There has been a spike in hate crimes targeting Muslims since the election of Donald Trump.
There has been a spike in hate crimes targeting Muslims since the election of Donald Trump.
SAN FRANCISCO (Diya TV) — A Bay Area hiker has alleged she was the victim of a hate crime while she was out enjoying a hike at one of the region’s most famous trails, Mission Peak in Fremont, Calif.
When Nicki Pancholy returned to her car from the hike, she found it broken into and a note left for her on her windshield.
“The division is just…is just breaking my heart,” Pancholy said, referring to the toxic atmosphere this year’s presidential election has created nationwide.
Pancholy was so upset by all the fighting during the election that she began a “peace hike,” making the trek to the top of Mission Peak in Fremont each morning for 65 days straight.
A difficult trek for some, it’s even more of a task for Pancholy, who has been suffering with a difficult battle against Lupus. As a result of the disease, she has lost all of her hair. After returning from her morning tradition, she noticed that one of the windows of her car had been smashed.
Along with the broken window was a nasty note from someone who mistook Pancholy’s headscarf for a Muslim hajib, telling her this is their nation now and to “get the [expletive] out.”
The note that was left on Pancholy’s car while she was out for a hike at Mission Peak.
“Fear. I believe they’re being controlled by fear. I believe that fear has consumed them,” Pancholy said when asked why she thought a person would do such a thing to her.
But fear of what? Fremont City Councilman-elect Raj Salwan says it may be fear of change.
The cultural landscape of Fremont has evolved greatly over the past 30 years — the city has become one of the Bay Area’s most diverse, featuring a huge population of South Asian immigrants, including a considerable amount from India and Pakistan.
“I think there’s a lot of insecurity right now, both economic and cultural,” said Salwan. “And some folks are feeling that they’re losing America as they remember it.”
