Cabbie: ‘Are You Muslim?’ Leads To Night Of Horror

[bonnie]

Cabbie: ‘Are You Muslim?’ Leads To Night Of Horror

Wounded Ahmed Sharif Tells Of Alleged Knife-Wielding Attack

Ahmed Sharif told CBS 2 on Aug. 25, 2010, what happened inside his cab the night before — when a college student allegedly went wild with a knife.

NEW YORK (CBS 2/1010 WINS) — Mayor Michael Bloomberg has invited a taxi driver, who was allegedly attacked by a baby-faced college student this week, to meet at City Hall on Thursday.

Ahmed Sharif picked up the clean-cut 21-year-old on Tuesday night — and it nearly cost him his life. Police said Michael Enright flew into a rage after asking his driver if he was a Muslim.

CBS 2’s Lou Young reports that’s when a vicious slashing attack started.

Sharif, 43, displayed his wounds with sorrow on Wednesday night: a deep gash on his forearm, a defensive wound on his hand, and slashes to his neck and upper lip — the handiwork, police said, of a passenger who savaged the immigrant cabbie in what appears to have been an explosion of anti-Muslim violence in the close confines of his New York City taxi.

Michael Enright

“I’m driving. He asked me where I’m from. I said Bangladesh. Second question he ask me, are you Muslim? I said yes. Then he tells me ‘assalamu alaikum,’” Sharif said.

The attack happened around 6:15 p.m. Tuesday in a busy commercial area on 40th Street and Third Avenue. The passenger, police said, was 21-year-old Michael Enright, an honor student from Putnam County who has spent time overseas in Afghanistan working as a reporter. Sharif said the young man began ridiculing the Muslim holiday of Ramadan and then started a bizarre, belligerent rant.

“This is checkpoint [expletive]. I have to put you down. You have to bring Abdullah to this checkpoint, I have to bring him down, too,” Sharif said.

He said Enright lunged through the cab partition with a knife, and the men struggled as the cab rolled for a block and a half.

“The knife came here and when he knife like this by his right hand then I back up like this, then it come here,” Sharif said, showing the wound on his arm.

Enright was arrested at the scene and charged with attempted murder as a hate crime. His father had nothing to say as he rushed to his son’s arraignment on Wednesday afternoon.

“This attack runs counter to everything that New Yorkers believe no matter what god we pray to,” Mayor Bloomberg said in a statement.

News of the attack has swept through the Muslim community like a shockwave. People were gathered outside Sharif’s Queens home on Wednesday night denouncing the incident as un-American.

“America is about freedom of religion and freedom of speech. You cannot hate, just hate me because I am Muslim. I didn’t do anything to you. What did I do?” a man named “Abdullah” said.

Inside, the victim, despite his injuries, continued to espouse his belief in the American dream.

“I work hard. I try to support my family and I believe in this country if you work hard and you’re honest, you’re good, you can have anything you want,” Sharif said.

LISTEN: 1010 WINS’ Carol D’Auria reports

Police said an intoxicated Enright slashed Sharif with a Leatherman knife. As the scuffle ensued, Sharif was able to keep Enright locked in the cab until he found a police officer to arrest him.

Sharif was quoted in a news release from the New York Taxi Workers Alliance as saying the attack left him shaken.

“I feel very sad,” he said, adding “all drivers should be more careful.”

Al Jones of 1010 WINS reports that Enright was arraigned Wednesday afternoon and was ordered to be held without bail. He did not enter a plea during the brief court appearance. A grand jury will hear the case on Monday.

Defense attorney Jason Martin told the judge his client was an honors student at the School of Visual Arts, had volunteered in Afghanistan and lives with his parents.

To deny bail, given his background, “I don’t think is warranted,” Martin argued.

Enright also asked to be placed in protective custody due to the ground zero mosque debate, and his attorney said the native of Brewster, N.Y. is shocked by the charges against him.

“Right now he’s terrified. He shocked at the allegations. Right now we’re going to try to gather as much information as possible and to figure out where to go from here,” Martin said.

Javaid Tariq of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance said he has little doubt what the incident was.

“It is a hate crime. It’s is not any robbery or fare dispute or anything else. Talking to him, asking him if he’s a Muslim? Telling him it’s a checkpoint and stabbing him. Of course it’s a hate crime,” Tariq said.

Neighbors in Brewster were stunned to hear Enright was in trouble over an alleged hate crime.

[SivartM]

Reason #215 not to drink alcohol: you might violently attack someone and reveal your secret prejudices.

