Democrats attacked a Muslim colleague for holding up a banner at the DNC

Nadia Ahmad, an elected Democratic National Convention (DNC) member from Florida, was shocked when fellow Democrats in Chicago attacked her during the party's high-profile meeting last week.

Ahmad, a Muslim woman who wears a headscarf, is also co-chair of the DNC Interfaith Council and sits on the executive committee of the Women's Caucus. At last week's convention, she joined two colleagues in holding a pro-Palestine banner. One of them was an immigrant, and the other a Jewish Democrat from Michigan.

"We decided we were going to hold up a banner that said 'Stop Arming Israel.' The banner was held up by me and two other people and we thought the security would just come and take the banner away," Ahmad told TRT World.

Instead, she was attacked by three men who were sitting behind her. They hit Ahmad's head with "We Love Joe" signs repeatedly. "And then two of them really violently grabbed the [pro-Palestine] sign away from our side," Ahmad said. The men did not strike the other two people holding the banner.

Due to the attack, she got a concussion, according to a doctor's report. "I still have a headache," she added.

A video captured part of the incident in the DNC.

Last week, Ahmad filed a complaint about the incident with the Chicago Police Department and said she continues to follow up her case against the attackers.

"Depending on the extent of my injuries, it could also be aggravated battery which is a felony. I also tried to get a no-contact order," said Ahmad, a law professor at Florida's Barry University.

She defended her case in a recent court appearance. "The judge did not grant the emergency decision for a no-contact order, but she did allow for it to be heard at a later date," she said.

Singled out

Apparently, the attackers were part of Laborers' International Union of North America (LiUNA), a pro-Democrat labour union specialising in construction. Ahmad believes the real factor behind their attack was her being a hijabi woman.

"I don't know if it (LiUNA) has specific connections to Israel, but it is really about the general Islamophobia and hatred against Muslims and anybody who is standing up for Palestine," she said.

After her attack, Ahmad also lost access to the DNC floor delegation for a temporary time. But after filing a complaint, she was granted access.

In a recent post on Facebook, Progressives For Democracy in America Florida condemned the incident, declaring its solidarity with Ahmad. They also demanded "a public apology" from the LiUNA for "the criminal and Islamophobic behavior" demonstrated by their colleagues at the DNC.

Top Democrats only watched

Another bizarre detail in Ahmad's episode is the reaction of some top Democrats like JB Pritzker, the governor of Illinois, who primarily hosted the DNC, as well as Quentin Fulks, Vice President Kamala Harris's principal deputy campaign manager.

"In the booth, right next to us was the governor of Illinois and he was also looking at it, but then he doesn't actually do anything about it while he sees them hitting me," Ahmad said. "The deputy campaign manager, he also sees them hitting me, but then he also does nothing about it," she says, referring to Fulks. Neither official has commented on the incident.

Pritzker has long been known for his pro-Israeli stance.

"The people of Israel should know that America and Illinois unequivocally stand with them in their battle to end the ongoing Hamas attacks. We stand with Israel," he said in an October speech.