Asma Jama had been at the Coon Rapids Applebee's for just 25 minutes when the beer mug smashed into her face. She was left with 17 stitches, a persistent headache and scars that may be lifelong.
The 38-year-old Minneapolis resident returned to Minnesota last week after fleeing the state for several weeks to be with family in Texas.
And while Jama took the actual blow, Muslims throughout the Twin Cities have been wounded by the attack.
Anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant voices are a loud presence on the American political scene, especially at times of crisis such as the recent terrorist attacks in Paris and the arrests of suspected ISIL recruits from Minnesota.
And now, with a woman attacked in a popular family restaurant, Muslims can't help but wonder: Will I be next?
"It's appalling," said Fatima Alnizami, a St. Paul native who now lives in Brooklyn Park. "People are on high alert, and they think anybody wearing a head scarf or a beard is a terrorist."
Alnizami, who works at the Al-Amal School in Fridley, said she hesitates to speak Arabic to her two young children in public. "I have to be worried that I might be making someone angry," she said.
"We don't feel safe," said Ahmad Abu Atieh, director of the Islamic Cultural Community Center in Minneapolis. "I worry that someone will attack me. Every day."