By Dawud Aisha
Fahima Adan, 20, appeared on Nine News on Sunday night with bruises and scratches on her arm following the incident, which occurred shortly after midday on Saturday on a train from Dandenong.
A 39-year-old Clayton woman has been arrested in connection with the incident. Ms Adan, from Dandenong, said she tried to help a 42-year-old mother and three-year-old boy when she saw them being racially abused by a "racist, crazy lady" who, she said, screamed, "I hate Islam".
She saw that I was from the same religion and she sort of, you know, attacked me, she pounced to my scarf and tried to remove it and that's where the physical altercation [started]" Ms Adan said.
"My scarf ... this is my world, this is my religion."
Footage from the train shows passengers watching a heated exchange between the alleged perpetrator and Ms Adan, who is heard yelling, "I'm Australian as well".
"No you're not!" screams the the other woman in reply.
In a Facebook post, Ms Adan said the incident "really opened my eyes".
As non Muslims increasingly express their hatred for Islam and Muslims, so does the eyes of the Muslim faithfuls open to reality of the relationship that should exist between Muslims and non Muslims.