The murder of a six-year-old Muslim boy in Chicago and the attack on a Sikh teenager in New York are the latest signs of the growing threats facing communities in the United States in the wake of Israeli-Palestinian violence.
By Sunita Sohrabji. Ethnic Media Services.
Muslims and Sikh Americans fear a wave of hate crime retaliation attacks amid the Middle East conflict between Israel and Palestine, which together have killed nearly 5,000 people since October 7.
Moina Shaiq, president of the Muslim Friends and Democrats Club of Alameda County, told Ethnic Media Services: "This is 9/11 all over again."
After the horrific terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, which killed more than 3,000 Americans, Muslims and Sikh Americans became targets of retaliatory hate attacks. The first post-9/11 hate crime victim was Balbir Singh Sodhi, a gas station owner in Mesa, Arizona, who was murdered on September 15, 2001 by Frank Silva Roque. The killer told his friends after 9/11 that he was going to "go out and kill some towelheads."
Because of their religiously mandated turbans and beards, Sikhs are often mistaken for Muslims.
'What have we done wrong?'
Shortly after the Israel-Palestine conflict broke out, Shaiq said he called Fremont, California, police chief Sean Washington to ask for additional patrols during Jumma (Friday prayers) at his mosque. Washington immediately agreed, but Shaiq said she was unsure whether American Muslims in other jurisdictions were receiving the same level of protection.
Shaiq characterizes herself as a "hijabi," and wears the headscarf required by her faith. When he took his three young grandchildren to the Oakland Zoo on Oct. 15, Shaiq said, "People were looking at me." I felt very uncomfortable.
?It makes us feel very guilty, as if we had done something wrong. There is a feeling of shame and guilt that we always carry. But what have we done? asked.
Palestinian-American boy murdered
The fears of American Muslims intensified this week when news emerged from Plainsfield, Illinois, that a six-year-old Palestinian American boy, Wadea Al Fayoume, was fatally stabbed 26 times by suspect Joseph Czuba. According to police reports, Czuba, the owner of the Al Fayoume family home, forced his way into the apartment and first confronted Wadea's mother, Hanaan Shahin. He proceeded to attack her with a 30cm military style knife, shouting: 'You Muslims must die'.
Shahin was able to escape to a bathroom, but without Wadea. Czuba sat on top of the boy and stabbed him repeatedly, then stayed in the apartment until police arrived.
Czuba is in custody and is being held without bail. He has been charged with three counts of murder, one count of attempted murder, two counts of aggravated assault and two counts of committing a hate crime.
Justice Department investigation
United States Attorney General Merrick Garland announced on October 16 that the incident would be investigated as a hate crime. “This incident cannot help but further raise the fears of our country's Muslim, Arab and Palestinian communities regarding hate-fueled violence.”
Ahmed Rehab, executive director of the Chicago, Illinois chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations, told Ethnic Media Services that Wadea was buried on October 16 and that a vigil was held for him and his mother on October 17.
"I have three children. One of them looks like this boy. I haven't seen them in two days because of the work I've been doing with Wadea's family. Why will they never see their little one again? Rehab said.
'The worst nightmare'
Ahmed Rehab quoted Wadea's father, Oday El-Fayoume, as saying at a news conference: ?I came to this city for my children. And now I have had to bury one of them?
Rehab said the American Muslim community lives under the specter of fear. Mosques have canceled after-hours events and are increasing security measures. Parents are taking their children out of school for fear of bullying. ?There are definitely repercussions for our community. Is our worst nightmare come true?
He also blamed Wadea's death on the media. ?You see in all the news that Muslims are now portrayed as inhuman animals. Is that why this little boy lost his life?
school bullying
Zaheer Abbasi, a Pakistani-American trader, told EMS with a laugh: ?My little one is always making excuses not to go to school. Has your stomach hurt hundreds of mornings, despite my wife's good cooking?
Abbasi's tone became serious. ?On Monday, when I left him, I saw Rafa walking away. And then I ran to look for him. He is my only son, my heart. Will we keep him at home for now?
FBI Hate Crime Data
The FBI released its Uniform Crime Reports data on Oct. 16, the department's annual tracking of hate crimes over the past year. In 2022, local law enforcement agencies reported 158 anti-Muslim attacks and 92 anti-Arab attacks to the FBI. Anti-Jewish attacks increased by 36%, and there are concerns that the ongoing conflict in the Middle East could increase the number even further.
Critics of the program point out that reporting by authorities is voluntary, likely leading to undercounts of such crimes. Additionally, the characteristics of a hate crime are strictly defined, so law enforcement often does not record a hate-motivated attack as a hate crime.
Anti-Semitic attacks
Rehab told EMS that the American Muslim community is reluctant to report these types of incidents. "If they report them, we would see at least triple those numbers," he said.
According to FBI data, the majority of bias attacks against Muslims and Arabs were carried out by white men.
As in previous years, the highest number of hate crimes involved black people: 3,424.
Sikh teenager attacked
The American Sikh community is also on high alert, with an attack on a Sikh teenager on a New York City bus on October 15 further straining nerves. The attacker, who is still at large, beat the victim and tried to remove the turban required for religious reasons. “We don't use that here,” the attacker said, according to police reports.
?Unfortunately, our community knows all too well how major geopolitical events, plus the inflammatory political rhetoric that accompanies them, can cause further harm to already marginalized communities,? said Harman Singh, Director of Policy and Education at the Sikh Coalition.
The organization has sent a user information its members with tips on how to stay safe and how to report bias-motivated attacks. Sikh Americans were targets of 191 hate crimes in 2022.
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