The Council on American-Islamic Relations announced a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a suspect who lit a Muslim woman on fire in Manhattan, New York.
This as the NYPD are on the hunt of a male suspect who cruelly lit the victim while she was walking outside a luxury department store along Fifth Avenue last Sept. 10.
"It is important that the perpetrators of these crimes be apprehended and their motives be established," said Nihad Awad, national executive director of the council, as quoted by NY Daily News.
"The spike in incidents targeting American Muslims and their institutions is the inevitable result of the ongoing mainstreaming of Islamophobia we are witnessing in our society," he added.
Police investigation revealed that the 35-year-old victim Nemariq Alhinai was walking outside the store when the suspect lit her traditional Islamic dress.
As the victim quickly patted out the flames, she saw a man standing next to her with a lighter in his hand, police said.
Police are yet to determine if the incident was a hate crime motivated by the victim's religion.
A report from the New York Post last week also disclosed of an incident where a woman was charge after allegedly punching, kicking and trying to rip the veils of two Muslim women who were pushing baby carriages in Bath Beach.
