Late last month an elderly woman spouted racial and religious abuse at Mrs Azam as the pair waited in line to be served at Officeworks in Fairy Meadow.

The 13-minute verbal attack captured on CCTV came almost 13 years after three young men driving in a car verbally attacked Mrs Azam, who at the time was heavily pregnant, wearing a hijab and had two young children in her car.

"I was petrified, they were calling me names, threatening me, and I couldn't understand why. This was post-September 11," Mrs Azam said.

"I know they were angry, so was I, I was outraged at what had happened. Nothing can justify the tragedy, it is certainly not in the name of my religion, my ethics.

"I went home and I cried and then I went into a major depression. I took my hijab off, I didn't report the incident to the police because I was scared and I didn't know if they would take it seriously and I wasn't sure if it would make any difference in that environment."

Speaking to the Wollongong Advertiser, the Figtree mother of a blended family of six children, said the recent attack brought to the surface the guilt she had been carrying around for not reporting the first incident.

"I've lived with that guilt for 13 years of not having reported it, of not being proactive and challenging systems ... I took the easy way out, I took the hijab off to protect my children and myself," Mrs Azam said.

A medical practice manager and palliative care social worker, Mrs Azam only recently found the courage to wear the hijab again.

The 44-year-old said her desire for world peace is far greater than her desire to look attractive as a woman. She wants a stronger spiritual connection and is adamant that nothing will deter her from wearing the hijab - not even the "hate crime" on January 20.

"She [her abuser] was persistent in her determination to disempower, provoke and demonise me and my faith purely because I was wearing a hijab," Mrs Azam said.

"She said Muslims were all evil people who caused trouble all over the world.

"I tried to reassure her that she should not believe everything she hears in the media but she wouldn't let up," Mrs Azam said.

"Even when I tried to tell her about my experience of victimisation when I was seven months pregnant, she kept going, saying that Muhammad had 66 wives.

"Having devoted most of my life to voluntarily caring for the elderly, I was in fact shocked and genuinely hurt that she could be so hateful, bigoted and offensive without personally knowing me."

But it was only after Mrs Azam nearly drowned while kayaking that she decided to report the incident to police.

"I felt helpless, I felt stupid, I felt vulnerable and scared that I would drown but at the same time I was bargaining with God that if he helps me get back to my family I won't be the coward I was 13 years ago and I'll stand up for those who can't stand up for themselves," she said.

"I knew then as a mother and social worker that I had a duty to tell the police. If that woman had verbally attacked a teenager for example she could have gone home and self-harmed, backlashed and hit her or been radicalised ... and all these things are not acceptable.

"I want to put an end to this fear, anger and insecurity by educating and raising awareness. No-one has a right to offend someone because of their religious beliefs," Mrs Azam said.

Wollongong police are investigating the matter. Anyone with information can contact the police on (02) 4226 7899 or Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000.