Muslim man arrested on hate crime charges for attacking Christian woman in Portland

A Muslim man has been arrested on felony hate crime charges for an alleged attack against a Christian woman in Portland, Oregon. Authorities said that Mahamat Noh, 32, physically shoved the woman up against a wall and placed his hands around her neck after becoming irate over her cross necklace.

Noh was taken into custody on Friday, June 19. The incident occurred inside his apartment on the 11000 block of Southeast Powell Boulevard just before 5 am, police said.

The woman told police she was attacked by Noh when she was trying to leave. He reportedly began reciting verses from the Quran after taking issue with the victim's cross necklace.

The woman told him, "God has my back." Noh responded, "F*ck your God" before allegedly grabbing the victim's arms, pushing her up against the wall, and placing his hands around her neck, according to court documents obtained by KATU.

At least one roommate witnessed the attack. He told police that he woke up and observed Noh hitting the woman. Another roommate said that Noh has a history of becoming upset when he sees someone who is Christian.

When interviewed by police and shown images of the victim's injuries, including bruising, Noh said the Christian woman was "burning from the inside," according to the outlet. Additionally, Noh told authorities that his roommate, who claimed to have observed the attack, was "brainwashed," and claimed that the woman had attacked Noh for reading the Quran.



Noh has been charged with two counts of bias crime and one count each of menacing and harassment. He was arraigned on Monday in Multnomah County.