American President Joe Biden on Sunday (15/10) evening offered his “condolences and prayers” to the family of a six-year-old child in Illinois, Chicago, who was brutally murdered last Saturday (14/10) by a suspected perpetrator who is now charged with articles on crimes motivated by hate crimes.
“Jill and I were shocked and disgusted to learn of the brutal murder of a six-year-old child and attempted murder of the child’s mother in their home yesterday in Illinois,” read an excerpt from Biden’s initial statement released by the White House.
“The child’s Palestinian Muslim family came to America looking for what we all seek, namely a safe haven to live, study and worship in peace,” he added.
Victims are targeted because of religion
The Will County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on social media that officers found the woman and boy Saturday morning at a home in an unincorporated area of Plainfield Township, southwest of Chicago. The boy was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. Meanwhile, the female victim suffered several stab wounds, but is expected to survive.
An autopsy performed on the body of the six-year-old boy found that he had been stabbed dozens of times.
Joseph M. Czuba, suspect in stabbing 6-year-old child in Illinois. (Photo: Will County Sheriff’s Office via AP)
“Detectives were able to determine that the two victims in this brutal attack were targeted by the suspect due to their being Muslim and the ongoing Middle East conflict between Hamas and Israel,” the sheriff’s statement said.
Police on Sunday (15/10) accused 71-year-old Joseph M. Czuba of deliberately targeting the two victims because of their Islamic religion, and as a reaction to the Israel-Hamas war.
Czuba was charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, two counts of hate crime and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He was detained on Sunday and will appear in court soon.
Hate crime has no place in the US
The president asserted that “this horrific act of hate has no place in America, and goes against our foundational values: freedom from fear for how we worship, what we believe, and who we are.”
Biden further said “as Americans, we must unite and reject Islamophobia and all forms of bigotry and hatred. I have said many times that I will not be silent in the face of hate. We have to be firm. There is no place in America for hatred against anyone.”
At the end of their statement, Biden and First Lady Jill joined everyone at the White House “to offer condolences and prayers to the family, including for the mother’s recovery, and to the broader Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim American communities.”
Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia Strengthen
In recent days, federal authorities and police in many US cities have been on high alert for potential acts of violence fueled by anti-Jewish sentiment and Islamophobia.
Jewish and Muslim groups have reported an increase in hateful rhetoric and threats on social media.
A member of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) speaks with commuters in front of an advertising poster reading “Support Israel/Defeat Jihad” at the Times Square subway station, New York, September 24, 2012. (Photo: Brendan Mcdermid/Reuters/archive )
According to the Will County sheriff’s office, the woman who was victimized in Chicago had called 911 to report that the owner of the rental house she was staying in had attacked her with a knife. She said he then ran into the bathroom and continued to fight her.
Authorities said the man suspected in the attack was found outside the home, “sitting upright on the ground near the driveway of the residence” with a wound on his forehead.
We are human, not animals
Authorities have not released the names of the two victims.
However, a man named Yousef Hannon, claimed to be the boy’s uncle. In a press conference held by the Chicago Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Hannon identified the boy as Wadea Al-Fayoume, an American child of Palestinian descent who recently celebrated her birthday. the sixth.
CAIR identified the woman who suffered serious stab wounds as Wadea’s mother.
“We are not animals, we are humans. We want people to see us, feel our presence, deal with us as people. That’s why we are,” said Hannon, a US citizen of Palestinian descent who immigrated to the US in 1999.
Since arriving in the US, Hannon has held various jobs, including being a government school teacher.
Worst nightmare
CAIR called the crime “our worst nightmare,” and part of a surge in hate calls and emails since the outbreak of the Hamas-Israel war.
CAIR cited several text messages between Hannon’s family members as indicating that the attacker had made a number of statements
The director of CAIR’s Chicago branch, Ahmed Rehab, said “the hearts of Palestinians in America are basically breaking to see what is happening to the Palestinian people… and now they also have to fear for their lives, in the freest country in the world.”
Previously in an interview with VOA at CAIR headquarters in Washington DC on Friday (13/10), CAIR-Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry said she had received many complaints from Muslim and Arab students, at the high school and college level, regarding the incident. that befell them.
These incidents include when a person or group of people shouted racial slurs, photographed and videoed them coming home from school or leaving the mosque, threatened to post their personal data on social media (doxing), commented on their messages on social media with racial slurs or messages that create feelings of hostility and others.
This happens because the students wear attributes that reflect their religion, or express support for the urgency of human rights for Palestinians.
Zainab called on Muslim citizens who experienced this to immediately report to the authorities or to the nearest CAIR office. (em/ft)