Pakistan, March 24 -- A 12-year-old student in Waterbury, Connecticut, has been charged with a hate crime for allegedly assaulting two Muslim students. The attack occurred at a middle school, where the victims, 13-year-old twin girls, were punched, kicked, and had their hijabs forcibly removed. The assault was motivated by the victims' religion and ethnicity, meeting the legal definition of a hate crime.

The girls were injured during the incident, with one suffering facial bruising and the other an abrasion on her neck. Their father took them to the hospital, where doctors confirmed the injuries. The attack took place during Ramadan, raising concerns about rising Islamophobia in the United States.

The Council on American-Islamic Relatio...