Otago Muslim Association chairman Dr Mohammed Rizwan said the school needed to set a precedent to ensure the "brutal" attack, which he said included a hijab being ripped off the head of a pupil, never happened again.
He had been working with the victims, their families, the police and the school.
Dr Rizwan said the incident began when a group of Muslim pupils were approached by another group who tried to intimidate the Muslim pupils into teaching them Arabic swear words.
The situation escalated and one pupil threatened to forcibly remove the hijab of one of the Muslim pupil’s and film it on a cellphone.
One of the Muslim pupils tried to push the phone aside and the attack turned physical, he said.
A video of the incident emerged and ended up being shared on social media and between pupils.
One of the Muslim pupils ended up being taken to hospital for a checkup after suffering blows to the head, Dr Rizwan said.
He said that during the course of the attack, one girl’s hijab was forcibly removed.
Her friends quickly tried to cover her head.
For a Muslim woman, wearing a head covering was a religious commandment and an act of worship, he said. It was a "grave sin" to forcibly removed a hijab.
The attack was a "serious disrespect to our religion and community".
The sharing of a video of the attack was also a hugely disrespectful act, he said.
"Words cannot amount to what they tried to do."
The account was backed up by a family member of one of the pupils.
She said the attack was not only bullying, but was a "hate crime".
The school needed to take responsibility for addressing racially charged verbal and physical abuse.
Dr Rizwan said the Muslim community was appalled by the attack.
"We are hurting. We are frustrated and angry."
Schools should be a safe space for pupils and the offenders needed to face consequences, he said.
The Otago Muslim Association was meeting the school to make the situation right.
The pupils had returned to school and their teachers were trying their best to ensure they felt comfortable, he said.
Otago Girls’ principal Bridget Davidson declined to answer any further questions about the incident, including about the accusation it was racially motivated.
"Out of respect for each of the young people involved, it is not appropriate to comment further on the details," she said.
