Ibtihaj Muhammad (pictured), who won bronze in women's team sabre in Rio, claimed on social media last week that Seth Boyden Elementary School teacher Tamar Herman 'forcibly removed the hijab' from a second-grader's head
A New Jersey elementary teacher is getting death threats after she says an US Olympic medal-winning fencer falsely accused her of pulling off a student's hijab in the middle of class.
Ibtihaj Muhammad, who won bronze in women's team sabre in Rio, claimed on social media last week that Seth Boyden Elementary School teacher Tamar Herman 'forcibly removed the hijab' from second-grader Sumayyah Wyatt's head.
The unfounded allegation forced Herman to seek police protection after being threatened, said her civil rights attorney Samantha Harris.
'The misinformation shared on social media has caused tremendous harm to Ms. Herman — a teacher who, after more than 30 years of devoting her heart and soul to children of all backgrounds, has now had to ask for police protection due to the threats she is receiving following the dissemination of false information on social media,' Harris said in a statement obtained by Patch.
The threats followed claims Muhammad made on Instagram last week.
'Herman told the student that her hair was beautiful and she did not have to wear hijab to school anymore,' Muhammad told her 384,000 followers.
'Imagine being a child and stripped of your clothing in front of your classmates. Imagine the humiliation and trauma this experience has caused her.'
Muhammad claimed on social media last week that Herman 'forcibly removed the hijab' from second-grader Sumayyah Wyatt's head (pictured)
Sumayyah Wyatt's mother, Cassandra Wyatt, told ABC7 that the teacher needed to 'pay' for the incident
Sumayyah Wyatt's mother, Cassandra Wyatt, told ABC7 that the teacher needed to 'pay' for the incident.
'She had to know that was a hijab,' she said. 'She has to pay for that. I'd love for her to apologize to my daughter, and then my daughter would feel better.'
'I have to go introduce her to a different world that I've been trying to protect her from,' Cassandra Wyatt said.
She added that she had told her daughter that her hijab is her protection.
'Now she's asked me, 'Well, if this is my protection, my teacher took this off of my head.' So how can you explain to your child?' she said.
The family's lawyer branded the incident as 'incredibly disturbing'.
'It is very, very, symbolic of disregard of her religion and certainly something that has affected my clients overall.'
