Trending Topics

Muslim family’s encounter with Ga. police goes viral

They said it was ‘obvious’ from their dress that they are a Muslim family and were ‘surprised’ by how police treated them

By Ana Santos
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

ATLANTA — A Muslim family’s interaction with Gwinnett police officers on Thanksgiving weekend has gone viral.

In a Facebook post, Georgia resident Zanub Rizvi wrote that she was driving her daughter and mother-in-law to a religious gathering when she was rear-ended. All the police officers and paramedics that responded to the accident were white males, she said.

She said it was “obvious” from their dress that they were a Muslim family, but she was “surprised” by how they treated to her.

“I don’t want to be disrespectful,” a white male Gwinnett cop told Rozvi’s mother-in-law, according to Rizvi. “Ma’am, is it ok if I check your neck?” After some tranlsation, the mother-in-law lifted her scarf so the police officer could survey her injuries.

Rozvi wrote that the paramedics that arrived later were equally respectful.

“I was pleasantly surprised with the cultural sensitivity and courtesy shown by everyone, especially being in the Deep South,” she wrote.

The post has been shared over 24,000 times since late November.

“Just thought that with all the hate being spread in the news, I’d share something nice,” she added.

The Gwinnett police did not respond to requests for comment.

Today I got rear-ended while trying to make a left turn. We live an hour outside of Atlanta, Georgia. All the cops and...

Posted by Zanub Rizvi on Sunday, November 29, 2015

Copyright 2015 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution