Just when you thought Islamophobia couldn't possibly reach a new low, a traveler kicks a Muslim Delta employee at New York's John F. Kennedy airport.
Robin Rhodes, 57, was charged with unlawful imprisonment and aggravated harassment after verbally assaulting and kicking Delta airport employee Rabeeya Khan, who was wearing a hijab, according to Reuters.
Rhodes is also facing hate charges.
The incident happened in January while Rhodes was returning from a trip and was in transit at New York's JFK airport.
He entered the Delta Sky Lounge and asked one of the employees, "Are you sleeping? Are you praying? What are you doing?" CNN reported.
Rhodes then kicked Khan in the right leg and punched the door, which hit the back of the employee's chair. Khan then asked him what she had done to him.
"You did nothing but I am going to kick your [expletive deleted] ass," he >said.
He also yelled out threatening slurs saying that U.S. President Donald Trump "will get rid of all of you."
According to Queens District Attorney Richard Brown, Khan tried to walk out of the room, but Rhodes blocked her path.
He was released on a $50,000 bond and has been ordered to return to court in June. He faces up to four years in prison.
"She was assaulted because she's Muslim"
"This is happening"
Because "Trump is here now"
In 2015, hate crimes against Muslims> increased> by 67 percent in the United States, reaching the highest level since the September 11 attacks of 2001.
But Muslim rights groups say the 2015 statistics are "just a fraction" of the hate crimes the U.S. witnessed in 2016.
There were 257 documented hate crimes against Muslims in the U.S. in 2015 - up from 154 in 2014, according to a >report released by the FBI in 2016.
The report came amidst Donald Trump's presidential campaign, which was heavily criticized for its xenophobic and Islamophobic rhetoric.
Since his victory, activist groups have noted a >spike in hate crimes against Muslims and other minority groups in the U.S.