On New Years Eve neuroscience student Caitlin Duncan, along with hundreds of other women, were victims of a series of sexual harassing assaults and incidents perpetuated by a mob of men in Cologne, Germany. [German Police have since announced that 35 suspects are in custody, 32 of them from North Africa].
Hesham Ahmad Mohammad and his friends helped Ms. Duncan. They formed a protective shield around her and gave her cab money. She safely reunited with her boyfriend later that night, thanks to the efforts of the men. As Mr. Mohammad told PRI, “Because I am Muslim, I cannot leave anybody who needs help alone. From my story people know there are good refugees, good people. They will help anybody.”
Reflecting on the evening, Ms. Duncan says that while she understands the fear and anger many Germans have about the horrible incident, “I do think however it should be directed at the individuals, those people specifically who committed the crime and not generalize it to an entire group of people based on a religion or a country of citizenship.”
