“He stared at me, took out a knife and sneered ‘Deport them all’”

Immediately after Donald Trump was elected president, I decided to stop wearing my hijab. Despite facing constant Islamophobia over the 12 years I’ve worn a headscarf in America, nothing had ever compelled me to remove it before.

Until Election Day.

America’s next president has openly targeted people like me by calling for a ban on Muslims entering the United States and suggesting that we carry I.D. cards. For these reasons, I no longer feel safe at home.

But three days after Trump won the presidency, I was determined to get over my fear and wore a blue flower-patterned hijab to my doctor’s appointment at a Miami hospital. As soon as I sat down in the waiting room, an older white man one seat away began staring at me. His penetrating eyes made me uncomfortable, but I continued to sit in silence.

Five minutes later, the man took out a pocket knife, opened it, and set it down on the empty seat between us. Terrified, I froze in place, just waiting to be stabbed.

Click here to read the entire piece. Alaa Basatneh is a writer and reporter for Fusion. Her article originally appeared on fusion.net.

This story was originally published November 18, 2016 at 5:20 PM with the headline "“He stared at me, took out a knife and sneered ‘Deport them all’”."