AUSTRALIA

Universities condemn assault on hijab-wearing students

Two universities in Canberra said in a joint statement last week that they were "shocked and appalled" at the alleged harassment of two hijab-wearing Indonesian students in the Australian capital, writes Agnes Anya for The Jakarta Post/Asia News Network.

The University of Canberra and the Australian National University – where the two students are pursuing masters degrees – expressed concern about the reported assault, saying that they were providing support for the victims. "We are all shocked and appalled that this has happened in Canberra, a city where incidents are very rare," they said.

The female students, identified only as AY and MT, were strolling around the city centre on a Thursday afternoon when two strangers started yelling at them. The strangers – an Australian woman and her male friend – reportedly pointed fingers at them while slurring loud comments about the students' hijabs. The female harasser then reportedly attacked AY, causing her to stumble and suffer a minor injury to her knee.
Full report on the Asia One site