On Monday, Bridgeview—a Chicago suburb with mostly Palestinian residents—gathered to pay respects to a 6-year-old Muslim boy who was viciously killed in an alleged hate crime.
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The victim, Wadea Al-Fayoume, died Saturday after being stabbed over two dozen times.
The unspeakably brutal and inhumane act has caused an international outpouring of anger, shock and sorrow. Officials have stated that the family’s landlord, Joseph Czuba, 71, was outraged over the Israel-Hamas war.
Authorities said that the attack occurred after the boy’s mother suggested they “pray for peace.” Wadea’s mother, 32-year-old Hanaan Shahin, told police that on Saturday morning, Czuba came after her with a knife as she ran to the bathroom to call 911.
Prosecutors said Shahin’s two other children were with their father in Chicago and not present during the time of the attack.
Per the Will County Sheriff’s Office, Shahin was stabbed more than a dozen times. Czuba is facing numerous charges, including three counts of first-degree murder, one count of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated battery, and two hate crime counts.
At Czuba’s first court appearance on Monday, a Will County judge refused a pretrial release as prosecutors stated that he was a danger to both the boy’s mother and the public at large. In addition, the Justice Department has also launched an investigation into the case. The FBI is examining federal hate crime charges as well.
Wadea’s body was transported in a white casket — which was at times was covered with a Palestinian flag—through crowds that gathered during the janazah, or funeral service. The Council on American Islamic Relations shared that the child had just celebrated his birthday a few weeks ago.
“He was a lovely boy who loved his family, his friends. He loved soccer. He loved basketball, and he paid the price for the atmosphere of hate,” CAIR Executive Director Ahmed Rehab told CBS of how Wadea’s father thought of him.
Czuba is scheduled to appear back in court on Oct. 30.
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