Staff Reporter:This time in the United States, Muslim women have been the victims of acid attacks. The most recent attack in the Long Island area of New York City was unpublished but was reported in the media on Friday (April 23). Nafiah Ikram, a 21-year-old Muslim woman, has been receiving treatment at a local hospital since March 17 after being the victim of a growing Islamophobic attack
A college student is recovering from horrific chemical burns she sustained during a brazen acid attack in front of her home in Long Island, New York. Nafiah Ikram, 21, got out of her car after a long shift as a pharmacy tech and started walking toward the door, surveillance video shows. Then, a man sprinted across the yard and threw a liquid substance into her face.
“I felt like it was kind of warm juice. It was like room-temperature. And it didn’t stick to my face right away, didn’t burn right away. So I just thought I had just been pranked,” Ikram told Inside Edition. But moments later, her face started to burn.
“My dad was like, ‘Oh my god, Nafiah, it’s acid. We gotta call 911,’” Ikram said.
Ikram suffered major burns all over her face. The lining of her throat was also burned. Ikram told Inside Edition she thinks she was targeted. Ikram’s father is a driver for actress Padma Lakshmi.
“This Pakistani family is such a nice family. I have known them for over a decade. We don’t even know if she’ll be able to see properly ever again because she had contacts in and the acid burned and melted the contacts into her eyes,” Lakshmi said.
Neighbors told police in Nassau County they saw three men sitting in a red car outside Ikram’s house before the attack. Police say they don’t know who the perpetrators are, and no arrests have been made.
Ikram faces a long road to recovery. Her mom, who is a nurse practitioner, has taken time off to help her daughter heal. A Go Fund Me has been set up to help cover her medical bills.
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