In US, scarfed woman's home vandalized

The home of a Muslim woman, running for US city council elections, has been subject to vandalism, after a picture of her wearing an Islamic headscarf was published.

Nadja Adolf, one of three candidates running for two seats in the Newark City Council, had her home egged on 11 October while she and her husband were not home.

In a press release issued late Friday afternoon, the San Francisco Bay Area chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-SFBA), called on local and state officials for a hate-crime investigation into the incident.

CAIR-SFBA believes the attack followed the publication of Adolf's picture, wearing hijab -- an Islamic head scarf -- in a local newspaper just days before the incident.

"Because of the circumstances surrounding this incident, we believe it is important that a possible bias motive be investigated," Zahra Billoo, programs and outreach director for CAIR-SFBA said.

Billoo also called on political and community leaders "to address the growing anti-Muslim rhetoric" in the United States.

Adolf who is a long-time Newark resident meanwhile believes that the crime was committed because of her participation in the election.

Police on Monday said that it has launched an initial investigation into the incident, while stepping-up security patrols in Adolf's neighborhood.