Khaled Aly after the assault (Courtesy of CAIR-NY)
Nov. 13, 2020 By Allie Griffin
Police arrested a 35-year-old woman Thursday for her involvement in what many have called an anti-Muslim hate crime in Rego Park last week.
Giselle Dejesus, of Woodhaven Boulevard in Rego Park, was charged with assault and other crimes after she and an unknown man allegedly beat a Muslim man in front of his wife and children last Friday.
Her arrest comes after the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY), a Muslim civil rights organization, called on the NYPD to initiate a hate crime probe into the brutal attack earlier in the week.
Dejesus and the unknown man got into an argument with the victim, 38-year-old Khaled Aly, and his wife, 29-year-old Neamat Taha, near Woodhaven Boulevard and 62nd Avenue at around 11 p.m. on Nov. 6, police said.
The man then punched and kicked Aly, causing him to fall to the ground as Dejesus attempted to remove Taha’s hijab, police said.
The argument started when the suspects began harassing Taha as the family walked into their apartment complex, according to CAIR-NY.
The man then viciously beat Aly in front of his two children, ages 6 and 8, when Aly asked them to leave his family alone, CAIR-NY said.
The suspects told the family that “we are in America” and repeatedly cursed at Aly and called him a “f**king Muslim.” They also threatened to kill his family, according to CAIR-NY.
Aly was rushed to Queens Hospital Center for pain and bruising to his head and torso, police said.
He underwent surgery and was released from the hospital Monday evening, CAIR-NY said.
The next day, CAIR-NY called on the NYPD to initiate a hate crime probe.
The NYPD Hate Crimes task force is investigating the incident, a police spokesperson said Friday. However, no hate crime charges have been filed at this point.
Dejesus was arrested and charged with assault in the second degree, acting in a manner injurious to a child, two counts of aggravated harassment in the second degree and disorderly conduct.
The unknown man has yet to be apprehended by police.
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