Abdullah Faruque, 30, claims he was beaten on Monday night outside a Bronx Applebee’s by a group of men who called him a “a f–king Arab.” Faruque, who is actually Bangladeshi and grew up in the borough, tells the Post that he stepped outside for a cigarette and was followed by three or four Hispanic men who had been drinking at the bar. “One of the guys asked if I was Arab. I just shook my head, said like, ‘Yeah, whatever.’ I didn’t even know that [the] Boston [bombing] happened because I had a busy day,” Faruque says. He was beaten for about 90 seconds and left unconscious with a dislocated shoulder.
Faruque believes the attack was motivated by the Boston bombing. “I saw the news, and then it hits me: That’s why I got jumped,” he said. On the other hand, the men didn’t mention Boston, so it’s possible that this was just an isolated act of disgusting racism. The NYPD’s Hate Crimes Unit is investigating.
