Imam Ismet Purdic and his wife faced a disturbing encounter on the South Gippsland Highway in Dandenong South on Saturday evening, shortly after 7:30 p.m. They were reportedly targeted by occupants of a black hatchback who hurled racist insults and threw debris at their vehicle.

According to Purdic, the aggressive behavior escalated when the hatchback obstructed their path, compelling them to pull into a nearby service station. There, his wife was menaced, and he fell victim to an ambush.

“One of them struck me hard in the face,” Purdic recounted, visibly shaken by the experience.

“I shudder to think what might have happened if our children were with us. We’re in shock,” he added.

In the wake of the incident, Purdic expressed a pressing need to find a resolution to ensure their safety moving forward.

Passersby who witnessed the incident stopped to intervene when the three suspects jumped back into the car and left.

The trio, including 23-year-old Cranbourne North man Brendan Nicholls, a 22-year-old Cranbourne East man and an 18-year-old Dandenong South woman were arrested yesterday.

The two men were charged with assault and criminal damage.

Purdic condemned the “outpouring of hate”.

“Thank god my children stayed at home. I can’t imagine how horrible it would have been if the children had seen and experienced this,” he said.

Nicholls was unable to face court today because he is withdrawing from drugs and was at risk of self-harm, his lawyers told the court.

He could be heard screaming from the cells at Dandenong Magistrates Court during the hearing.

The 23-year-old was remanded in custody to return to court tomorrow where he may apply for bail.

The 22-year-old man was bailed to appear at court in May.

The woman was released pending summons.

Muslim leaders say incidents of religious hate in Victoria are out of control since the Bondi massacre.

“There’s a lot of fear in the Muslim community, particularly with the Muslim women,” Imam Moustapha Sarakibi said.

“It’s now something that they have to think about every time they leave their house.

“Definitely a lot of fear and a lot of concern with where this is all heading.”

Imam Purdic will take some time off his official duties at the Noble Park Mosque to recover.

But he wants his community at the Bosnia-Herzegovina Islamic Society Noble Park Mosque to push ahead with welcoming visitors for an open day in a couple of weeks’ time.

“We must, as Australians must fight against hate, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, and all bad things,” Purdic said.

“My mission is to share peace and security with people.

“We must stay together and fight it and not allow anyone to break this good life in Australia.”

Victoria Police said: “There is absolutely no place for prejudice-motivated, religious based or hate-based behaviour in our society and such activity will not be tolerated.”

Multicultural Affairs Minister Ingrid Stitt said this alleged “violent, racist, Islamophobic and misogynistic violence has no place in Victoria and our government condemns it unequivocally”.

“No Victorian should have to worry about whether they are safe driving down the street,” she said.

“Racists will always seek to divide us, but our strength is in our diversity, and we must always stand up to it.”