A woman is pushing back against hate and is sincerely grateful for the train conductor who intervened.
A viral post on social media shows a passenger making disturbing comments toward a Muslim resident and her mother on a CTRail train to Hartford last week as well as a conductor standing up for the two.
A Muslim woman and her mother were taken aback by comments made by a passenger on a CTRail train to Hartford.
The female passenger, whose face we blurred, has not been identified or charged with any crime.
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The woman, who only wanted to be identified by her TikTok handle @Mrwa043, said this happened last week as they traveled back from New Haven. She said the passenger got on the train two stops before Hartford and noticed something was off.
According to the woman, who spoke exclusively to NBC Connecticut, the passenger made some crude remarks about foreign exchange students at first before trying to engage them further.
“I remember her saying I have a big mouth and I’m not going to be quiet. She started talking about white supremacy and sexualization of children,” she said.
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The woman believes she and her mother were targeted as they were wearing hijabs and were worried about their safety. That’s when she pulled out her phone and began recording.
“I didn’t know what to do. What she was going to do next. I didn’t know if she had any weapons on her,” she said.
The woman said she’s lived in Connecticut her entire life and the recent attack on State Representative Maryam Khan last month added anxiety.
“It hit pretty close to home, and I thought of her during this event, and I said to myself, ‘Is this what Connecticut is coming to?’” she said.
But during the train ride, a CTRail conductor can be seen intervening, telling the passenger to get off the train.
“You need to get off the train. You can’t talk to the passengers like that,” the conductor told the passenger in the video.
The state Department of Transportation said hateful speech and language are not tolerated onboard and the conductor handled the situation with grace.
“The conductor did [a] fantastic job of stepping in, intervening and standing up for the passengers and all people who were on that train,” DOT spokesperson Josh Morgan said.
The woman said she was grateful for the conductor, as she didn’t know what could happen.
“It definitely gave me faith that there are people out there who will stick up for something they see that’s wrong,” she said.
She said while the video shows an ugly side of society, she wants people to know there is support out there.
“This is the reality of many in this country, so I just want to highlight the fact that they have a voice. Don’t be scared to stand up for yourself,” the woman said.
DOT said the passenger who was asked to get off did leave the train in Hartford. No police report or DOT complaint was filed and neither the woman nor DOT know who the passenger that allegedly made the comments is.
The Muslim Coalition of Connecticut released a statement, saying in part:
“We wish to convey our solidarity with and support for the two Muslim women who were demeaned by this racist and Islamophobic attack. Furthermore, we encourage them to report such unprovoked encounters to law enforcement and demand an investigation as a deterrent to further attacks on themselves and others. The rising number of anti-Muslim incidents nationwide is of great concern to us all. Muslim women, in particular, are vulnerable to both verbal and physical violence from white supremacists and Islamophobes. We ask that everyone do their part in documenting and reporting these experiences and standing up for those being mistreated. This is an Islamic duty.”
