Halal Truck Owner Egged in Apparent Hate Crime

Police are investigating a hate crime in Astoria after a food vendor was attacked with eggs that said “Fuck Arab. Fuck Muslim.”

Owner Farid el-Baghdadi of Farid Grill halal food truck was talking to a customer on Monday night when somebody threw eggs at him, according to the Daily News. The eggs arrived with notes attached by rubber bands that bore the hateful messages.

El-Baghadadi tells Pix 11 News that it’s happened several times within the last few weeks. In the past, messages like “Go back to your country” have also been scrawled on notes with the eggs. “I’m angry,” the food truck owner says. “Why did you do this to me?”

The NYPD hate crime unit is investigating the case.

Farid Kebab’s truck has been at 25-15 Steinway Street, near 25th Avenue, at least since 2013. But hate crimes against Muslims have spiked dramatically this year.

According to a recent report from the Council on American-Islamic Relations, potential bias incidents against Muslims — including non-violent harassment — nearly doubled between 2016 and 2017 across the country. Another study found that hate crimes in general are up about 20 percent in major metropolitan areas.

• Hate-filled attacker hurls eggs, anti-Muslim note at Queens food vendor [NYDN]
• Person throws rotten eggs, hateful notes at food vendor in Queens [Pix11]