A 37-year-old man from North Carolina has pleaded guilty in New Mexico after he ripped off a Muslim woman's hijab and screamed "This is America!" on a flight last December.
According to the United States Justice Department, Gil Parker Payne used "force or threat of force to intentionally obstruct a Muslim woman, identified as K.A., in the free exercise of her religious beliefs."
The two were on a Southwest Airlines flight from Chicago to Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Dec. 11 when Payne assaulted the woman. While the flight was still in air, Payne approached the woman from behind while shouting "Take it off! This is America!" before grabbing the woman's headscarf and pulling it off.
“No matter one’s faith, all Americans are entitled to peacefully exercise their religious beliefs free from discrimination and violence,” Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta said in a press release. “Using or threatening force against individuals because of their religion is an affront to the fundamental values of this nation, and the Civil Rights Division will continue to be vigilant in protecting the religious liberties guaranteed to all Americans.”
Payne has not yet been sentenced for the Islamophobic attack, the latest in a string of travel-related incidents that have targeted Muslims in America over the last year.
While previous incidents have involved Muslim travelers being profiled by passengers and staff, often resulting in their being denied boarding or removed from a flight, the escalation to a physical attack in this incident seems to have resulted in quick action by the authorities.
“This prosecution sends a clear message to anyone who contemplates the use of threats or intimidation to interfere with the right of individuals, including members of our Muslim community, to express their faith without fear,” said U.S. Attorney Damon Martinez of the District of New Mexico. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to protecting the religious rights of Muslims in New Mexico by aggressively prosecuting those who wish to perpetrate hate crimes against them.”