Oregon man smashes Buddhist monk’s head into a car while screaming about Muslims

A Buddhist monk was assaulted in Oregon by a man who mistook him for a Muslim, KATU reports.

Kozen Sampson, 66, told the station he was visiting Hood River on Monday when he heard a man yelling at him.

“I pulled over, someone ran up and yelled. I turned around, they kicked the door, hit me in the side of the face and knocked my head into the frame of the car,” Sampson told KATU. “I do remember [him yelling] an F bomb [about] Muslims, and that was it.”

But Sampson said he is trying to spread a message of tolerance and love — and it seems to be working.

“I don’t know the Islamic faith well, but I do know that Muslims are our brothers and sisters and I would encourage everyone to just take a hard look at how supportive are you of all God’s children,” Sampson told the station.

He said he pitied the man.

“I was thinking, ‘That poor man.’ Can you imagine living your life in fear and anger? Can you imagine wanting to do something that you had to hurt somebody?” he told KATU.