Palestinian Muslim assaulted by three men after he wished them 'Merry Christmas'

Police took Abualrob to local hospital

A Palestinian Muslim Durham University student thought he was going to die when he became the victim of an Islamophobic assault on Christmas eve.

Ihsan Abualrob recounted the traumatic incident in which he was kicked all over his body while lying on the ground. The attack took place on Christmas eve near a pub in Durham, England.

Abualrob said: 'At one point I lost consciousness. I was helpless and thought this was the end of it. It was so scary and frightening. I felt not only in pain but humiliated. I come from Palestine, which is a very conflicted country, and I came here with the hope of having a peaceful life not having to live in fear. It's my first Christmas ever outside of my country and that is my Christmas treat? They did this for nothing, but for me being a Muslim in this country. Christmas should be a time of love and hope, not violence."

He is a graduate student of politics and international relations and is a recipient of a UK Government Scholarship. He had gone to a pub to play pool with a friend but they discovered that the table had been covered for the evening.

Abualrob recounted: "We don't drink and were sitting there chatting when out of the blue a British guy approached us, pulled up a chair uninvited and asked where we were from. My friend said from Egypt and myself from Palestine. He said: 'Egypt, Palestine. You Muslims. Are you suicide bombers?'"

Upon leaving the pub, the two friends were ambushed by three men.

"They started insulting my religion. I said 'Merry Christmas, enjoy your holiday' and didn't say any more. We started crossing the street and they followed us. One of them threw an empty glass towards us. Then one of them lunged at me and punched me on my left cheek and I fell to the ground. Then three of them started kicking me in the head, shoulders and body. I grabbed my head in my arms trying to protect my face. I managed to get away and tried to get into the bar for protection. Because I was so dizzy I fell in front of the pub."

"I have bruises on my face, my knee is badly injured and above all, I have a bad concussion. I am dizzy and with a terrible headache and have blurred vision. My heart is broken and I am emotionally overwhelmed. I wished them a Merry Christmas and, they instead of doing the same, attacked me," Abualrob added.

Police arrived on the scene and took Abualrob to a local hospital. A Durham Police spokesman later stated:

"Police were called to an assault outside the Happy Wanderer pub in Durham at around 8.40pm on Christmas Eve. One man was taken to University Hospital North Durham with minor injuries. A 49-year-old man and a 23-year-old have been arrested on suspicion of racially or religiously aggravated assault with injury."

This story first appeared on Mail Online.