two minutes when she became aware a man was following them on their way to school Friday morning.
The 11-year-old — a Grade 6 student of Pauline Johnson Junior Public School in Scarborough — and her sibling, Mohammad, were walking along Birchmount Rd., north of Sheppard Ave., around 9 a.m. when the stranger swiped at her blue hijab with a pair of scissors and sliced a 30 cm tear in the headdress.
“I screamed,” Noman said. “The man just ran away. We followed this crowd of people to be safe. He came again. He continued cutting my hijab again. He was smiling.”
Toronto Police describe the man as Asian, in his 20s, with a medium build, around 5-foot-10, with black hair and a moustache. He was wearing glasses, a black hoodie and black pants.
The man fled the scene after the frightening incident. …
Noman’s mom, who also spoke to media at the school Friday afternoon, teared up as she recounted seeing her daughter’s damaged headscarf.
“I came to the school right away,” a visibly upset Saima Samad said. “I’m just so happy she’s safe…It’s just not Canada. I’m so proud to be a Canadian and I feel safe in this community. It’s just, it’s not right. He should get help. This is not who we are.”