Woman wearing headscarf targeted for anti-Muslim hate in Fremont

Video: Hiker In Head Scarf Targeted In Possible Fremont Hate Crime

A woman who wore a headscarf to protect her from the sun returned from a hike in the East Bay hills to find her car vandalized and burglarized, and a note left behind by the culprits reading “Hijab Wearing Bitch,” officials said Wednesday.

Nicki Pancholy, 41, of Milpitas said she felt fear and panic after discovering the note on her car. She said she is not Muslim and wears a bandanna around her head because she has lupus.

“I did not come the next day for my hike because I was scared to come,” Pancholy said. “I didn’t know who was watching me. I would like for the violence to end with me.”

Police are classifying the incident as a hate crime after the note found on Pancholy’s dashboard read, “Hijab Wearing Bitch. This is our nation, now get the F— out.”

Nicki Pancholy, a resident of Milpitas, was the target of an anti-Muslim hate crime on Monday. Pancholy is not Muslim, and wears a bandana around her head because she has lupus. Nicki Pancholy, a resident of Milpitas, was the target of an anti-Muslim hate crime on Monday. Pancholy is not Muslim, and wears a bandana around her head because she has lupus. Photo: Nicki Pancholy / Nicki Pancholy Photo: Nicki Pancholy / Nicki Pancholy Image 1 of / 35 Caption Close Woman wearing headscarf targeted for anti-Muslim hate in Fremont 1 / 35 Back to Gallery

Pancholy discovered the rear window of her car smashed and her purse stolen after returning from a hike Monday in the Mission Peak Regional Preserve in Fremont around 4 p.m., said Carolyn Jones, a spokeswoman for the East Bay Regional Park District.

The crime took place in a parking lot at the base of Mission Peak, Jones added.

“We are obviously very upset and saddened that this happened in our community,” said Geneva Bosques, a spokeswoman for the Fremont Police Department. “It’s very disturbing.”

Police were trying to identify the person responsible for the damage Wednesday. It is unclear whether more than one person was involved.

“Acts such as these will not be tolerated in Fremont,” said Raj Salwan, the planning commissioner for the city, in a statement posted on Facebook. “I along with many members of our community will not tolerate hate crimes in our city. Our diversity is our strength.”

This incident was the latest in a series of hate crimes that have jolted the Bay Area since the presidential elections.

As of Monday morning, the Southern Poverty Law Center reported 437 cases of hateful intimidation and harassment nationwide since the Nov. 8 elections. The center also stated that many incidents involved direct references to the President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign and slogans.

“We are concerned about the increase in reported hate crimes and hate incidents across the country,” said Zahra Billoo, executive director of the San Francisco Bay Area Office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which has received a flood of calls in the last week reporting harassment and hate incidents.

The incidents in the Bay Area haven’t been exclusive to Muslims.

A Latina nanny caring for two toddlers was assaulted Monday in the Great Meadow area of Fort Mason by a man who told her, “No Latinos here,” officials said.

A Millbrae resident who allegedly punched a Latino man after making derogatory comments about Mexicans in Redwood City was charged with a hate crime Tuesday.

“Americans must demand that President-elect Trump immediately denounce policies of ethnic cleansing and instead embrace America as a compassionate nation that embraces diversity,” Assemblyman Marc Levine, D-San Rafael, said in a statement.

Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani