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Posted: 2018-10-13T12:00:09Z | Updated: 2020-02-28T21:22:51Z

ELMWOOD PARK, N.J. A Ford-150 pickup truck was driving so close to Arwa Omars car that she couldnt see its front grill in her rearview mirror. The 24-year-old administrator was on her way to work in New Brunswick, heading south on the New Jersey Turnpike from her home in Clifton early one Friday morning.

Even though Omar was traveling at 60 mph, the pickup driver kept speeding up and flashing his high beams. Aggressive driver, Omar thought, as she moved into the right lane to get out of his way. She was used to it. After all, New Jersey drivers dont have a bad reputation for nothing.

But the truck didnt pass her. Instead, the Ford sped up alongside her. Suddenly the driver, a youngish white man with blond hair and a scruffy beard, began screaming at her.

At first, I thought maybe he was in a hurry, but he kept driving at my same pace to scream at me, Omar said. It was freezing out, but he kept his windows rolled down, just screaming.

Omar was sitting in her friends driveway earlier this summer, here in this commuter town northwest of New York City, as she recalled the story of what happened on that January morning over two years ago.

Terrified, she slowed down and moved directly behind him to avoid his verbal attacks and erratic driving. But it didnt matter. The driver kept slamming on his brakes, picking up the pace and then slamming on his brakes over and over.

Although Omar couldnt hear what he was shouting, she knew what it was about. In her gut, she said, she knew he was attacking her for her hijab.

He was probably calling me a terrorist or something, Omar told HuffPost. I just knew.

Easy Prey On The Highway

Omar is one of many hijab-wearing Muslim drivers who face hate at the wheel. Sometimes its racial abuse hurled through an open window, other times its a terrifying encounter at 60 miles an hour. No one knows how often it happens. The various types of road rage are not tracked by any federal agency, but among Muslim women, it is felt particularly hard, especially for those wearing the hijab, an easy target for an Islamophobe driving by.