"London Heroine" speaks to "Al Jazeera Net" about the details of her defense of a Jewish family

Al Jazeera Net - London

Revealed the names of Shuwaikh, who became nicknamed the "heroine of London" in this special dialogue with Al Jazeera Net, details of her defense of a Jewish family who was subjected to racial assault on the train in the British capital London.

What are the motives for responding to this attack? What changed in her life after the spread of a video showing her brave position?

If we recognize at first the names of Shuwaikh?

Asma Shuwaikh is a British citizen of Libyan descent.I was born in London and continued my university studies.Now I am married and a mother of two children.On the day of the incident I was visiting a family and a friend who was sick, as I lived with my small family outside London.

What happened that day on the train?

I was in London to visit a friend, and at the train station, the assailant and I went up from the same station, and it appeared from the beginning that this person was dealing violently.Once the children saw the company of their father and knew they were Jews, he began to scream and began to say to them, 'You are my slaves.'

At first I said he would be silent but continued to go too far and went to the child and told him "prepare yourself will become a slave to me", and the horror appeared in the face of children, then a man intervened and asked him to silence and threatened that he would beat him, and I intervened and asked him to stop because these children, he responded I criticized the way of Basi, I told him your opinion kept it for yourself and this is a place of transport and not to express religious views, and kept repeating a lot of strange ideas, I replied that the Koran says "you have your religion and my religion."

Did the incident end with the end of the filming of the video that spread?

When the person who was filming the incident stopped, the aggressor continued to attack me and the father and his children.The owner of the clip intervened and stood between him and the children, and asked him not to approach them.Then, I stopped and I got off the train and also the Jewish family.It is strange that we did not talk, because I was I was stunned by what happened and also a little scared because I could have been hurt, but I don't regret my intervention to stop these abuses.

The passage shows that the train was full of people, so why didn't others intervene and you intervened?

What motivated me at the beginning was that I was a mother and I imagined being with my children and being attacked like this. I saw abuse on me to intervene to help, and there is also religious motivation as a Muslim religious call me to help the needy.

How did you receive and celebrate the spread of a video?

I received it positively, and I am very happy with the interaction of people with the passage, and I received hundreds of messages both from Muslims in the West and all thank me and say that I raised the head of Muslims and Muslim women in Europe, and also I received messages from adherents of other religions, all praise my position and say that I gave a human lesson he saw Millions of people.

How did this passage transform your life from a low-profile lady into a heroine?

When I intervened, I did not know that there were people filming, but I did what I did only out of human motives, but it may be good for Muslims in Britain and Muslim women in particular, and this position contributes to provide a positive image of the Muslim community, especially since there is a stereotype about us Muslims that we We have no voice and we are not able to defend ourselves.

Has he been harassed or threatened?

Yes, there is some criticism, but its size remains a little compared to the letters of praise, and some try to downplay or ridicule what I did, but my intention was sincere and did not do what I did for fame.

What did the person you defended when they met his family told you?

We actually met during a TV show last weekend, and he brought me a big bouquet of roses, and he told me that he owes me a lot.If I didn't exist, it would have developed for the most dangerous, because he was very afraid for his children and did not know what to do because of this sudden incident.

What influential events happened to you after the passage spread and affected you?

One of the situations that I will not forget is when I went to bring my daughter from school at the beginning of the week. Everyone greeted me with applause and welcome, and my daughter was very proud and telling everyone that her mother appeared in that passage, and this is a beautiful feeling for any mother to be a source of pride for her children and also an inspiration for them.

Do you have a message for Muslim women in the face of hate and racist incidents?

To appreciate the situation before speaking, if she feels that she is in danger it is better to affect her physical integrity first of all, and she should always deal wisely, especially with the spread of stabbing crimes.

But sometimes she must express herself and her attitude, but always a priority for physical safety, because being subjected to racial abuse is a difficult and complicated situation, but I stress that some should not understand that Muslim women are weak but must be strong and have a strong personality.