A former University of Missouri teaching assistant allegedly pulled a teenage relative out of her high school by her hair and assaulted her for not wearing a hijab, police said.
The Muslim man, Youssif Z. Omar, 53, was arrested for the alleged child abuse at Hickman High School, the Columbia Tribune reported.
Police said Omar was at the school around 3 p.m. and noticed a 14-year-old family member who was not wearing her hijab, a traditional headscarf worn by many Muslim women.
Omar flew into a frenzy, “violently” grabbing her hair and yanking her down a flight of stairs and out of the school, police said. He then allegedly pulled her into his car and slapped her.
Omar was arrested at his Columbia home the next day on felony child abuse, police said and was released from jail on $4,500 bond.
The condition of the teenage relative is unknown. Omar did not return requests for comment.
Omar was an adjunct instructor in Mizzou’s Department of German and Russian Studies and a research assistant until July, school spokesman Christian Basi told the Daily News.
A Benghazi native, Omar was also an editor of the school’s student culture journal, Artifacts. As of Monday, Omar is still listed as a faculty member on the school’s website.
The school did not say why Omar left or if he faced any administrative problems while working there.
