By Mohamed Taha
A Brisbane Muslim couple who were racially abused on a Sydney train last week say they intend to press charges against the abuser.
New South Wales Police are investigating after footage of the incident posted online went viral.
The short video uploaded by 23-year-old Stacey Eden, who defended the couple, shows an elderly woman racially abusing Hafeez Bhatti Ahmed and his wife Khalida, who were travelling on a Airport line train last Wednesday.
Mr Bhatti, originally from Pakistan, confirmed he has spoken to Queensland Police and is preparing an official statement for them.
He said he will ask police to charge the woman who abused his wife.
“Because of that incident, she touched my wife’s head, that is one issue that I will raise,” he said.
“Then she was verbally abusing my wife.
“That’s what I will ask, police to charge her once she will be identified.”
He said he and his wife are still shaken by the incident and are very alert when they leave their home.
“We take very special care, especially when we have to go out,” he said.
“I always look around that if somebody is noticing us.
“I should be very careful that no-one comes close to us or tries to hit us.”
Mr Bhatti said he has received positive messages after the incident but also received several threats online, with one Facebook profile called “Christian Soldiers” threatening to kill him.
“One guy swore at me and he wrote that I’m an Islamic propaganda terrorist,” he said.
“I cannot engage myself in that conversation.
“I will show this snapshot to the police.”
Mr Bhatti said he has also faced a backlash of people calling him a coward for not speaking up.
“People are saying I’m not a brave man for not standing up for my wife,” he said.
“In my local language, people are calling me a coward person.
“I came to Australia but I don’t know how to speak English, if I could have speak up.”
Mr Bhatti said he remained calm and did not want to misrepresent his religion.
“That was my respect for that old lady that I wasn’t engaging aggressively and with bad language,” he said.
“I tried to educate her and at the same time I was calm.”
Source: ABC News