[bonnie]

Reason #215 not to drink alcohol: you might violently attack someone and reveal your secret prejudices.

Time will tell.Our local news just said this man is a "supporter of the mosque".

Maybe you are right,a little booze and the truth comes out that he is a closet racist.Is this another of the liberal's infiltrating and trying to make it look like conservatives,or is he just a racist liberal?

[antcreations]

Reason #215 not to drink alcohol: you might violently attack someone and reveal your secret prejudices.

Mel Gibson?

[fccool]

Quote:

Maybe you are right,a little booze and the truth comes out that he is a closet racist.Is this another of the liberal's infiltrating and trying to make it look like conservatives,or is he just a racist liberal?

It does not matter what he is, as long as he is not a conservative :)

[bonnie]

Quote:

Maybe you are right,a little booze and the truth comes out that he is a closet racist.Is this another of the liberal's infiltrating and trying to make it look like conservatives,or is he just a racist liberal?

It does not matter what he is, as long as he is not a conservative

You really should speak for yourself,or maybe you are and it does

does not matter what he is, as long as he is not a conservative

No it really doesn't matter what he is. When I initially read this it sounded as if he might be a conservative whack job.Ironically he is in favor of the mosque in that location and the injured cabbie is against it.Conservative or liberal I hope he gets a long time with free bed and board

[fccool]

I was just addressing your seemingly biased question... Is this another of the liberal's infiltrating and trying to make it look like conservatives,or is he just a racist liberal?

You did not seem to leave the room for him being a conservative in that question.

[bonnie]

I was just addressing your seemingly biased question... Is this another of the liberal's infiltrating and trying to make it look like conservatives,or is he just a racist liberal?

You did not seem to leave the room for him being a conservative in that question.

Sorry if you see the question as biased.The question is a legitimate one as the left had stated their intention of doing so.It was a statement made concerning the tea party participants but I don't believe they would stop there.

The intent was to put the worst possible light.

I did not leave any room for him to be a conservative because I had just heard on the local news of his leanings

[jasd]

QR frame:

Quote:

Quote:SivartM

Reason #215 not to drink alcohol: you might violently attack someone and reveal your secret prejudices.

Quote:

Quote:antcreations

Mel Gibson?

Quote:

Quote:fccool

It does not matter what he is, as long as he is not a conservative

and this...

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Quote:bonnie

Is this another of the liberal's infiltrating and trying to make it look like conservatives,

or is he just a racist liberal?

Oh oh oh!—I suppose it’s up to me to put a happy face on some or alla these Leftist snarkisms...

First, I’m waiting to see how this develops, as there are usually two sides to any story. For instance, it may be – that Enright was set off by a subliminal – like, mebbe, he smelled somethin’ in the cab that unhinged him – or..., it may be that there’s a bit of embroidery in the telling – or....

I, for one, don’t need to be boozed-up to “violently attack someone” or to ‘reveal my secret prejudices’ – ain’t nothin’ much secret about my passions. What’s called-for ain not never needin’ assistence o’ hootch.

Mel Gibson: as I recall, it was the other side what first drew blood (by attacking his father). Perhaps, were it not that Mel had his entire fortune sunk into The Passion – he could have chanced his choice of words earlier-on – without the need for a gutful of whizz...

...”is he just a racist liberal?” Libertarian anarchist?—cum Marxist Socialist?

Don’t no never mind me, I’m just whizz and vinegar until I’ve had a breakfast of half-dozen donuts and a half-dozen cups of poor man’s latte. Come to think about it – even afterwards...

We be cool – I knows y’alls jest havin’ fun

[Liz]

Why does he have to be affiliated with any "side", why can't he just be crazy?

[bonnie]

Why does he have to be affiliated with any "side", why can't he just be crazy?

The attacker apparently wanted to know the religious affliation of the cab driver

The cab driver opposes the building of the mosque in that spot/The attacker was for the mosque

[phkrause]

Why does he have to be affiliated with any "side", why can't he just be crazy?

Good point Liz. But I suppose if there are no sides many wont be able to deal with that. Pretty sad that everything comes to sides. Especially when it has no bearing on any ones salvation. Or even life or death.

[bonnie]

Quote:

Liz]Why does he have to be affiliated with any "side", why can't he just be crazy?

The attacker worked for a very liberal org.He also approved the mosque.

Quote:

Good point Liz. But I suppose if there are no sides many wont be able to deal with that. Pretty sad that everything comes to sides. Especially when it has no bearing on any ones salvation. Or even life or death.

A side was taken because the attacker thought it important to know whether the cabbie was muslim or not