Muslim Man Receives No Prison Time After Assaulting Women Over Dress Code

In a controversial ruling, a Muslim man in England has avoided immediate prison time despite pleading guilty to violently assaulting three women for not wearing traditional clothing. Muhammed Hassan, 26, of Bradford, was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for two years, after what a judge described as “an outrageous public display of misogyny.”

Key details of the case include:

• Hassan attacked the three women at a gas station in broad daylight, slamming one victim's head against the dashboard and punching the others.

• The assault was motivated by Hassan’s disapproval of the women’s makeup and attire, which he deemed inappropriate.

• Despite the severity of the attack, Hassan will only serve prison time if he violates the conditions of his suspended sentence.

The incident occurred on May 25, when the women stopped to refuel their car before heading to dinner. Prosecutor Ayman Khokhar told the court that Hassan, who knew the women, approached their vehicle and initiated the brutal assault. CCTV footage captured the 51-second attack, during which Hassan slammed the driver’s head into the dashboard, pulled another woman by her hair, and punched the third victim in the head. After the attack, Hassan fled the scene, leaving the women to call the police.

Hassan’s motivations for the attack were rooted in his strict views on how women should dress. The court heard that he had previously insulted the women, calling them “slags” and “prostitutes” for not adhering to traditional dress codes and makeup standards. Despite these actions, Hassan’s sentence was remarkably lenient, drawing criticism from those who see it as a failure of the justice system to adequately address violence against women.

Judge Colin Burn, who handed down the sentence, acknowledged the gravity of Hassan’s actions. “Whatever the motivation was for this it’s still utterly inadequate to justify the violence that you perpetrated against [the victims] when they were sitting in a car effectively cowering from you,” Burn said, emphasizing the vulnerability of the women during the attack.

Hassan was sentenced to 180 hours of community service, 35 rehabilitation activity days, and ordered to pay a £500 fine. He will also wear an electronic tag for the next four months to monitor his movements. However, the decision to suspend his prison sentence has raised concerns, particularly in light of recent statements from UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, who identified misogyny as an extremist ideology that must be combated.

Hassan’s defense attorney, Fuad Arshad, claimed that his client’s behavior was "very much out of character" and that Hassan was "very regretful" for his actions. Arshad also suggested that Hassan’s attack was partly motivated by his belief that the women had played a role in the breakdown of a marriage, though he admitted this did not justify the violence.

The ruling comes amid growing concerns about the rise of extremist ideologies, including misogyny, in the UK. Just last week, Home Secretary Cooper vowed to crack down on those who promote harmful and hateful beliefs, with a new government strategy in the works to tackle the increasing threat of both Islamist and far-right extremism.

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