An Otago schoolgirl ended up in hospital with a concussion after three other pupils ripped her hijab off and beat her.
Otago Girls' High School. Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Benchill
Hoda Al-Jamaa, 17, was sitting with her friends at Otago Girls' High School when three other girls asked them how to swear in arabic and started taunting them.
The situation escalated and Hoda's hijab ripped off and was hit while others filmed her.
"Two of the girls held me and one hit me and after I fell on the ground, she ... was still hitting my face and my body. I was waiting for the teacher to help me," Hoda said.
The girls then took her hijab off and continued filming her and the video has now been shared with boys and girls around the school.
"My hijab ... is my culture and my religion. My hijab is everything for me and I love my hijab and those other girls love their hijabs."
The attackers tried to do the same to Hoda's two other friends.
Hoda said during the altercation, she was hit in the head so much she had to go to hospital for concussion, which now makes learning very hard, although she was very hesitant to go back to school.
It was not the first violent attack she had been involved in and she frequently had the fingers pulled at her and called a terrorist by other students, she said.
In a statement, police said the attack took place on Wednesday, 9 February and confirmed a group of Muslim pupils were attacked by three females aged in their early teens.
"The altercation and the possibility of the video circulating on social media, is very concerning to us. The three alleged offenders have been identified, and an active investigation into the incident is underway.
"This altercation has caused significant disquiet and distress for the girls, their families, and the wider Muslim community. We are treating this incident with the utmost urgency and care.
"Violence or threatening behaviour including any involving hate, hostility, or prejudice regarding race, faith, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or age is not acceptable."
In a statement, Otago Girls' High School principal Bridget Davidson said, "I can confirm that we have strong pastoral care and disciplinary processes that we work through to understand every side of every story.
"Interpersonal situations are inherently more complex than they may appear on the surface and so need to be handled sensitively, fairly and with the young people at the centre of the process and decisions.
"We have very high expectations of each of our students and take decisive and strong action when they break rules or do not treat others with respect.
"We link in with relevant organisations and have a range of strategies that we make use of, with the intention of achieving the right outcome for the situation and each student."