Woman wearing Muslim garb says blouse set on fire while walking in Midtown

MIDTOWN, Manhattan (WABC) -- A 35-year-old woman from Scotland who was wearing traditional Muslim garb had her blouse set on fire was walking on the sidewalk in front of the Valentino store at 693 Fifth Ave around 9 p.m. Saturday.

The woman says she noticed when her left arm started to feel warm, and then realized her blouse was on fire. After patting the fire out, she noticed a man standing next to her with a lighter in his hand.

The suspect did not exchange words with the woman, and fled eastbound on East 54th Street after the incident.

NYPD Hate Crimes Task Forece is trying to determine if the incident was motivated by bias toward Muslims.

The woman refused medical attention at the scene.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) released a statement saying,

"We are clearly seeing a spike in attacks on individual Muslims and Islamic institutions in New York and around the country, which should be of concern to all Americans. It is time for the mayor and the NYPD to put forward the necessary resources to investigate and prevent these attacks on the Muslim community."