Football fans harass Muslim mother and daughter, pour beer on their car, near St Andrew’s stadium

A mother described her terror after eight football fans harassed her and her teenage daughter, which ranged from pouring beer on their windscreen and sitting on their car bonnet, to mocking their religion and even attempting to enter their vehicle, as they drove close to St Andrews stadium following the Championship fixture between Birmingham City and Nottingham Forest on February 1.

Speaking to Tell MAMA, the mother, who wishes to remain anonymous, stated that throughout the incident, she beeped her horn, hoping to draw the attention of the home fans or the safety team of Birmingham City Football Club, but no individuals intervened.

The car was only able to move at a much reduced speed, due to the size of the crowd, and owing to a fault in one of the doors, one of the men had opened it, but was unable to enter.

She had driven in the area unaware of the closures, adding, that when the group of men saw that both her and daughter wore hijabs, some began to laugh and mockingly prostrated on the ground before sitting on their car bonnet.

After the group’s ringleader had poured his beer on their windscreen, she wound her window down and overheard a passerby chastise the action, not for its anti-Muslim and Islamophobic intent, but rather, for ‘wasting’ expensive beer.

Throughout this ordeal, the group of men filmed the woman and her daughter, compounding their fears and anxieties. She described all the men involved as being white and in their late teens or early twenties.

Tell MAMA continues to highlight more broadly, the often gendered dynamic of such abuse which demonstrates the importance of viewing such incidents through an intersectional lens.

The targeting of Muslims for their religiosity has, as some academics contend, is an essentialist way to view Muslim identity (or Muslimness). Or, in short, it becomes a form of ‘othering’, as the visible markers of their faith are seen as embodying “all that is perceived to be wrong, problematic and threatening about Islam and Muslims”, or reflect enduring racialised and misogynistic stereotypes about the apparent ‘meekness’ of Muslim women.

Once home, the family contacted West Midlands Police, after turning their vehicle around and leaving the scene.

There are, however, some frustrations with the manner of the investigation thus far. The mother has expressed concerns about the ‘hostile attitude’ of one officer after they questioned why the family had not contacted them in the immediacy, which the mother challenged, stating that her priority was their safety. Nor were they aware that the force had flagged the incident initially as a racist, not Islamophobic hate crime until the Birmingham Mail investigated.

Since the incident, the mother has experienced blurred vision and felt extra tense and is taking paracetamol each day to reduce it.

A spokesperson for Birmingham City Football Club confirmed that the matter is being investigated further and told Tell MAMA: “As a club, we abhor any type of racism and anti-social behaviour, and we are very sorry that the family had to endure something like this.”

Anyone with information concerning this hate crime is encouraged to contact West Midlands Police, quoting reference 20BW/30467Y/20. Or, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

You can get advice from our confidential and free helpline on 0800 456 1226. Or through our free iOS or Android apps. Report through our online form. Or contact us via WhatsApp on 0734 184 6086.

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Categories: Birmingham, hate crime, misogyny, News, West Midlands Police