African Woman Attacked With Beer Glass In Minnesota Because She Spoke Swahili Language In America

An African woman who migrated from war-torn Somalia to the United States to seek protection has been brutally assaulted by a white woman simply because she spoke her native language.

The incident happened in the State of Minnesota, at a restaurant called Applebee’s in the city of Coon Rapids, north of Minneapolis.

Asma Jama told Minnesota Public Radio News that she was in the restaurant chatting with her family in Swahili, one of three languages she speaks, and without any provocation or whatsoever, a white woman in a nearby booth smashed a beer mug in her face.

Swahili is a Bantu language. It is widely spoken in the African Great Lakes region and other parts of Southeastern Africa, including Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, and the Comoro Islands.

The attacker has been identified as Jodie Burchard-Risch. Police arrested her shortly after the incident. She was later charged with third-degree assault.

A criminal complaint alleged that Burchard-Risch was upset that the victim was speaking a foreign language, and yelled at her.

It is said the restaurant managers intervened and begged Burchard-Risch to leave the premises but she refused to leave. She continued to yell at the victim, throwing a cup of beer directly on her face. She also smashed another beer glass at her face before fleeing the scene.

According to local media reports, Burchard-Risch and her husband told Jama to go home and that when she in America, she should only speak English.

But Jama replied them “I’m home. I can speak English, but we choose to speak whatever language we want. “

The attack left cuts on Jama’s face, and a deep gash on her lip that required at least 17 medical stitches. Images posted on Social Media showed Jama in very disturbing situation. Many people have condemned the attack on Social Media.

The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations has called for the case to be considered a hate crime. The Criminal Division Chief in the Anoka County Attorney’s Office, Paul Young has said additional charges are possible. He noted that prosecutors are still investigating, and waiting for medical reports.

Jama told the Associated Press News Agency that she is shocked that such an incident can happen in 21^st Century America.

“Somebody hit me because I was speaking a different language. I cannot believe after all these years somebody hit me because I’m different in America”, Jama said.

She also added that she is traumatized, and doesn’t feel safe staying in her house alone. She said “I’m actually thinking about moving out of Minnesota. I’m scared for my life. I don’t feel comfortable here anymore.”

For Burchard-Risch, she is scheduled to return to court on December 7 for the case to be heard in a Court of Law for the first time.

Meanwhile, sympathizers have created an account on a fundraising website, GoFundMe to raise money for Jama’s medical expenses. They have been able to get over $10, 000.  We will follow the case closely in court and report on the latest. Stay with us. Expect us.

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