Mayhem broke out on a busy commercial street in Jackson Heights on July 11, when two German Sheppards attacked a group of Muslim youth who were preaching their religion. The owner of the dogs, a white woman who resides in the neighborhood, expressed anti-Muslim sentiments during the incident. All activity came to a standstill, while panic filled the air.

The situation came under control when the police, who arrived half-an-hour after they were called, arrested the woman. The matter is being discussed all over Jackson Heights. An incident of religious hatred has never been seen in Jackson Heights before. It happened at the corner of 37th Avenue and 74th Street at 5 p.m. Like every other weekend, a group of Muslim youth stood on the corner with banners to draw the attention of passersby. The young men, who belong to a Islamic organization, gather on the street every Sunday holding banners with Islamic verses printed on them. They usually draw a large crowd.

While the dogs attacked the group, the woman cursed at the bystanders who admonished her to pull off the dogs. She spit on them and tried to attack them, while hundreds of people looked on. The woman became increasingly agitated and angry. Meanwhile, rumors spread that riots had erupted between Muslims and non-Muslims. Panic-stricken shopkeepers started closing up their shops and the surrounding streets were blocked off. When several photographers started to take pictures of the woman, she also attacked them with her dogs and tried to snatch away a video camera, which Nihar Siddique used to record the incident. Siddique left when the woman tried to scratch him. The woman then attacked the banners on which verses from the Holy Koran were inscribed and smashed the posters under her feet.

The police arrived half-an-hour after they were called. By then, the people who had gathered were chanting "Allahu Akbar." Some of the youth, who were angered by the attack, wanted to punish her. But the others restrained them.

The director of the Islamic think tank said that the lady had been provoking them for the past three months.